From Beaches to Birches

While Times staff writers Anthony Perry and Tom Gorman certainly provided a timely and most informative review of the potential of the proposed San Dieguito River Valley regional park, it is unfortunate that the depth and scope of their investigations precluded providing their readers with any idea of the potential for a close-in, shore-to-forest metropolitan “greenway” along the San Diego River.

The completion of the Mission Valley “Riverwalk” will add still another link in an impressive array of individual elements that should ultimately connect Mission Bay to the Cleveland National Forest below the El Capitan Reservoir dam. These elements include Mission Trails Regional Park (mentioned in the third part of the series); Cactus, Stelzer, El Monte and Lake Jennings county parks; Santee Lakes and the Mission pedestrian and equestrian access to the relatively unknown west flank of the El Capitan area and the upper reaches of the San Diego River.

All of us who support recreational and open-space public lands interspersed within the wall-to-wall development we see engulfing San Diego County applaud the constructive efforts toward a San Dieguito River Valley park. But the potential of walking from the beach to the mountains from virtually our back doors ought not be forgotten.

MONTY GRIFFIN

San Diego