Fairbanks Ranch Rancho Santa Fe
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New York Fashion Week Goes to the Dogs at Helen Woodward Animal Center
Last week so many wonderful things happened for dogs, many I was able to report to you on a very timely basis, this event actually occurred on February 15th and was inspired by Fashion Week and the models hitting the runways in New York. The emphasis last week during this fashion event was that ‘Saving Lives Never Goes Out of Style!’
The Helen Woodward Animal Center out of Rancho Santa Fe, California mimicked Fashion Week and conducted their very own extremely special photo shoot. The fashion models that strutted their stuff in California were more of the furry canine variety though.
The wonderful Jessica Gercke, Public Relations Manager of the Helen Woodward Animal Center provided me with all of the details. With every other good dog thing going on locally and throughout the U.S., I certainly wanted to give this event the due it deserved albeit a few days after it occurred. It is wonderful to be able to pay respects to those whose hearts exist in the canine world; appreciating all of the great efforts that are made by outstanding individuals each and every day of the year!
Ricki Douglas, Volunteer Photographer for the Helen Woodward Animal Center caught the swankier-sides of adoptable canine friends. Ricki’s intention was to capture the sweet dispositions displayed candidly so that potential adopters would be just begging to meet these beloved pets and make them a forever family member rather than seeing them as abandoned. Just because the animal was left on its own to defend its own life, does not mean that the animal is not deserving of love and attention!
As with training, metrics display proof positive that adoption rates increase when an animal has a great photo of it as opposed to showing a photo of the animal in its original surroundings; those photos proving much less flattering. Just as with a home that is up for sale but untidy, people have a hard time imagining an animal being happy when its photo displays it as unhappy and solemn, appearing behind bars many times. Seriously, wouldn’t you rather see an animal displaying its gentle nature and true beauty in a photo where the dog has been saved and is ready to love again?
Ricki Douglas, of Ricki Douglas Photography, agrees that photo shoots in pleasant settings with the focus on happiness and love, are much more appealing and she was thrilled at the opportunity to be able to provide the photos that could potentially help these animals locate their forever homes. Ricki also provides Pet-of-the-Week photos for the Center, helping to increase the turn-around time for many pets; helping place abandoned animals more frequently.
Where fashion goes in and out of style, the love of an animal, a devoted companion, will always be in style! There is great footage of this adorable, trendy photo shoot available at: http://youtu.be/CFXp_ICGZCc (Please click on link).
To review more in depth data on this event, to adopt, make a donation, or would simply like more information, please contact the Helen Woodward Animal Center Adoption Department at 858.756.4117, extension #313 or visit them online at www.animalcenter.org or stop by at 6461 El Apajo Road in Rancho Santa Fe, California – if you just happen to be in their neighborhood! Thank you, Jessica, for all the details!
Sneak a peak at Helen Woodward Animal Center's new high-tech hospital on Feb. 25
Helen Woodward Animal Center will offer the public a chance Feb. 25 to view its new 10,000-square-foot animal hospital.
Donors paid for the high-tech hospital, which has nine exam rooms, a dental ward, surgery rooms, an isolation area for infectious cases, and a natural healing center.
The hospital, which will offer lease space to local veterinarians, will open for business March 5.
The public is invited to take a peek from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Feb. 25 at the hospital on Helen Woodward Way in Rancho Santa Fe.
A morning at BlogPaws conference with Mike Arms, Helen Woodward Animal Center director...
September 26th, 2010 12:08:18 pm |
“It is the only industry in this whole world that asks people to destroy that which you love. Ask them to take the lives of that which they love. Did you ever think of what goes on inside these people?” Making people cry at 8 in the morning just isn’t fair. But that’s exactly what Mike Arms, head of the Helen Woodward Animal Center (HWAC), did at BlogPaws West when he asked us to step into the shoes of an animal control worker for a few minutes. He made a roomful of animal-loving pet bloggers cry in sharing his journey of animal advocacy and what every animal lover can do to save lives of the creatures they love. Mr. Arms started out as an accountant and ended up working for the ASPCA. He was so disheartened by what happened to the animals that after just seven months, he put in his two weeks’ notice. Soon after, before his last day, he got called to pick up a dog that had been hit by a car. There was nobody else available. When he got there, he found a dog that looked like Benji, back broken in half, body twisted backwards and shaking in pain. As he held the puppy, about to put him in the ambulance, Mr. Arms was beaten and stabbed from behind. “That’s when I learned the compassion these animals have for us … that little one, that should not have been able to move by any stretch of the imagination, found a way to crawl to my side and he started to lick me back to consciousness. He would not give up on me until I opened my eyes again.” After bringing Mr. Arms back to consciousness, the puppy looked into his eyes one last time and died. Since then, Mr. Arms has committed his life to saving animals. To date, he has saved 6 million lives. And yet the killing continues. Far more animals are born than there are homes for. An example Mr. Arms gave was the Humane Society of Puerto Rico, which takes in an average of 120 animals a day. Only 3 of those 120 are put up for adoption; the rest are killed. He had a letter from an anonymous animal control worker in North Carolina, whose job it is to kill animals that aren’t adopted. One of the BlogPaws attendees was asked to read the letter. She led the room in crying, both for the animals and for the worker who has to take the lives of what he loves. Watching this part of the video to write this post was even harder than hearing it the first time. I had to pause the video, walk away from the keyboard and get down on the floor to hug Nala. She wagged her tail and licked the tears off my face as I cried – for the dogs that are killed, for the fate that could have belonged to my precious pound puppy.  We need to make adoption sexier. When he got a call about a 9-year-old Rottweiler that had just delivered a litter of puppies, Mr. Arms was not hopeless like many others would be. He and HWAC ran a story that grabbed attention: 63-year-old gives birth to sextuplets. “Within 30 minutes, I had 130 applications for Mom and a gazillion for the puppies!” Why can’t each of us do the same thing? Why can’t we make a homeless dog such a compelling story that people can’t help but do something? We can. But we have to do more than fall in love – like Mr. Arms says in the video, we have to use our heads as well as our hearts. Some things we can do: • If you are looking for a new dog, adopt a homeless dog. • If you have a dog from a rescue or shelter or pound, tell people. Brag about how great your rescue dogs are. • Teach kids around you how to respect and live with animals, to prevent future animal abuse. • Encourage your friends to adopt, rather than buy; remind them that it’s a lifelong commitment, not a toy that can be discarded after the Christmas excitement has worn off. • Post this video and blog to your Facebook page. Get others engaged. • Write on your own blog about how to help homeless animals. • Share your ideas and your actions with us – head to the PawPosse.com Facebook page and tell us what you do to help homeless animals.
