 |
 fter a two-and-a-half year fund-raising
effort by the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and the Anza-Borrego Foundation,
the park is the new owner of a rare wetland and riparian habitat,"
announced Colorado Desert District Superintendent David Van Cleve. Escrow
closed on May 20, 1998, on 1,421.06 acres, known as Sentenac Canyon and
Cienega, located near the historic Scissors Crossing, the intersection of
State Scenic Highway 78 and County S2. Van Cleve expressed his thanks to
the Foundation and past President Diana Lindsay for spearheading the fund
raising drive. "If the Foundation hadn't stepped in, we never would
have raised the necessary funds within the given time," added Van Cleve.
 The purchase price for the property,
home to threatened and endangered plant and animal species, amounted to
$2,550,000. Of this amount, $1,398,000 was funded from state resources including
the Environmental Enhancement and Mitigation Grant program, the River Parkway
Bond Act (Proposition 204), and the Habitat Conservation Fund. Major funding
was also provided by a $880,000 grant from the Transportation Enhancement
Activities program. An additional $100,000 was awarded to the Anza-Borrego
Foundation by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation through its competitive
grant program. The balance of approximately $172,000 was raised by the Foundation
from local and regional foundations as well as individual donors.
"To commemorate this valuable
addition to the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park," announced Foundation
President Ralph Singer, "the Anza-Borrego Foundation and park will
host a "Sentenac Celebration," in conjunction with the annual
"Taste of Borrego" event scheduled next fall on Saturday and Sunday,
November 20 and 21." ABF volunteers and Park staff will conduct tours
of the Sentenac Cienega and Canyon area.
The bumpy road to acquisition of
this valuable wetland riparian habitat began in November of 1993. At that
time, the owners of the Rancho San Felipe, Tom and Mary Lou Edwards, approached
the park and the Foundation about selling portions of their land. After
several meetings, it was determined the time wasn't "ripe." "The
Park and the Foundation needed to put together a funding plan," stated
Van Cleve, "and the Edwards needed to decide if they could wait for
what might be years until the state and the Foundation raised the funds
for a viable offer."
Then in November 1995 the owners
were still willing to sell, so the Parks Dept. applied for a $880,000 Transportation
Enhancement Activities (TEA) grant. "We were told the chances of this
project being awarded a TEA grant were next to nil," reports ABF Manager
Linda Nordstrand, "but ABF and park staff dug inwe refused to accept
anything but success."
However, one important requirement
remained. "We were literally given a month to come up with a $120,000
match for the grant," explained Nordstrand. "A commitment letter
for that amount was required for the grant package due in mid-December."
Thankfully, one of ABF's major donors
stepped forward to gift $75,000 to the Foundation and commit another $45,000
if it couldn't be raised from other sources (it was). "If it hadn't
been for this one donor, who prefers to remain anonymous, the project would
never have gotten off the ground," added Singer.
Finally, in September of 1996, the
project, recommended by the San Diego Association of Government (SANDAG)
and placed on the statewide projects list, was approved by the California
Transportation Commission for the full $880,000 grant. The TEA grant's recognition
of the Sentenac project as one of regional and statewide significance was
critical in leveraging additional funds for the project.
The Sentenac acquisition project
involved hundreds of letters and phone calls and the crucial support of
15 environmental groups including the Audubon Society, The Nature Conservancy,
and the Bighorn Institute. Numerous grant applications were submitted to
regional foundations, a 12-minute video was produced, visits were made to
state legislators and county supervisors, and many, many donations were
received from foundation members and park friends. "Throughout it all,"
concluded Singer, "it was the cooperation of all parties the Edwards,
their agent, Kevin Knowles, Anza-Borrego park staff, San Diego and Sacramento
park officials, executive staff at the Resources Agency, ABF and park volunteers
and friends that made it work. This project truly exemplifies what private-public
partnerships can accomplish."  |
