MILLION acres of land but only 650,000 acres now remain.

The population projection made by San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), has San Diego County's population increasing 35% in the next twenty years, from approximately 2,853,000 in 2000 to 3,853,000 in 2020. Of the 1,000,000 growth, 60% will be from births within the current population.

The impact of this growth on our county's wildlife population will be severe. San Diego County has the most diverse population of wild creatures of any county in North America--and the greatest number of threatened and endangered species. If one visits zoos and animal parks in countries on other continents, one finds our local wild animals on display--animals taken for granted in their own backyards. Opossums, raccoons, bobcats, mountain lions, mule deer, local birds and an occasional skunk are seen.

There are active plans to protect San Diego County habitat. The San Dieguito Land Conservancy, The Nature Conservancy and The Cleveland National Forest Foundation are some of the organizations acquiring and maintaining open space preserves. Local planning groups and SANDAG are promoting "smart growth" where new housing is accommodated in fewer, but denser areas, thus minimizing habitat loss. While these actions to protect habitat are moving forward, we must ensure that the wildlife itself is also protected. That is, wild creatures that live in preserves and those that coexist with humans in populated areas must be given aid and care when needed. Project Wildlife must prepare to increase its care capacity as well as educate the growing human population about our irreplaceable wildlife.

Project Wildlife's total intake of birds and mammals has reached nearly 11,000 in both of the last two years. Over 7000, or approximately 70%, are taken yearly to the Project Wildlife care facility on Custer Street, in San Diego. (We have placed a small "dot" that represents the location of the facility on the accompanying SANDAG figure--just to the right of the top of the outline of San Diego Bay). Custer Street is a long distance to drive from most parts of the county. It is apparent that to care for more animals requiring attention, we need additional facilities in several diverse locations. Greater accessibility to a Project Wildlife care hospital, plus reduced driving distance, will save many more lives and reduce suffering.

The area of greatest population density and growth potential, but located the farthest distance from our present care facility, is North County. Data show that less than 12% of our yearly intake of birds and mammals originates from this region. We estimate that 5000 animals would be brought to a facility in this area, if one existed. Therefore we have chosen North County Coastal as a location for Project Wildlife's second care facility.

There are two options we may pursue for a North County facility: buy land and build, or partner with a similar organization as we do now with the San Diego Humane Society. Considering the first option, a significant obstacle in building at a new location, other than the cost of land, is zoning in these populated areas. Therefore, we are first exploring the possibility of a partnership with an existing domestic animal shelter in the coastal region. We are currently talking with three Humane Society/Animal Control organizations about a partnership arrangement. These agencies all agree a wildlife facility is greatly needed and that our presence will help stem the tide of wild animal abuse in the region.

An agreement will take time, but the need is immediate. Therefore we have decided to use an emergency care vehicle as a stopgap measure. We plan to obtain a van, equipped with caging and medical supplies, which will visit different North County locations on a regularly scheduled basis. Injured, sick and orphaned wildlife will be accepted from the public and then transported to the care facility in San Diego at day's end. The van's schedule will be posted at animal shelters, vets offices and advertised in public service announcements. We plan to have the van ready for next baby season.

Project Wildlife must grow in a positive, but prudent manner. We hope you, as members, will support our growth and help spread the word about our plans for helping wild animals in North County.