Video streaming by Ustream If you want to watch the video (which I highly recommend you do – it’s incredibly moving and inspiring) fast-forward to the 10:45 mark where it actually starts. It’s 45 minutes long, so if you don’t want to watch the whole thing, please just watch two parts: • Mr. Arms’ 5-minute story of how he became committed to this work, which runs from 18:30 to 23:35 and includes the quote highlighted above • And the reading of the anonymous animal control worker’s letter, which is 8 minutes long and runs from 26:15 to 33:35. “Well, my good friends through animals, if you’ll give us your intelligence over your heart so we can get this country and this world to change about our animals, they’ll have that chance that we want to give them. Thank you and God bless.” Thank you, Mr. Arms. |
Weight loss, how about real estate loss as Jenny Craig cuts Rancho Paseana sale price at Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.
Guess Jason and Catherine Barry can't sell the ultimate in horse training facilities, Jenny Craig's Rancho Paseana. Maybe another real estate firm would do better.
As reported this week, weight-loss guru Jenny Craig cut the price on her Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., equestrian estate to $25 million from $30 million. The property, about 30 minutes north of San Diego, came on the market a little over a year ago.
Known as Rancho Paseana, the property's 229 acres include a ¾-mile racetrack, two guest houses, an olive orchard, five barns and a veterinarian's suite. Also for sale, for $9 million, is Ms. Craig's 3.4-acre gated estate in Rancho Santa Fe. On a bluff overlooking the equestrian estate, that property has a four-bedroom main house, gardens and a private car museum. That's a grand old place. Ah-Ha Rancho Santa Fe News carried the Real Estalker's coverage of this continuing weigh house loss sage. For the coverage, visit here.
Mrs. Craig and her late husband, Sidney, co-founded the weight-loss company bearing her name. Jeff Hyland with Hilton & Hyland/Christie's International Real estate in Beverly Hills, shares the equestrian listing with Catherine Barry and Jason Barry of Barry Estates in Rancho Santa Fe. The Barrys also have the listing for the smaller property.
This is from the previous coverage of the "small" property at Ah-Ha Rancho Santa Fe News. For the full scoop visit here...
SELLER Jenny Craig
LOCATION: Rancho Santa Fe, CA
PRICE: $8,995,000
SIZE: 10,029 square feet, 4 bedrooms, 4 full and 3 half bathrooms
YOUR MAMAS NOTES: Thanks to the kindness of Sandy Sandiego, Your Mama recently learned that diet plan diva Jenny Craig has put her posh pad in ritzy Rancho Santa Fe, CA on the market with an asking price of $8,995,000
Miz Craig and her deceased huzband/bidness partner Sidney founded the eponymous Jenny Craig weight loss and weight management system in Austrailia in the early 1980s and in the mid-1980s they exported their weight loss wares to the United States and around the world. In 2002 Mister and Missus Craig's lucrative diet plan enterprise was acquired by a private equity firm (MidOcean Partners) and in 2006 the company was sold to Nestlé in a deal worth approximately $600,00,000.
Your Mama does not know how much moolah Mister and Missus Craig pocketed from either transaction, but from the looks of their real estate holdings in the Rancho Santa Fe area, the company and the sale of said company was enormously profitable for the pashas of the low-cal pre-planned meal.
Certainly the Jenny Craig diet plan (or whatever it's called) has helped a lot of people down size their denims but the program is not without critics and controversies. At least one website dedicated to the fine art of dieting claims it costs a person to lose every single pound on the Jenny Craig weight reduction regimen. By the rudimentary calculations of Your Mama's bejeweled abacus, iffin a person needs/wants to lose 100 pounds–and there are an unnerving number of people who waddle the streets and clog up the drive-thrus at Mac-Donalds who need to lose 100 pounds–it'll cost them an astonishing eight thousand dollars.
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BREAKING NEWS 11 P.M. - HELEN WOODWARD ANIMAL CENTER 'SPRING FLING' KICKING IT UNTIL DAWN...
Several hundred of Rancho Santa Fe and San Diego's finest are dining, dancing and doing the Bow-Wow-Wow at Helen Woodward Animal Center as the Wayne Foster Entertainment conglommeration fills the Big Tent with the sounds of forever.
(Robin Shull and Machel Shull hosted the best Lemon Twist table ever at the best Spring Fling in memory.)
The event kicked off at 5:30 p.m. with hors d-oeuvres for those who dared compromise appetites before the big restuarant for-all. I couldn't get to ALL of it, but what I did BLEW MY MIND (and stomach buds). Everything was so good, ummmm, yum. Some faves were the lambchops from somewhere that wasn't listed in the program, Sbicca Bistro's I don't what it was, but it was gooood, Zel's Del Mar pizza, Trulocks fish in batter something that brought me to my knees, Lemon Twist choco-covered-strawberries. I couldn't find Phil's BBQ, but they were supposed to be there. Roy's Hawaiian Fusion, Firenze Trattoria, Cin Cin, THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!
