Dear Members, Donors and Friends,
Dear Members, Donors, and Friends,
It was great to see many of you at our Annual Meeting in February. We were fortunate to be able to hold the meeting in person under clear blue skies!
Because of your continued donations and memberships, many projects at the Reserve were made possible. Please read on to learn about the projects that you’ve enabled us to accomplish. We are very grateful for your generosity which will have an impact on the future of the Reserve.
On Saturday, April 8, we will be celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Historic Lodge at Torrey Pines. It will be a unique event with such commemorative features as antique cars and “historic figures” leading walks. Many family-friendly activities for the kids–such as sketching the historic lodge–will be offered. In addition, local dignitaries will attend as our special guests.
In celebration of the anniversary, we invite you to consider our 100th Anniversary membership. Every dollar will go to the preservation and conservation of Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve.
Sincerely,
-Your Torrey Pines Conservancy
Torrey Pines Conservancy's 73rd Annual Meeting
Torrey Pines Conservancy’s 73rd Annual Meeting took place at the historic Martin Johnson House on the campus of Scripps Institution of Oceanography on Sunday, February 26.
Rick Gulley, TPC President, welcomed over 100 guests –most attending in person gathered on the patio overlooking the Pacific.
Rick announced that Doug Dawson, was re-elected to the TPC Board for another 3-year term. He then reported on both past projects (please see listing below) as well as those in the planning stages. He also provided an overview of the TPC’s sound financial status. Susanne Florin, TPC Executive Director, expressed thanks to those who have supported TPC throughout 2022. The Conservancy raised $379,825 in 2022. This includes a generous estate gift of $207,000 by the late Susan Sands. The sum also includes $47,200 that was raised at “Wine in the Pines”, the Conservancy’s 2022 fall fundraiser.
Cara Stafford, California State Parks San Diego Coast District, presented updates on the revegetation and reforestation projects that are continuing at the Reserve. She noted that the collaboration with the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance is ongoing.
The main speaker was Shawna Anderson, San Dieguito River Park’s new Executive Director. Shawna’s informative presentation included detailed updates on the San Dieguito River Park, the marsh re-habitation and the Coast to Crest trail.
The afternoon concluded with guests enjoying refreshments and raising a toast to another successful year at TPC.
From A to Z--Two Years of TPC Projects (2021-2023)
Anthology: Along Torrey Pines Trails
Beach & Lagoon Information Kiosk
Bluff Collapse Signage
Discovery Trail
Guy Fleming House repairs (interior/ exterior)
Historic Torrey Pines Lodge
La Jolla Historical Society exhibit
Message Center boards
North Beach Restroom signage
Pheromone traps
Rainy Day Fund
Red Butte Retaining Wall repair
Shades for the Children’s Pavillion
Valentien and Guy Fleming prints
Water Filler
April 29, 8 am: TPC Member & Donor Bird Hike
Docents and bird experts Marty Hales and Kathy Dickey will lead a small group of TPC donors and members on an early morning excursion. During this special bird walk, Kathy and Marty will point out resident and migratory birds that we may not detect on our own.
Here’s a list of the birds that were identified at the last TPC bird hike in 2022: Here’s the list: Cinnamon Teal, Northern Shoveler, Mallard, Mourning Dove, White-throated Swift, Allen’s Hummingbird, American Coot, Western Gull, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, White-faced Ibis, Red-tailed Hawk, Belted Kingfisher, Black Phoebe, Hutton’s Vireo, American Crow, Common Raven, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Bushtit, Wrentit, California Gnatcatcher, White-crowned Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Spotted Towhee, Hooded Oriole, Red-winged Blackbird, Orange-crowned Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon’s), and Wilson’s Warbler.
For TPC Members and Donors.
Torrey Pines Macrophotography Flower Walk
This walk is exclusive to TPC Members and Donors. It will be held on Wednesday, March 29th starting at 2:30pm and will run for approximately 2 hours.
Your guide for the afternoon, Zuzana Volny, Park Aide, will briefly talk about the basics of photography and what sets macro photography apart from other photography. Afterwards, you will hit the trails and look for flowers (they are starting to bloom everywhere in the Reserve!). Your guide will identify some flowers, share some facts and then show how they’d approach taking macro photos of that particular flower.
Groundbreaking News
This is the third in a series of articles by Judy Schulman about the Torrey Pines Lodge. We will be celebrating its 100th Anniversary on April 8, 2023.
The news about the ground breaking for the Torrey Pines
Lodge was so ground breaking that the headline “Ground Broken for Torrey Pines Lodge: To Be Resting Place for Auto Tourists” appeared on five different dates!
In four of the appearances, the article stated that “today” was the date for the event. The article first appeared in the San Diego Sun on August 23, 1922. The Escondido Times Advocate ran the same article on three separate dates with the exact same wording: August 31,1922, September 8, 1922, and September 9, 1922.
In the September 16, 1922 issue of the Oceanside Blade-Tribune, the ground breaking was mentioned as occurring a few days earlier and was briefer than the earlier versions.
In fact, we do not have the exact date of the ground breaking, but I believe it was done by local building contractor J.H. Nicholson. I have found a few mentions of his company doing the initial excavating. I have also found some invoices from him dated about that time. I was not able to find if any dignitaries attending the ground breaking.
