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BACKGROUND AND PROGRAMS

The Helix Community Conservancy (HCC) is located in San Diego, California and is an organization aimed at protecting and preserving our unique diversity of natural habitats, as well as educating young people in the community about the importance of our ecosystem. The HCC was incorporated in the state of California as a nonprofit Public Benefit Corporation in March 2000 and granted our federal 501(c)(3) nonprofit status by the Internal Revenue Service in May 2002. The HCC’s Mission Statement is:


The HCC has two distinct, but interactive, programs to fulfill our Mission:

1. Our Land Preservation and Stewardship program was formed to provide a much needed service to the San Diego community – managing the hundreds of acres of natural open space dedicated for conservation in perpetuity. There are currently only a handful of conservancies in our region that manage habitat and HCC’s objective is provide a high quality management service utilizing the expertise of wildlife biologists and managers experienced in tracking the long-term management requirements for each and every preserve. We utilize a variety of scientists, experts and volunteers who perform a number of tasks, including mapping and tracking the status of sensitive species and habitat,  implementing adaptive management by revising Habitat Management Plans to suit the needs of a particular preserve, working in cooperation with the state and federal wildlife agencies, as well as more mundane, but critical, activities such as fence mending, sign replacement and invasive species/weed removal. Each open space preserve is different, requiring a unique plan to ensure that it thrives as a successful part of our ecosystem. Refer to the main menu to view the properties currently being managed by HCC.
2. The goal of the HCC Community Outreach & Education program is to increase our younger generations’ understanding of nature, its importance in sustaining healthy species population, and the interrelationship between our human population and our rivers, creeks, wildlife and other natural resources. To this end, the HCC is structuring programs to promote learning opportunities and stimulate interest for high-school students regarding environmental issues in San Diego. While the outreach program is still in it’s infancy, the HCC is in its second year of providing merit awards and educational scholarships for students pursuing environmental studies. The HCC has plans to involve high-school aged students in our land preservation and stewardship program by participating in field trips to the preserves where the Habitat Manager will discuss the importance of the habitat and species being protected. Interactive activities are planned as well where the students may participate in picking up trash or helping to pull weeds under the supervision of the Habitat Manager. Our programs are intended to give students an opportunity to explore nature in a positive and proactive way. In addition to outreach and education of our local students, the HCC also promotes the activities of other local charities and nonprofit organizations. Refer to the main menu for Contributions made by the HCC.