San Miguel Habitat Management Area

HELIX Environmental Planning (HELIX) conducted biological maintenance, monitoring, and reporting activities for the Otay Water District related to the San Miguel Habitat Management Area. The Otay Water District serves approximately 208,000 people in a 125.5 square mile area encompassing the communities of southern El Cajon, La Mesa, Rancho San Diego, Jamul, Spring Valley, Bonita, eastern Chula Vista, East Lake, and Otay Mesa along the international border with Mexico. The San Miguel Habitat Management Area, a 230-acre biological reserve, was created to serve as a mitigation bank for impacts associated with the construction and operation of the Otay Water District’s projects and facilities. HELIX’s biological monitoring efforts encompass the Rickey Pond mitigation project, eastern and western grassland areas, Otay tarplant restoration area, maritime succulent scrub area, and cactus wren habitat restoration area. Services included annual focused rare plant surveys and annual protocol surveys for the coastal California gnatcatcher, least Bell’s vireo, and Quino checkerspot butterfly.