Purchase Will Help Protect and Connect More Wildlife Corridors in North San Diego County
One of the last significant undeveloped properties in the San Elijo Hills community of San Marcos is currently on the market, creating a rare opportunity to permanently protect an important piece of North San Diego County’s natural landscapes before it is lost forever.
The Escondido Creek Conservancy (Conservancy) is seeking donations to help purchase the 51-acre Altmann property, part of the skyline of San Elijo Hills, at high risk of development. The Altmann property is important as it connects existing conserved lands and protects the scenic views that define San Elijo Hills. The Conservancy seeks to raise $1.2 million to protect the property forever.
“This is one of the last opportunities to protect a property of this scale in the special community of San Elijo Hills,” said Ed Philbrick, Conservancy Board Member and 20+ year resident of San Elijo Hills. “Many generous supporters helped us save Frank’s Peak. Now it is time to protect the Altmann property before it is lost forever.”
Protecting this property also serves as a cornerstone of the Conservancy’s 35th Anniversary Campaign. Thanks to a visionary longtime supporter, every gift made in 2026 will be matched dollar for dollar, up to $1 million, doubling the impact of every donation.
Located near Double Peak and visible from multiple viewpoints in the area, the Altmann property contains vital habitat and provides an important wildlife corridor linking nearby conserved lands, such as San Diego County’s Sage Hill Preserve and the Conservancy’s recently protected White-Atterbury property, home to Frank’s Peak. Protecting the Altmann property would expand an interconnected network of wild space in North County to support wildlife, improve watershed health, strengthen wildfire resilience, and preserve the natural beauty that residents and visitors enjoy daily.
Since 1991, the Conservancy has helped protect more than 7,000 acres of open space and currently stewards over 3,400 acres of conserved lands.
“Land doesn’t save itself,” said Richard Murphy, president of the Conservancy. “In every community where the Conservancy has been successful in protecting wild spaces, that success happens because the people rallied together with a shared purpose, to protect the quality of life in their neighborhoods.”
Community support for the Altmann property will build on over three decades of conservation throughout the Escondido Creek watershed, spanning communities from Escondido and Elfin Forest to San Marcos, Encinitas, Rancho Santa Fe, and Solana Beach.
The Altmann property represents the next critical step in connecting and buffering a continuous network of conserved lands in the area, to safeguard wildlife movement while preserving views and natural character that define the San Elijo Hills community.
With the property listed for sale, the Conservancy is working to secure the funding needed to complete the purchase before this opportunity is lost.
Community members interested in helping to preserve the Altmann property can learn more and contribute through the Conservancy’s website at escondidocreek.org/donate, or by contacting the Conservancy directly at sheri@escondidocreek.org.
Established in 1991, the mission of The Escondido Creek Conservancy is to preserve and restore the Escondido Creek watershed.
Flowing from the mountains above Lake Wohlford in Escondido to the San Elijo Lagoon and shores of Encinitas and Solana Beach, the Escondido Creek watershed encompasses over 75 square miles of land in North San Diego County.
The Conservancy’s vision is to serve as a model of vibrant urban communities and viable natural ecosystems thriving together.
For more information, visit escondidocreek.org.
