Elfin Acres

The Elfin Acres project, identified by WCB Project ID 2024104, involves the acquisition of approximately 96 acres of land in San Marcos, San Diego County, California. The initiative is managed by the Department of Fish and Wildlife Wildlife Conservation Board and is led by Deputy Executive Director John Walsh. The project is funded through the acceptance of a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Nontraditional Section 6 Grant Program Habitat Conservation Plan Land Acquisition grant and a Wildlife Conservation Board grant, both of which are to be subgranted to The Escondido Creek Conservancy. The primary objective of this acquisition is the protection of habitat for the federally threatened coastal California gnatcatcher. Additionally, the project aims to preserve southern mixed chaparral, Diegan coastal sage scrub, open Engelmann oak woodland, and emergent wetlands. The land is situated within the City of Carlsbad Habitat Management Plan Northwest San Diego County Multiple Habitat Conservation Program. This project has been granted a Notice of Exemption under CEQA Sections 15313 and 15325, as it focuses on land acquisition for wildlife conservation and the preservation of open space.