Broadway Tails, as the 'Spring Fling' was known also feaured silent and live auctions, presentations and awards, opportunity awards and even a special lounge where people and the pets that own them could hang for a few.
As soon as we know, we'll let you know what they took in to help the center's varied and important operations throughout the year. But we gotta get ito our doggie bag for some more of them lamb chops. YEOWWIE...
(Photos above: Live auction and dancing or somethng done in the 'impressionistic' style...)
YO OPRAH! A Message from Madeleine Pickens: Not Ready to Say Goodbye to Our Wild Horses!
Supporters and Saving America's Mustangs have come together in a viral video to generate awareness and the importance of protecting our American mustangs from extinction. The video is directed to the attention of Ms. Oprah Winfrey. We need the support of influential teachers like her, to get this out to the world before it's too late. We know Oprah's show is ending, but it there is a person that can make change happen, it's her.
Sharing is caring. Please share this video to your entire contact list and via Facebook and Twitter.
Together, we can create positive change for our wild horses.
Special thanks to Band of Horses for allowing us to use "The Funeral." Please download the song on iTunes at http://itunes.apple.com/album/the-funeral/id129649178?i=1296...
Dear Friends & Supporters,
Supporters and Saving America's Mustangs have come together in a viral video to show awareness and the importance of protecting our American mustangs from extinction...
The video is directed to the attention of Ms. Oprah Winfrey. She has been instrumental in many animal rights issues including: exposing the dolphins in Japan, puppy mills, and slaughter. , please share this video to other influential people in the media who can get this message out before it's too late. Together, we can create positive change for our wild horses.
Click "Share" at the bottom of the video below and either email the link, post on Facebook, or Tweet it to your friends and family. Or you can simply forward this email.
We are so proud to have the outpouring of support from so many of you. Thank you for speaking out for our wild mustangs.
Very Sincerely,
Madeleine Pickens
Helen Woodward Animal Center Dedicates New Worldwide HQ With Pomp And Circumstance
Helen Woodward animal center's new multimillion dollar headquarters was dedicated Saturday, April 16 with speeches and festivities. The new address is 6523 Helen Woodward Way -- formerly Calle Del Nido.
“It’s not exactly Noah and the Ark,” said John Van Zante, Helen Woodward Animal Center spokesman. “But this move is a major undertaking after more than 35 years in the first building that Helen erected to care for orphan animals and to educate children.”
Bryce Rhodes, Chairman of the Center’s Board of Directors and grandson of Helen Whittier Woodward, believes his grandmother would be pleased. “She had a great love of animals. It would definitely make her happy to see what has become of the work that she began when she bought this property 40 years ago,” he said.
HWAC President Mike Arms says that the new facility has been a long time coming. “Even before I arrived at HWAC in 1999 there was already talk about the need to expand in order to continue serving the community that has grown around the Center," Arms said. "It’s been my honor to lead us through this phase of construction and into the future of the Center.”
The new building, located near the original entrance of the center on San Dieguito Road, covers 20,358-square feet., acording to Van Zante.
While the mailing address for HWAC will remain as P.O. Box 64, Rancho Santa Fe, CA, the physical address will become 6523 Helen Woodward Way, Suite 100.
Phone service and computer operation will be temporarily interrupted on Monday morning, April 18 as communications links are moved to the new building. Until that time, contact Helen Woodward Animal Center at 858-756-4117 for more information.
Clean Your Closets For a Great Cause! Rancho Rags For Riches at Fairbanks Village Saturday April 16th!
The ‘Rancho Rags for Riches’ Rummage Sale to benefit United Cerebral Palsy of San Diego, will be held on Saturday, April 16 from 7:00am-12:00pm at the Fairbanks Village Plaza.
The Rummage Sale features clothing, household items, electronics, small appliances, and indoor/outdoor furniture. To donate, items can also be dropped off on Thursday, April 14th, and Friday, April 15th. For more information, contact andrene.dz@gmail.com orterridavis1@gmail.com.
The sale is taking place at Fairbanks Village Plaza,16236 San Dieguito Road in Rancho Santa Fe. Proceeds will benefit individuals with disabilities through United Cerebral Palsy of San Diego.
Also on the Beach & Cuntry Guild plate to benefit United Cerebral Palsy San Diego:
May 9
2nd Annual Ladies Spring Golf Classic
Santaluz Golf Club
42nd Annual Dia Del Sol
Rancho Santa Fe
Oct. 12
42nd Annual Dia Del Sol
Rancho Santa Fe
Yo-Up! Vote for Most Heartwarming Pet Adoption Story @ Helen Woodward Animal Center.com
What's the most heartwarming pet adoption story of 2010? Helen Woodward Animal Center is inviting the public to help make that decision by casting their vote for one of the top four stories of the holiday season!
TIPS FOR EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS FOR PETS FOLLOWS AS WELL...
Each year Iams Home 4 the Holidays (IH4TH) creator Helen Woodward Animal Center invites participating animal shelters and pet rescue organizations worldwide to submit the adoption stories that touched their hearts.
Our judges have selected four amazing pet adoption success stories (two about dogs and two about cats) that took place during the 12th annual Iams Home 4 the Holidays adoption drive.
The public is invited to log on to http://helenwoodwardanimalcenter.wordpress.com/2011/03/08/ih4th-most-heartwarming-story-contest, read the four contest finalists, and cast their vote for the most heartwarming story.
Deadline for voting is Monday, March 21, 2011. The winning story will be announced at noon Pacific Time on Tuesday, March 22, 2011. The winning animal welfare organization receives a $500 prize from Helen Woodward Animal Center. .
To read all the stories of Darby, Mama Mia, Fred, and Throw-Away Rose visit HWAC's blog. Read all four stories, then cast your vote.
Voting is free. Please feel free to forward this to any animal lover, anywhere.
