Palomar Audubon Society

On Feb. 27 the Escondido City Council by a 3 to 2 vote defeated a motion to require further environ- mental studies before approval of the Derbas development. The Council heard the second required ordinance reading April 10. In a nutshell what all this means is that Escondido has granted Mr. Derbas approval to proceed with his development. However, Mr. Derbas has indicated that he is willing to sell the property for less than he has invested in it. The County under direction of Supervisor Slater has jumped into the picture big time and has directed that an appraisal be made for the purpose of establishing a fair price. It is hoped that a price acceptable to both parties can be reached. If so, it is the intention of the County to close the purchase and dedicate the property as a natural open space County Park. The County Dept. of Parks and Recreation is eager to see this happen and is playing an active role in the process. There is a clear consensus that this would be the ideal resolution of this issue, which has been festering for almost ten years.

The stakes have become even higher with the recent realization that the only pair of golden eagles west of I-15 in SD County is nesting on the site. This was a bad project in 1993 when it was first approved, and it is even worse today. I will not enumerate all of the very real negative aspects of the Derbas development, but instead will accent the positive side of preserving this 345 acre corridor. There is an old adage that ³a picture is worth a thousand words², and so I ask you to open your Thomas Maps to page 1149. Locate the Elfin Forest Recreational Reserve (green) and the pink portion at the top of the page labeled Escondido. The pink area is Derbas. You should grasp immediately the potential linkage that Derbas would provide between the Elfin Forest Reserve and Lake Hodges. The Escondido Creek Conservancy (TECC) and PAS have long been in the vanguard of the endeavor to preserve this corridor. To the Del Dios and Harmony Grove Communities, Derbas is a vital ³quality of life² issue; and both have a longstanding record of leadership in opposition to the Montreux-Derbas project.

So what happens if Mr. Derbas and the County do not agree on the purchase price? With that possibility in mind, a November Ballot Referendum signature gathering effort is under way. A successful referendum vote would halt the project. Only 30 days are available to gather the needed signatures. By the time the BAND TALES is in your hands, the May 9 deadline will be close at hand. I hope that all of you who are registered voters in Escondido will sign the petition.