San Diego Mag, June 1961 cover
North County: land of surfers, skateboarders, bikers, and all manner of outdoors-ers. It’s the glory of nature that makes North County what it is. It’s the lifestyle. That’s the mood of this original 1961 cover, one of my very favorites from the archive.
I’m a North County girl, raised on Stonesteps cobble and red dirt Manzanita trails. It seemed like a natural fit to pay homage in my own watercolor style. Is it a recreation? That’s a stretch, I admit. It’s inspiration, a foundation, a jumping-off point.
For me, it’s really about the birds. Living dinosaurs, dizzyingly diverse, specialized to every corner of the planet, complex, social, beautiful, flying magic beings. And they’re in trouble. Bird populations have plummeted globally due to habitat loss and climate change. And that is a tragedy for all. Birds make us wonder, help us look at life from new perspectives and marvel at the innovations of Mother Nature.
May 2023 cover by Samantha Lacy
San Diego is no exception to the terrible trend, despite being the most biologically rich county in the US. I’ve highlighted three species among the most imperiled: the Ridgeway’s Rail, Least Tern, and Snowy Plover, as well as many other natives to our coasts and marshlands. Shoreline birds are threatened due to the loss of their native habitats.
But San Diegans are doing something about it. Multiple marshland restoration projects, including the San Diego Wetlands Restoration Project near Via De La Valle, are currently underway. They’re buying back and reconstructing swaths of tidal wetland territory—ensuring our native birds have a better chance of making it for years to come.