TIPS FOR EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS FOR PETS:
Natural disasters can strike any time and without advance warning. During Hurricane Katrina in 2005, we learned that people will risk their lives and endanger their own safety to stay with their pets during natural disasters. "One of the big lessons after Katrina was that we must prepare all members of our family for possible disasters, including planning for our family pets," said General Manager Brenda Barnette.Here are a few simple tips that could save your life and the life of your pet too:
1. *Make sure your pets are micro-chipped and have proper identification.* This is the single most important step you can take to ensure that you and your companion animals will be reunited if you are separated. Don't forget to include alternate contacts with the microchip registration, such as your cell phone number and phone numbers for an out-of-area relative so that you can still be contacted in the case of an evacuation.
2. *If you need to evacuate, take your animals with you.* It is simply too dangerous to leave companion animals unattended during natural disasters. The best way to ensure the safety of your pets is to evacuate with them.
3. *Have a rescue alert sticker visible in one of your home's windows that lists the number and species of animals residing in your home*. If you evacuate with your animals during an emergency, and time allows, write "Evacuated" across the alert sticker.
4. *Keep a back-up supply of pet food, prescription medications, and essentials*. Also, assemble an animal evacuation kit with the following materials:
a. One durable animal carrier displaying your name, address, and phone number for each animal in your household
b. Pet food (peel tops) and bottled water (5 gallons per animal is ideal)c. Kitty litter and pand. Blanketse. Leash, harness, collarf. Photocopies of medical and immunization records and recent photos of your pet (in case you need to create "lost" flyers or provide proof of ownership)g. Wet wipesh. Plastic bags
5. *Locate pet-friendly lodgings in advance*.
Plan now for your human and your furry family members!
Charlie Sheen available at Helen Woodward Animal Center at Noon, Friday, March 4...
Whether you think Charlie Sheen is a dog that will sniff anything that walks past, or you wonder if he’s really human….you can meet him face-to-furry-face at Helen Woodward Animal Center (HWAC). Charlie and his two girlfriends (“caught in the act” in the attached photo) have passed their medical and behavior exams and will be looking for safe houses when they become available for adoption Friday at Noon. 
“Yeah. Charlie Sheen is a dog,” admits HWAC celebrity dog spokesman John Van Zante. “But regardless of anything you may have read about these celebrity animals, Charlie has come a long way. He passed his medical and behavior screenings and is well on his way to becoming a family dog that you can trust.”
Van Zante says Charlie Sheen and his girlfriends, Gigi and Fifi, are 3-1/2 month old Newfoundland-blend puppies. “Charlie’s a bit thin right now at 20 pounds. But he’s clean. Yep. We gave him a bath. Now it’s time for him to grow up!”
Van Zante says Charlie Sheen has been through a lot! “He was born to a mother that couldn’t keep him then transferred from one rescue to another before ending up here in rehab at HWAC. When we met Charlie he was….well…you know…sleeping with both Gigi and Fifi at the same time! We want to believe that it was because he was cold and lonely. That may have been the case. But they’re putting their lives together now. Charlie, Gigi, and Fifi are ready to make lifetime commitments to real families.”
Charlie and the girls are up to date on their vaccinations (but not taking any other drugs.) HWAC officials emphasize that Charlie Sheen has been neutered and he has a microchip for easy identification if he ever strays and can’t find his way home. Adoption fee is $295 plus a $40 microchip registration fee. All pets adopted from HWAC receive a free one night (look out….here it comes) hotel stay at, “Club Pet.”
For more information about Charlie Sheen or other orphan dogs and cats, puppies and kittens in need of loving families, training, and guidance, visit Helen Woodward Animal Center at 6461 El Apajo Road in Rancho Santa Fe, call 858-756-4117, or log on to HYPERLINK "http://www.animalcenter.org" www.animalcenter.org.
This weekend…. even a real fur coat won’t be enough! Helen Woodward Animal Center advice about coping with cold weather for pets...
(Photo: Helen Woodward Animal Center during the last rain event. Expect more of the same Saturday.)
With extremely cold temperatures, strong winds, rain, and snow down to 1,000 feet in the forecast for this weekend … even a real fur coat may not be enough to protect San Diego area pets. The animal experts at Helen Woodward Animal Center (HWAC) say that, with a few precautions, you can help to keep your pets healthy, safe, and warm.
“This is a triple-whammy,” says HWAC spokesman John Van Zante says, “The cold temperatures present one danger to any domesticated animals that are left outdoors. The strong winds can break tree limbs and send other potentially dangerous materials flying through the air. Add rain or snow and the danger multiplies. Some people still think that their pets are meant to be outdoors. But since we’ve domesticated them it’s our responsibility to provide food, shelter, and protection from the elements.”
Helen Woodward Animal Center believes that pets are part of the family. “Do you really want a family member to sleep outdoors when the temperature dips? Probably not. The best way to keep your critters warm is to make sure they’re indoors with you.”
For pets that do stay outside, make sure that they have shelter and blankets that they can snuggle in. A safe heat source would also help to keep your pet warm.
Even indoor pets can have a hard time when it gets cold. Van Zante says, “If your pet is on the living room floor and it’s shivering from the cold, it needs your help. Most pet supply stores sell beds, blankets, sweaters, and wraps for pets.”
Some dogs with thicker coats handle cold weather better than pets with shorter coats. But, like us, they’re used to San Diego climate and may need protection from the cold.
“Many families will take their pets along when they visit the snow in the higher elevations. While your dog may be running and having fun with you, it may be ignoring its cold paws. Be aware of this and give it breaks to warm up, or just leave it home.”
For advice about pet safety during the cold weather or to adopt a warm, furry friend visit Helen Woodward Animal Center at 6461 El Apajo Road in Rancho Santa Fe, call 858-756-4117, or log on to HYPERLINK "http://www.animalcenter.org" www.animalcenter.org.
