Poway / Ramona Transects

The wildlife transects described on this page are located in Poway or in or near Ramona.

Scripps Poway Parkway Wildlife Tunnel

Group of hikers walking along a dirt trail through a hilly, green landscape with a tunnel in the distance.

       Leader: Phoenix
       Location: Poway
       Number: 23
       Duration: 4 hours
       Difficulty: Moderate
        Why: This transect was set up to monitor whether wildlife was using the tunnel.
       What: The tunnel is heavily used by wildlife.

Photo by Vince Butsumyo

North Mount Woodson Watertank, East and West

       Leader: These two transects are currently inactive.
       Location: Poway
       Numbers: 26 and 27
       Duration: 4 hours each
       Difficulty: Moderate
      Why: To assess the environmental impact of people.
       What: A house has been built in the area; used by bikes, horses, dogs, and hikers. Use by people has been increasing in the last 12 years.

Iron Mountain

       Leader: Phoenix
       Location: Poway
       Numbers: 29
       Duration: 4 hours
       Difficulty: Easy
       Why: This area is part of the movement corridor between San Pasqual Valley and Los Peñasquitos Canyon.
       What: Animal movement does occur on heavily used trails, as long as the animals have a few hours without disturbance.

Photo by Vince Butsumyo

Sycamore Canyon

A small snake on dirt ground with scattered rocks.

       Leader: Phoenix
       Location: Sycamore Canyon Open Space Preserve
       Number: 33
       Duration: 4 hours
       Difficulty: Easy
       Why: To monitor the health of this corridor which connects East County and the western valleys.
       What: Fire is an integral part of the ecosystems that animate plant and animal communities.

Photo by Vince Butsumyo, Rosy Boa

Lake Sutherland

Three children walking along a dirt path in a grassy park with trees and rocks.

       Leader: Evelyn Ono Vineberg
       Location: East of Ramona
       Numbers: 34
       Duration: 4 hours
       Difficulty: Easy
       Why: To monitor preserved open space around the lake. The transect is away from the main fishing areas.
       What: Deer, coyote, and bobcat track and sign have been observed on most transects at lake Sutherland. Since Autumn 2018, mountain lion tracks have been observed near the lake and on the trail above. Wild turkeys have been seen many times as have their tracks, feathers, and scat. In fact, transects are not conducted
during turkey-hunting season (March, April, and May). Deer tracks
and scat are often observed near the reservoir.
     Photos by Evelyn

Three brown horses, two adult and one foal, standing in a grassy, wooded area with trees and bushes

Blue Sky

       Leader: Erik Tracy
       Location: Poway
       Numbers: 57
       Duration: 4 hours
       Difficulty: Moderate
       Why: Established in 2006 by Anna Gateley-Stanton and several other of the Blue Sky Tracking Team, recent data gathering has tracked the continued recovery from the Witch-Creek Fire in 2007, which hit the Reserve very hard.
       What: In addition to woodrats, whose nests were incinerated in
the 2007 fire, coyote, bobcat, deer, raccoon, skunk, and rabbit track
and sign are now regularly observed on this transect.
Photo by Erik

Cagney Grasslands

       Leader: Phoenix
       Location: Ramona
       Numbers: 58
       Duration: 3 hours
       Difficulty: Easy
       Why: Over 90% of California’s grasslands habitat has been lost to development.
       What: Grasslands are not the most diverse habitat, but are critical to certain species.