PRESERVE MIRA MESA'S LAST VERNAL POOLS, ENDANGERED FAIRY SHRIMP
SDUSD Opts for Expensive Construction & Mitigation, Not Debt Management
The San Diego Unified School District and Mira Mesa Town Council support plowing over one of the last couple of Vernal Pools on the Mesa....to build a new school. They will spend $30M on one new school, while our six other schools are in desperate need of funding and capital improvements, teachers are losing their jobs. Is SDUSD choosing developers over our kids and their future?
AWAKE is doing a lot of research on the history of Vernal Pools in the area, the Engangered Fairy Shrimp they support, and the other life forms that have been losing their habitat, site by site. We look forward to sharing it with you, and you can see some photos from our Salk Site visit HERE.
Interestingly, it is the undeveloped land in a neighborhood that raises its property values. And children that explore natural habitat have a connection with nature and imagination that paved-and-park-only-kids can miss completely.
Vernal pool habitat has been severely reduced by urban development in southern California. This fenced pool near Mira Mesa Market Center (San Diego County, CA), is the last remaining of an original complex that contained 67 vernal pools.
(Photograph by A.G. Vandergast, USGS)
AWAKE recommends Mira Mesa Town Council and the San Diego Unified School District change their plans for the betterment of all of our elementary children, instead of a small group, by improving our six existing schools instead of building a new one -- and save miillions of public monies too. And while we're at it, preserve one of the last recovering Vernal Pool Habitats for Endangered Fairy Shrimp we have left.
Email us for more information and to learn how to get involved.
March 9, 2011 at 10:19 a.m. (#)
SDUSD would rather layoff 900 people, than retire construction bonds. Help?!
March 25, 2010 at 9:25 a.m. (#)
if the fairy shrimp are hearty like sea monkeys, why are they listed as an endangered species with federal protection due to loss of habitat? why did a judge already rule against building this school 10 years ago?
southern california used to be covered in vernal pools - now there are just a few left.....because we developed all the land, and did so with short sightedness. sure, plow it all over because 'there's still a little bit of undeveloped land over in that other neighborhood....' - do you hear how ridiculous that sounds?
why not spend $30M (or a lot less since we're in a budget crisis!!) on improvements to the 6 existing Mira Mesa schools and on environmentally friendly transportation for kids to/from those existing schools with many empty classrooms, instead of blowing a budget that doesn't exist on a new school that has millions more future costs we have no budget to cover? i used to walk blocks to school and my siblings took a bus for miles -- and we all graduated magna cumme laude from university so i think it worked out just fine.
this entire situation just seems like corrupt government money funneling to greedy developers whose revenue comes from public funds, while tugging on our heart strings by the distraction of 'it is all about our kids...'
if we really care about our kids, we'll make sure there is a natural environment for them when they grow up, and a state, county and city that isn't bankrupt!
March 23, 2010 at 6:46 a.m. (#)
I agree that preserving nature is important; however, just to the south of us there is plenty of undeveloped land on the miramar airbase. There have got to be many many vernal pools there. In addition these fairy shrimp aren't at all fragile--they are essentially sea monkeys that can live in suspended animation when the pools dry up for years. I just think that a school is really important for our kids. Can't some comprimise be met? Take away some faculty/parent parking and set aside some of the land for a natrure preserve that the kids at the school can enjoy. As I understand it the money is earmarked for this school and if it is not spent Mira Mesa loses it and it goes to other areas of SD county.
March 2, 2010 at 9:05 a.m. (#)
hey Susanna --
one of the ideas that has been suggested is building a sky bridge across Mira Mesa Boulevard (would still be cheaper than a new school, with less future maintenance, and no habitat destruction). We are trying to encourage our leader to use the new school budget to update all of our existing schools (that all have excess capacity right now).
in this way, all of our children and neighborhoods benefit from the improvements (instead of just one small group).....and we avoid the possibility of neighborhoods surrounding schools that would not receive improvements losing value, and perhaps, even fall more prey to gang and other crimes. it is amazing how our schools can really impact the value of a neighborhood (part of the reason they want a new school, only problem is, this only benefits a small minority of our kids and neighborhoods).
i'd love to see all of mira mesa take a step forward, that benefits all of us on the great whole, including our natural environment that provides the very life and breath we all enjoy :)
thanks for your comment!
Peace...
Feb. 28, 2010 at 1:18 p.m. (#)
It would be nice for the kids in this quadrant of Mira Mesa to have their own school. No crossing the big MM Blvd to get to school. BUT the numbers may not justify it. AND their plans at Jonas Salk do the mitigation at another site!! Jonas Salk needs to be saved for natives, at least half of it. The vernal pools are nice but so are the sage, canchalagua, owl clover, laurel sumac, ceanothus, sage, etc. Thanks for bringing this site to our attention.
Feb. 27, 2010 at 8:27 p.m. (#)
How can I learn more? My daughter's school (Hickman) is laying off teachers and has many empty classrooms. She loves her school though and we'd love to see improvements made there, instead of spending much more money on a new school she won't get to attend.
Thanks.
Feb. 27, 2010 at 8:24 p.m. (#)
thanks for taking these pictures jason and jared! it is wonderful to see open spaces left in Mira Mesa.
I think the best thing about living here are the canyons and unpopulated mesas, filled with vernal pools just after it rains (like right now!!)....
Peace.