Helen Woodward Animal Center has its own Street! Move over Calle Del Nido, here comes Helen Woodward Way, Rancho Santa Fe, Calif...
After 40 years the street that originally ran in front of Helen Woodward Animal Center (HWAC) in Rancho Santa Fe has been re-named to honor the founder of one of the nation’s most recognized animal welfare facilities. The sign on San Dieguito Road marking its intersection with Calle Del Nido has been taken down and replaced with new one proclaiming, “Helen Woodward Way.”
“It’s long overdue,” says HWAC spokesman John Van Zante. “Yet it’s appropriate that the street be renamed in Helen Woodward’s honor at this point in our history. We’re about to take a step into the future of the Center and the community when part of our operation will move into a new building located on Helen Woodward Way.”
HWAC President Mike Arms points out that Rancho Santa Fe today is very different than it was when Helen and a group of her friends began what they called the San Dieguito Animal Care and Education Center. “Helen was a woman of great foresight. Forty years ago she bought this property covered in weeds, a barn that was falling down, a water tower that leaked, and a little house that we still use as our Education building. It’s time for Helen Woodward Animal Center to grow in the same manner that the community around us has grown.”
Van Zante says the new building on Helen Woodward Way will accommodate the Rancho Santa Fe Veterinary Hospital and HWAC’s administrative offices. “We’re finalizing the inspections and preparing to move in. That will conclude the first phase of this project. Phase II will eventually result in the demolition of our current Adoptions and Administration building and eventually that 100 year old house that was here when Helen bought the property.”
For more information about the programs and services that Helen Woodward Animal Center provides for animals and people in-need call 858-756-4117, log on to HYPERLINK "http://www.animalcenter.org" www.animalcenter.org, or visit the Center at 6461 El Apajo Road in Rancho Santa Fe.
(That’s right around the corner from Helen Woodward Way!)
Second Annual Puppy Love 5K Run/Walk and Woodward Center KSWB-Channel 5 'Puppy Bowl'
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No wild mustangs for you: Madeleine Pickens fought the BLM and the BLM won...For now.
Madeleine and T. Boone Pickens talk wild mustangs at Oklahoma State football Saturday night.
RENO, Nev. (AP) — A proposal from the wife of Texas billionaire T. Boone Pickens to create a sanctuary in Nevada for wild horses removed from public rangeland around the West has been rejected, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management said Friday.
Madeleine Pickens' plan wouldn't save taxpayers' money and doesn't include enough water and forage for the mustangs, agency Director Bob Abbey told The Associated Press.
Rawhide was flying on Friday as Madeleine Pickens went "No, you d'int" to Bureau Of Land Management officials who, once again, rejected her overtures to create a private-public partnership preserving habitat for an estimated 40,000 wild mustangs.
Owner of the exclusive Del Mar Country Club and married to oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens, Madeleine Pickens has advocated for animals for decades. While married to Gulfstream Air founder and top horse breeder Alan Paulsen before his death in 2000, Pickens was involved in the thoroughbred industry, and later helped lobby the passage of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act by Congress.
Pickens has been going round with BLM officials since 2008 when the agency said it was considering putting to death about one-quarter of the mustangs running wild across 10 western states, including roughly half of Nevada.
About 33,700 wild horses roam freely in 10 Western states, about half in Nevada, according to BLM officials. The BLM set a target level of 26,600 horses and burros in the wild, removing 10,637 of the animals from the range in the fiscal year ending Sept. 30.
Pickens bought the 14,000-acre Spruce Ranch and the adjoining 4,000-acre Warm Creek Ranch last year to serve as a wild mustang sanctuary. She renamed the ranches the Mustang Monument preserve. The preserve also has grazing rights for 564,000 acres of public land.
Pickens' most recent proposal calls for a nonprofit foundation to take care of the animals under a government stipend of $500 a head, per year. BLM officials said they only pay $475 a head in holding costs for horses kept on midwestern farms.
"Her prospectus, as presented, does not demonstrate an obvious cost savings to the American taxpayer," said BLM director Bob Abbey, who also criticized Pickens' media campaign supporting the sanctuary, telling Associated Press some of the information requires clarification and context, and that other information is "just plain false." Pickens defended her statements.
Pickens has been mounting a very active publicity and email campaign about the wild mustang issue, saying her proposal would result in "huge savings" because it would involve the government initially turning over 1,000 wild horses in short-term holding facilities where costs run $2,500 a head, per year.
Holding costs totaled about $37 million of the $63.9 million designated for the BLM's wild horse and burro program in the last fiscal year. Activists maintain the mustang roundups and removals were being conducted to appease ranchers and make room for cows.
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MADELEINE PICKENS RESPONDS TO BLM’S 1/21/11 ANNOUNCEMENT REGARDING
SAVING AMERICA’S MUSTANGS ECO-SANCTUARY PLAN
On behalf of America’s wild horses, American taxpayers, and my Saving America’s Mustang Foundation, I would like to express my deep disappointment in the BLM’s late Friday (January 21st) evening press release announcing its rejection of my proposal to create a eco-sanctuary for wild horses in Nevada.
Not even one month ago, on January 4, 2011 in Las Vegas, BLM director Bob Abbey stated publicly that my idea “has merit and deserves serious consideration.” Today, he has rejected the project, notifying the media, but providing my foundation with no explanation, despite our three years of hard work on the plan.
My eco-sanctuary proposal offers a cost-effective solution to the problem of the BLM’s roundup and warehousing of as many as 40,000 wild horses in off-the-range holding facilities. It is exactly the kind of public/private partnership solution that Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has stated is essential to reform of the wild horse and burro program.
So imagine my astonishment when I read in the news release that my plan didn’t save money. During our three years of work, BLM officials at every level acknowledged in meetings with me that the eco-sanctuary plan saves the taxpayers money.
