Physical Description:  The Manchester Mitigation Bank is located in the southwestern portion of the city of Encinitas, San Diego County. The 123 acre parcel is 1 mile east of Interstate 5, east of El Camino Real and north of Manchester Avenue. The reserve has a varied topography, ranging from a gently sloping canyon bottom to extremely steep canyon walls. Elevations are from 40 to 275 above sea level.

Conservation Purpose:  This site has been protected to be used as a mitigation bank, selling credits to surrounding developers to mitigate for habitat loss resulting from their projects. Although small, it is a biologically rich site representative of the high diversity of coastal San Diego County's natural habitats.

Habitat Types:  Over 80% of this reserve is covered in two native habitat types, diegan sage scrub and southern maritime chaparral. Several threatened or endangered species occur on this site including the San Diego thorn-mint, Acanthomintha ilicifolia, Del Mar manzanita, Arctostaphylos glandulosa var crassifolia, and the California gnatcatcher, Polioptila californica.

Research Projects:  The focus of management here is the control of exotic species. This site is in a highly urban-suburban setting. The questions here focus on whether or not the conserved natural communities and species can persist, or for how long, and what management measures are required to reduce their risk of extirpation.

Formation and History:  Tech-Bilt, Inc. proposed to establish the Manchester Mitigation Bank in 1996. The Center for Natural Management was selected to both own and manage the reserve in perpetuity.

Volunteer Opportunities:  The Manchester reserve has hiking trails. There are opportunities for nearby residents to act as volunteer patrollers, help with trail maintenance and to alert CNLM staff of any issues that arise with regard to this site.

For information and inquiries please contact:

Jessica S. Vinje
Preserve Manager
(760)294-8439 Phone/Fax
e-mail: jvinje@cnlm.org

Markus Spiegelberg
San Diego Area Manager
(619)295-4953 Phone/Fax
E-mail: mspiegelberg@cnlm.org