Daley Ranch - Escondido, CA

06/21/2026

When you picture Southern California's wildlife, you may think of mountain lions or sea lions, but tucked away in our local streams is a quiet, ancient survivor that is rapidly running out of time. The Southwestern Pond Turtle is our region's only native freshwater turtle, a fascinating creature that splits its life between hunting in rushing creeks and hiking deep into dry, sandy hillsides to nest. Sadly, this local icon has quietly vanished from up to 80% of its historic home.

Please join our Daley Ranch Discussions With Friends to learn lots more about this important native creature. FODR Board Member and habitat expert Donna Leon will present at 11 a.m. at the Ranch House on Sunday, July 12. You may hike up to the Ranch House or take a complimentary shuttle from the main parking lot at the top of La Honda Drive. You must RSVP by visiting https://daleyranch.org/rsvp-july-friends-of-daley-ranch-discussions/. We have a strict limit of 45 attendees due to Fire Department Regulations. First come, first served!

Donna Leon is an ecologist with over seven years of experience dedicated to studying and protecting California's delicate ecosystems. Drawing from her background as a former Preserve Manager, she brings a wealth of hands-on habitat conservation
management expertise to the fight for our native species.

06/12/2026

FODR Discussions with Friends

When: Sunday, July 12, 2026 at 11 am
What: All things About Turtles
Where: The Ranch House

Donna Michelle Leon will talk all things about turtles in the next Friends of Daley Ranch Discussion with Friends. The event will take place in the Ranch House of Daley Ranch on Sunday, July 12, 2026 at 11 am.

Shuttle Services will be provided from the La Honda Gate to the Ranch House and back starting at 9:15 am.

RSVPs are required. Seating is limited, please use the following link to sign up.

Please join our Daley Ranch Discussions With Friends to learn lots more about this important native creature. FODR Board Member and habitat expert Donna Leon will present at 11 a.m. at the Ranch House on Sunday, July 12. For details, visit our News & Events page.

05/17/2026

It has been a cool and pleasant Spring in Escondido this year. A refreshing hike in Daley Ranch with blooming flowers.

05/11/2026

7th graders visit Daley Ranch

All the 7th-grade students from Escondido Union School District’s middle schools visit Daley Ranch for a full-day of learning about nature and history of Daley Ranch as well as its preservation. This year there were 11 days of field trips.

Students are bused from their school to the entrance gate of Daley Ranch. They then hike to the Ranch House. The education program is divided into five learning stations which are led by volunteer educators and rangers. The program includes:
​
1. Nature hike exploring native plants and Habitats including chaparral, oak woodlands, and grasslands.
2. The mammals of Daley Ranch including taxidermy specimens.*
3. Native American Culture: Explore the history of the original inhabitants of the area.
4. All About Daley Ranch: its history and concepts of preservation and conservation
5. Smaller animals: reptiles, amphibians, insects including encounters with live snakes and a tarantula

Students rotate between stations with a break for lunch. Friends of Daley Ranch (FODR) has been sponsoring the outdoor educational program at Daley Ranch for the 7th graders from the EUSD for the past 20 years. It was initiated and run by Fred Woods, a former FODR president and science teacher, and Rick Mercurio, a long-time board member of FODR. Both were long-time teachers.

FODR welcomes volunteers and donations for the ongoing program.

05/09/2026

SDG&E is replacing electric wires in Daley Ranch to improve service and reduce fire risk.

04/14/2026

Jennifer Radkey, a researcher in biology and conservation, gave a wonderful presentation on pollinators, bumble bees and their conservation and management.

Jennifer talked about the life cycle of bees, other types of pollinators other than bees, how they can compete with one another for population growth. She mentioned their survey project of bumble bees population vs other pollinators in Daley Ranch to manage and conserve native pollinators within the conserve.

For those who are planning a pollinator garden, she suggests planting a variety of pollinator-supporting flowering plants which will bloom at different time of the year to support the full life cycle of the pollinators.

The next FODR Discussion with Friends will be on Sunday, July 12. The topic is about turtles. More details will follow as the date is near.

04/12/2026

Interesting Discussion about Pollinators of Daley Ranch. Thank you Jennifer Radkey for a wonderful presentation.

Hope everyone who attended the event enjoyed it and did not get too wet walking back to the parking lot

If you’d like notice of future events, sign up for our enewslletter. https://daleyranch.us13.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=9639c350e53ae4fbb5432a655&id=4a15c610b5