Mr. Abbey’s suggestion that the area lacks enough water or forage to support wild horses is also perplexing. I’m puzzled by his statement to the media that my proposal seeks to place 10,000 horses on the Spruce Ranch, site of the future eco-sanctuary. In fact, our most recent proposal to the BLM was for approximately 1,000 horses on the approximately over half a million acres encompassed by the Spruce. This was made clear in numerous meetings with the BLM, and is explained on our website as well. (See Sanctuary Q & A #19, November 2010.)
The target number of 1,000 horses is consistent with the number of cattle the BLM has consistently authorized on the public lands portions of the ranches I purchased. It seems that the BLM believes there is enough forage and water for cows, but not enough for horses on those same lands, from which the cows have been removed. In addition, in every meeting we’ve attended with the BLM, we’ve been consistent in agreeing that the BLM would ultimately determine the number of horses allowed on the land.
We have presented a plan to take care of the 30,000-40,000 wild horses that are currently being warehoused by the BLM. The additional horses would, of course, be housed on land purchased in the future. The Spruce is a pilot program, undertaken with the intent of showing the BLM how this proposal will be possible. It was never intended to put 30,000 -40,000 horses, or even 10,000 horses, on the Spruce.
-Madeleine Pickens
Also, please continue TAKE ACTION to stop the upcoming Antelope Complex gather in late January 2011.
Also, please join in on the discussions on our Facebook fan page today.
Visit our website for up to the minute information:www.mustangmonument.com
Also check out the Mustang Monument Wild Horse Eco Sanctuary Page:www.mustangmonument.com
Become a supporter of the wild horse issue: Click here
Brand spanking new $$ Helen Woodward Animal Center administrative center ready to roll
World-renowned Helen Woodward Animal Center has a date with destiny this week as the first administrative employees are scheduled to begin moving into parts of the new multimillion dollar administration campus, 6402 El Apajo, at Fairbanks Ranch.
This completes phase one of the multimillion dollar project started five years ago to replace a 40-year-old facility never intended for the range of activities now hosted by the groundbreaking center.
The main administration building capacity expands from 24,000 to 80,000 square feet to include the adoption kennels and education programs. Woodward officials have not provided an updated overall cost for the project. However, fund raising continues through an ongoing capital campaign including up to $10 million for naming rights to the campus. Administrative wing naming rights are $2 million. Most naming rights range from $10,000 to $100,000, and there are lots of them available.
The small-animal hospital would increase from 6,000 to 15,000 square feet, while the 38,000-square-foot equine hospital center would be remodeled and the therapeutic horse-riding facility enclosed.
(Video below: Construction update from last summer)
The center's pet-boarding center, which accommodates about 90 cats and dogs, will add space for an additional 75 animals, and will even offer luxury time shares in one-week increments, with the degree of pet comfort dependent on how much the owners wish to spend on furnishings, according to center president Mike Arms.
These suites, amounting to about 75 percent of the available space, will come with camcorders so owners can check up on their pets from anywhere in the world with an Internet connection.
Donations provided much of the $12 million needed for Phase One. Center sources haven't disclosed the full cost of the project that went through years of planning and permit hearings.
For more, visit the center web site at:
SEWAGE SPILL AT FAIRBANKS RANCH
Water Contact Closure for the San Dieguito River outlet at Del Mar
An estimated 3,375 gallon sewage spill occurred this morning at 14638 Camino de la Luna in the Fairbanks Ranch area of San Diego. The spill, which was caused by blockage of grease and roots, started at 8:50 AM and ended at 9:55 AM when crews from the City of San Diego Waste Water Department removed the blockage.
None of the sewage was recovered so an estimated 3,375 gallons of sewage flowed into Zanja Creek that leads to the San Dieguito River. Signs warning of sewage contamination are posted 600 feet north and south at San Dieguito River outlet Del Mar and will remain in place until samples confirm the water is safe for recreational use.
For more information, please call Brian Drummy of City of San Diego Wastewater at (858)-292-6415.
For updates on beach closure information please call the 24-hr. hotline at (619) 338-2073.
OR go to www.sdbeachinfo.com
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Storm sinks Helen Woodward Animal Center; adoptions and operations continue, officials say
The Great Rainstorm of 2010 sank Helen Woodward Animal Center on El Apajo Wednesday, but officials said the center continued to operate and adopt out pets.
Portions of Helen Woodward Animal Center are flooded," said John Van Zante, the center public relations manager. "Our back parking lot -- known as 'Lake Helen' to the staff -- is completely under water. A tree beside the lot fell down. We have had to evacuate some of our animals from their regular enclosures to higher ground on our property.
"The goats and horses were moved to higher ground on our property," Van Zante continued. "Sunny and Angel, the twin foals, have been moved back in the Intensive care stall...high and (for the most part) dry." 
It wasn't as much the rain as it was the sudden influx of water that caused pumps on the grounds to malfunction causing the flooding, officials said. No time frame was furnished for when the waters would recede completely from the center that also was undergoing a large re-construction project.
"Please note that Helen Woodward Animal Center is still open for business," Van Zante said. "Families planning to adopt an orphan dog or cat before Christmas can still come out! The "Santa Paws" delivery of 3,000+ toys for dogs, cats, and other animals is still scheduled for 1:00 this afternoon...but it will be moved to our front parking lot on El Apajo Road."
Record high heat on Monday caused record electricity use and some power outages, including parts of the Rancho Santa Fe area, according to April Bolduc, a San Diego Gas and Electric spokeswoman.
Around 9 p.m., nearly 3,500 customers were without power in North County San Diego, including parts of Rancho Santa Fe, La Costa, Carlsbad and San Marcos, SDG&E officials said.
Earlier Monday afternoon, as temperatures soared, between 4,300 and 4,700 customers lost power, SDG&E officials said. Outages generally occurred due to problems in electrical transmission cables and equipment.
