Web Soil Survey

Web Soil Information can be found here https://websoilsurvey.sc.egov.usda.gov/App/HomePage.htm. It's maintained by the U.S. government and is updated every October.  It has a great deal of information on soil and what crops grow well in the area.  For example, I found that San Luis Rey Watershed area is best suited for growing alfalfa due to its abundance of sunshine.  I've included that information in the presentation, along with the wildlife (Desert Tortoise) which can be found in over 50% of the surveyed area. 

 Climate and Weather Information

Climate and Weather information can be found by clicking this link https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/cdo-web/datatools/records.  For San Luis Rey Watershed, I selected View Selected Record tab, and under Location Category, I used San Diego County, California.  As you can see, for the month of June 2021, eight out of ten records have been broken!  A quick glance at the chart, I see the highest temperature of 119 degrees was recorded on 2021-06-18, breaking a 53 years record of 116 degrees.

Layer Maps

 This is a layered map for the San Luis Rey Watershed Biodiversity.  The first layer describes the various Climates within the watershed which enables the amazing habitats.  The second layer shows the Habitats, with Riparian (Streamsides) and Freshwater Marsh/Montane (mountain) Meadow/Vernal Pool spread throughout.  The next layer is the Flora within the watershed.  I have included pictures of characteristic flora for the corresponding habitats.  The last layer is the Fauna for the watershed, also with pictures characteristics of the area. 

To View Larger Map, Click on the icon at top right corner. Map was created using Google My Maps.  (Very cool!)

Ecology Overview   

Here's an introduction to the Ecology of the San Luis Rey Watershed.  For a larger view, please Click Here  Ecology Overview Presentation.

Note: In the building of this presentation, I realized a couple of things regarding my love-hate relationship with coyotes.  I've always hated them because they've eaten our cats and chickens.  They have chewed up my irrigation lines.  And they are generally ugly looking and their yelps at night are simply creepy.   But I love them because they eat rodents and snakes.  With this presentation, I came across information on their territories, habitats, food chain, and their competition for food amongst themselves (intraspecific) and us humans (interspecific).  They are losing the war with us humans because of their habitat loss and increased food scarcity due to our urbanization.  I am not sure us "winning" is a good thing because as part of the food chain, they keep in check the rodents and snakes.  I have a hard time imagining a world without them and me having to deal with an overpopulation of snakes!

 

Why San Luis Rey Watershed? 

 I chose San Luis Rey Watershed as my study area due the superb biodiversity of the area.  It is also helpful to have the study area nearby so that I can take a short walk or a long hike if there’s something that needs additional investigation.

 

San Luis Rey Watershed is located in southern California, in the northern part of San Diego County. The area encompasses approximately 562 square miles with 6,535 feet of overall change in altitude. 

This watershed includes 3 Varied Terrains:

·         Coastal - On its western side is more than 20 miles of coastline

·         Mountains - On its eastern side is Laguna Mountains consists of hills, mesas, and small canyons. Snow-capped (in winter) mountains rise to the east, with the Sonoran Desert farther to the east

·         Desert - Cleveland National Forest is spread across the central portion of the county, while the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park occupies most of the northeast

It has Multiple Climates:

·         San Luis Rey Watershed’s climates include mild Mediterranean, semi-arid and desert

·         Temperatures often vary significantly due to topography changes over short geographical distances 

·         It has hot, sunny, and dry summers, and cooler, wetter winters with a range of 57.3 °F in January to 72 °F in August

·         It has an average of 146 sunny days and 117 partly cloudy days a year

·         Average annual precipitation is less than 12 inches. Palomar Mountain, however, has some of the highest rainfall averages reaching up to 30-35 inches/year

San Luis Rey Watershed’s varied terrains and climates make it possible for a rich biodiversity in its 9 Diverse Habitats. Nine!

Importance of Biodiversity

Biodiversity is important to most aspects of our lives. In a global setting, it provides basic human needs such as food, fuel, shelter, and medicine. It provides crucial services such as pollination, seed dispersal, climate regulation, water purification, nutrient cycling, and control of agricultural pests. It holds values in our sense of well being and connection with the environment.  As a nation, we must protect the biodiversity to ensure peace, economic stability and ecosystem balance.  Legislation and public education are keys to preserve biodiversity, as without them, mismanagement and often times greed, can lead to a region's extinction of particular, sought after species.

When a species is taken from a biodiversity pool, the food chain is interrupted.  The cascading effect can spread to other species and ultimately to us and to our quality of life.  Take for example, the decline of the bee population around the world.  The potential consequences are devastating for the ecosystem. Without bees, pollination would be interrupted, preventing floral growth, which results in reducing food and habitats for animals. 

To ensure the sustainability of San Luis Rey Watershed biodiversity, all conservation efforts should start at the local level, that means you and me.  So instead of killing the bees that have their hives in the wrong place, we can move them to a better and more appreciated area such as a farm or a ranch.

Biodiversity Definition

 Biodiversity is a two-parts word: Bio means life, a living thing that starts with birth and ends with death; diversity means variety.  Biodiversity means all living things within an area, at a given time.