Landmarks
Desecration of a Community Landmark
Does this look like a “low impact” area to you? It does to SDG&E.
Lakeside’s most recognizable natural landmark is arguably El Cajon Mountain, nicknamed “El Cap” by the locals. This nearly 4,000 foot tall granite monolith juts dramatically from the valley floor of “El Monte Valley”, and can be seen from up to thirty miles around the county.
El Cajon Mountain
The local highschool even carries the name “El Cap”, and “El Cap” is the symbol and name of many businesses in Lakeside. There is a county park at the base of it named “El Monte Park” and a lake called “El Capitan” where boaters, fishermen, equestrian, and other sports enthusiasts regularly frequent.
People come from miles around, every weekend, riding bicycles and horses, hiking, setting up easels for painting, tripods for photography, weddings, family reunions, birthdays, you name it. This is a San Diego and a California landmark, historical and heritage site.
Some call it the heart and soul of this community. You can see a video made of this valley by clicking on this link: Save El Monte Valley video
This project takes from east county and this community, and future generations, their community landmark, and creates an energy corridor crossing directly in front of this landmark. And this is just the first transmission line planned, as the EIR explains the expansion that is likely within 10 years along this same route. 
This valley is a “designated scenic corridor” and is or was the last designated scenic corridor in Lakeside. By placing the towers in this open space, SDG&E was able to avoid meaningful or effective notification to the community because it is considered to be “low impact”, because they don’t need to buy or remove structures. The reason there are not structures there is because the community sought to protect and preserve this valley for its community and for generations to come. Yet, now they are losing what they sought to protect. If they had known, perhaps they would have built subdivisions instead of restricting building in this designated scenic corridor. How they can call this “low impact” when it impacts an entire community and the generations to come, is unimaginable.
Editor note – I could not find any mention of this as a community landmark in the EIR, so “they” may not even consider our commnity landmark to be worthy of consideration.
What about the fabulous wind caves of Carveacre?
@Linda niman
The wind caves are wonderful. i hope they will be okay. Does anyone know if the power link will be going thru the wind caves? Also aren’t they talking about putting the power link thru Julian instead?
Here is a link to the map of the route. Julian is off the map, but Carveacre is impacted.
The power link will devastate the wind caves! We need to stop this!!!!
Maureen – we now have a google map that shows the route. You can find it at the http://www.SaveElMonteValley.com site, under “route” tab
Yes, wind caves, and Lawson Peak (see Jerry Shad’s Foot and a Field in San Diego County) where multiple use recreation all come and get along, climbing offroading hiking, the entire Lawson Gaskill Rigde horribly positioned to ignite Carvacre up on top. The stretch from Lyon’s Valley Road to I-8 is one of the last remaining full growth Mediterranean EcoSystems left, one of only about half a dozen recognized ecosystem groups.see also Rick Halsey. (see how many I can name– college Ecology Class was a few decades ago: grassland (including marshland, deciduous, like oak forests back east-that thing you’ve heard of called “fall” sometimes a glimmer here in oak uplands near Julian and Boulder Creek Road Riparian areas) , alpine like Cuyamaca used to be, desert, and tundra(the only one we don’t have)…-and mediteranean. And that is what Gaskill is. It also stands as being the focus of San Diego’s giant “stonehenge” that splits the sun on December 21 from Cowels Mt. The double strand goes between Gaskill and Carveacre which isn’t much for something this massive. See the north side of Carveacre for a cutezy trail to the top. If you are in pretty good shape (at least Iron Mountain capable or with 4wheel) this is an awesome scramble! Moving on, there is Middle Mountain, and ” the remote area off of Japatul” where the half square mile of sub station would go, is otherwise called Bell Bluff, a significant golden eagle habitat, and overlooking The Sweetwater River, our major “south side” drinking water. (Starts up above Green Valley Falls ) . If you want to see more of opt D versions going north as feared they would target, see “No Place for a Powerline” on youtube under iokuok2. Going south from Carvacre are serveral other jewels under threat. Barber Mountain, ( I recommend a review by looking this up in http://www.geocaching.com ) This is etherial and just gorgeous area, by sunrise, sunset or moonlight over Barrett Lake. Barber Mountain Road should be a land mark breath of fresh air, not a land grab. If you ad lib with the map near the end close to Deer Horn Valley continue into Owens, Dry Valley, and to the peaks just above Rattlesnake canyon on the ridge over looking Cottonwood Canyon and Echo Mountain and down stream to Tecate. (also on youtube) This is another windswept wonder, historic, and breathtaking. Last August I even saw water still flowing, I could not believe it (take note litigators–right over seeps! bad bad bad, and definately not NEPA!!!) If you want the best of high mediteranean and the playground rock formations from the desert, explore on over into McAlmond Canyon and Echo Mountian, another very very very sensitive and signifcant rapture area. It is also recomended wilderness and of course tainted everywhere with colored ribbons from SDG&E’s survey intimidation team. (aka FERC) Hauser, Lake Morena and on out towards Donna’s area. This whole thing Is a surreal wonderland. How refreshing to see some folks with both feet on the land~!! I’ve had a real hard time describing the uniqueness of the rocks, windswept character, and genuine mediterranean (chaparral) components that would do it justice. (sorry for the late nite spelling job)
I work in the rural southeast county and almost daily have to drive by the same kind of power lines strung along the Highway 94 corridor. They have marred what used to be lovely country scenes. Whenever there is a wildland fire, the air control fire fighting is compromised because of the lines.
Whenever I drive to town down I-8, I love to glance over to the lake and briefly enjoy it’s beauty. What a shame if now I have two corridors whereby I have to try to “look pass” the ugly wires. I agree that if North County needs more power, why not develop what they already have? Or find a way to provide the needed extra in your neighborhood. Do we see these type of wires going through Rancho Santa Fe?
@colleen
Thanks Colleen. It is tragic. If they are allowed to build this project, it will still be here 100 years from now. Just think of the legacy we could leave behind instead. That is what we are fighting for. And, they don’t need this line even in North County. We just installed our solar panels at our home, and are gleefully watching our meter spin backwards. The savings are paying for the cost of the panels. That is the answer, and we are only in the infancy of what will be available in the near future.