Power was restored with hours i those areas. however, about 31 customers around Fairbanks Country Club and Torrey Pines continued without power through Midnight, with the utility estimating power would be restored by 3:30 a.m. Tuesday. Officials suspected the outages were caused by problems in the underground electrical system.
Just after midnight, SDG&E officials estimated 1,853 customers were without power in San Diego and southern Orange counties. Most of the customers were expected to have their power restored by 4 a.m.
The record temperatures resulted in record energy consumption. Usage peaked at 4,866 megawatts Monday afternoon, breaking the old mark of 4,636 megawatts on Sept. 3, 2007, which doubled as Labor Day, according to Bolduc.
Contrast and compare: Energy usage peaked at 3,717 megawatts the day before on Sunday.
And oh by the way, as they say, how hot was it?
High temperatures around the area included 110 degrees in Escondido, Rancho Bernardo and Poway; 111 degrees in San Marcos; 108 degrees in Ramona; 105 degrees at the Oceanside Airport; 108 degrees in inland Carlsbad; 107 degrees in Vista; 109 degrees in Fallbrook; 112 degrees in the San Pasqual Valley; and 93 degrees in Encinitas, according to the National Weather Service.
"This year, it's even more of a shock because it came after a very mild summer," said Brandt Maxwell, a National Weather Service meteorologist based at Rancho Bernardo. "We're making up for lost time."
Relief should be felt Tuesday with temperatures dropping 10 degrees, according to Maxwell, adding high temperatures will remain above average, then return to average along the coast.
Some "mid-level moisture" will create conditions that may cause thunderstorms on Tuesday and Wednesday, Maxwell said. "You might go from one headline to another," he said.
This is the complete outage list as of Midnight, Tuesday. For continuing power outage information from SDG&E visit http://tiny.cc/36xgp or to see an outage map go to http://tiny.cc/4u3eq...
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Helen Woodward Animal Center Urgent Appeal - A Kitten, “Epidemic” with No End in Sight!
(Photo below: Mike, one of the dozens of kittens needing a new home...)
"'Inter-mews' available," said John Van Zante, Helen Woodward Animal Center public relations manager, but he wasn't kidding on Thursday when he quoted one of the center's care providers as saying, “It’s kind of an epidemic and, unfortunately, we don’t see an end in sight!”
The care provider was describing the number of kittens currently available for adoption, in foster care waiting for space in the Center’s, “Kittery,” and the number of calls still coming in from families that have litters of kittens that they can’t keep, according to Van Zante.
“Kitten season started later than usual and that gave us a false impression of the onslaught of what was on the way,” Van Zante added. “Now we’re facing near-epidemic conditions.”
Currently, 40 to 50 kittens are at the El Apajo center seeking new homes. “Our Kittery can hold about 30 kittens at a time," Van Zante said. "We have 10 to 20 more that will become available for adoption as soon as there’s room for them in the viewing area."
And that's ot the end of it, unfortunately. Volunteers in the center's foster program are providing in-home care for another 30 to 40 kittens, oVan Zante said.
“Some of these babies are old enough to be adopted as soon as we have space for them," Van Zante continued. "Others are still too young, but they will be available within the next few weeks. As we said, there doesn’t appear to be an end in sight.”
Helen Woodward Animal Center officials are not resting in the matter by any means. The center has two programs underway to help combat the kitten epidemic.
#1: The, “Velcro Kitten” program allows families that adopt one kitten at the standard adoption fee to take home the, “attached” kitten with no adoption fee.
#2: Through HWAC’s, “Spay – Don’t Litter” program, if the Center is able to accept a litter it provides for the, “Mommy” cat to be spayed at no cost.
All dogs and cats, puppies and kittens at Helen Woodward Animal Center are spayed or neutered, have up-to-date vaccines, and have passed health and temperament testing before going, “home” with their new families.
Adoption kennels are open from 11 AM to 6 PM every day. The center is at 6461 El Apajo Road in Rancho Santa Fe. For more information call 858-756-4117 or visit http://www.animalcenter.org.
Helen Woodward Animal Center videos -- history and first bath/progress of twin foals Sunny and Angel...
1. John Van Zante, Helen Woodward public relations manager, presents a history of the center.
2. Twin foals Sunny and Angel get their first bath featuring John Van Zante and Adrienne Moore of KFMB-TV, Channel 8 San Diego, an Helen Woodward Equine Hospital video. Go to http://tiny.cc/wnr4o for more videos, a livestream of the foals and other information.
For more on center programs, etc., visit http://www.animalcenter.org/
Solana Santa Fe Elementary welcomed 290+ student 'coyotes' back to school on Monday, Aug. 30
School's California 2010 Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Results released last week looked good...
Solana Santa Fe Elementary School at Fairbanks Ranch opened for business on Monday, Aug. 30 as around 292 students came home to the Coyote lair at El Apajo for another year of learnin' 'bout stuff in the Solana Beach School District.
"It’s hard to believe that it is that time of the year again," said Julie Norby, the principal in a note to school parents. "Solana Santa Fe is beginning its eighteenth year...I have no doubt that this will be an exciting year filled with new learning, new friendships and new memories."
Each year, the school resounds to a new theme. “If you believe it, you can achieve it!” rings in this year's halls.
Solana Santa Fe families participate in several community service projects each year. The latest is a drive to provide much needed school supplies for the foster children at San Pasqual Academy that kicked off this week. Parents and students are dropping off supplies at the school lobby through Sept. 17.
The Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) holds its membership drive through next month. The group is seeking to raise up to $200,000 to fund programs no longer covered by state and property taxes, mainly teacher salaries. The PTO also hosts a Back 2 School BBQ at 5:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 10.
In a related story, Solana Santa Fe students did well on California's 2010 Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program tests for English-Language Arts, Mathematics, Social Science, Life Science and Science.
