This is the Trail Report, a weekly email newsletter from reporter Maura Fox about hikes and San Diego County’s outdoors. Sign up to get it in your inbox first, every Friday.
Famosa Slough has all the fixings for a simple summertime walk: short, easy-to-follow trails that offer picturesque views of the water, shade beneath leafy trees and plenty of benches for sitting and watching wading birds.
It’s where I’d like to be every evening as the sun goes down. Lately, the heat has been zapping my energy, but a walk this week around Famosa Slough, near Point Loma, was reinvigorating, despite being only about a mile long.
I didn’t realize the slough had such lovely trails — until Jim Peugh, a nearby resident and volunteer with the Friends of Famosa Slough, recently emailed me about them. At 87, Peugh has volunteered with the group for more than 40 years, helping with invasive plant removal, trail maintenance and a stormwater treatment pond restoration project.
“I’m really into… trying to live as wildlife-friendly as we can,” he said.
On my hike, I saw egrets enjoying the water, but you may see plenty of other birds (over 260 species have been recorded there, according to the Friends of Famosa Slough). Green sea turtles were also spotted last month; the slough connects the San Diego River estuary and the Pacific Ocean.
You can read more about my hike in this week’s column.
Elsewhere in San Diego, UC San Diego researchers have developed a method to detect when coastal landslides are likely to occur. The study, published in a report this week, could help emergency responders protect the public from cliff collapses.
I am also hoping to check out an exhibit at the Oceanside Museum of Art that explores the concept of rest. From artist Kate Tova, the work features paintings of people in various stages of rest — or fatigue — in California flower fields.
“I painted my subjects cradled by surreal rolling hills and wildflower meadows, spaces where there is nothing left to do or think about, the kind of place I would escape to in my mind,” Tova told Michael Rocha.
That’s it for me this week. Take it easy, and I’ll see you next time.
—Maura
Hike of the week: Quiet trails at Famosa Slough are a no brainer for an easy summertime stroll
UC San Diego develops way to forecast when coastal landslides are imminent
Rare group of western spotted skunks returned to the wild after rehabbing in Ramona
Exploration of rest and resilience a burst of color in Oceanside
‘Our Wild Familiars’: New book explores human-animal relationships in city spaces
Outdoors: This random visitor is often misunderstood and misnamed