Tests generally were 60 to 65 multiple-choice questions administered this spring with results released last week. Students in grades two through six took the English and math tests, while the science test was given to students in grade five.
2010 STAR Test Results: Solana Santa Fe Elementary School
Total Enrollment on First Day of Testing: 293
Total Number Tested: 292
Reported Enrollment
| Result Type | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | EOC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reported Enrollment | 50 | 74 | 51 | 54 | 64 |
CST English-Language Arts
| Result Type | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | EOC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students Tested | 49 | 74 | 50 | 52 | 62 | ||||||
| % of Enrollment | 98.0 % | 100.0 % | 98.0 % | 96.3 % | 96.9 % | ||||||
| Students with Scores | 49 | 74 | 50 | 52 | 62 | ||||||
| Mean Scale Score | 396.5 | 390.4 | 425.4 | 400.8 | 403.3 | ||||||
| % Advanced | 49 % | 43 % | 80 % | 60 % | 56 % | ||||||
| % Proficient | 27 % | 32 % | 16 % | 29 % | 32 % | ||||||
| % Basic | 18 % | 20 % | 4 % | 10 % | 11 % | ||||||
| % Below Basic | 4 % | 4 % | 0 % | 0 % | 0 % | ||||||
| % Far Below Basic | 2 % | 0 % | 0 % | 2 % | 0 % |
CST Mathematics
| Result Type | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | EOC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students Tested | 49 | 74 | 50 | 51 | 61 | ||||||
| % of Enrollment | 98.0 % | 100.0 % | 98.0 % | 94.4 % | 95.3 % | ||||||
| Students with Scores | 48 | 74 | 50 | 51 | 61 | ||||||
| Mean Scale Score | 420.0 | 452.5 | 450.8 | 454.1 | 418.1 | ||||||
| % Advanced | 52 % | 69 % | 70 % | 61 % | 51 % | ||||||
| % Proficient | 35 % | 18 % | 20 % | 29 % | 34 % | ||||||
| % Basic | 10 % | 12 % | 8 % | 8 % | 10 % | ||||||
| % Below Basic | 2 % | 1 % | 2 % | 2 % | 5 % | ||||||
| % Far Below Basic | 0 % | 0 % | 0 % | 0 % | 0 % |
CST Science - Grade 5, Grade 8, and Grade 10 Life Science
| Result Type | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | EOC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students Tested | 50 | ||||||||||
| % of Enrollment | 92.6 % | ||||||||||
| Students with Scores | 50 | ||||||||||
| Mean Scale Score | 445.5 | ||||||||||
| % Advanced | 68 % | ||||||||||
| % Proficient | 30 % | ||||||||||
| % Basic | 0 % | ||||||||||
| % Below Basic | 2 % | ||||||||||
| % Far Below Basic | 0 % |
A “Changing of the Guard” event to welcome new Santluz Club General Manager Jim MacDonough and wish a fond farewell to departing General Manager Gordon Carter was held Wednesday, Aug. 4, at The Santaluz Club. Enjoying hors d’oeuvres in the company of the honorees were dozens of Club members and staff, including Santaluz Ambassadors Rolf Benischke and David Kovach, Board Member Graham Anderson, Golf Director John McCook, Clubhouse Manager Hella Tyler, Membership Director Kelly Collins, and Club members Hugh Dunklee and Mary Beth Kelle.
New leadership at The Santalz Club comes after nearly a decade of growth and quality member services at the private facility near Rancho Santa Fe. The Santaluz Club showcases a 250-acre championship course designed by renowned architect Rees Jones. In addition, The Santaluz Club includes the numerous amenities of the 35,000-square-foot Santaluz Clubhouse and Spa, as well as the 19,000-square-foot Hacienda Santaluz.
For information about Santaluz Club membership opportunities, call Kelly Collins at 858-759-3109. Memberships are limited, but members are not required to live within Santaluz. Corporate memberships are also available, however only a few remain.
Immigrant workers, food service, and the rest of the story around Rancho Santa Fe
While the roadside catering business is highly competitive, "it is much friendlier now," said Benita Holloway, an owner of R&B Catering. "There used to be catering truck wars with guns, guys running you off the road. Now, it's more professional."
Francisco Villa was the man on the move this week feeding immigrant workers taking breaks along Carmel Valley and Rancho Santa Fe farms, nurseries and construction sites.
Villa operates a commercial food service van. He might make 16 stops during a typical day serving early breakfasts beginning at 6 a.m. to late lunches around 3 p.m.
"I've been doing this for 13 years, making all the stops," Villa said. "I'll go to construction sites or to the tomato and strawberry fields when they are in season. You always see different faces, but you also see some of the same faces every season."
Villa made his comments during the last stop of the day, just before 3 p.m. About 75 men who just got off work picking tomatoes for Leslie Farms quickly surrounded the food service truck. Then, they broke into ad hoc groups, some milling around the dark dirt field, others lounging by picnic tables, at nearby vans or simply impromptu sitting on the hard earth nearby.
Villa's mobile food experience that gets about 15 miles to the gallon of gasoline sat just off Carmel Valley Road by Rancho Del Sol Nursery near the tomato patches rented by Leslie Farms for the season. His previous stop was by a church off Camino Del Sur, about three miles to the northeast.
Why here, why this? "It's something I already knew how to do and something I had got used to doing," Villa said. "I couldn't afford my house payments on another job."
And yet, Villa appeared to enjoy his job, too. He traded quick jibes with customers who were "just like friends you normally meet in a store, asking 'How's it going?'" he said. "Everybody here has come over for the money, trying to make a better living for themselves."
Customers were somewhat reluctant to share their feelings about Villa's, or anybody's, efforts. Not that they didn't enjoy the break and food, but many of these men were former residents of McGonigle Canyon, to the immediate east, subject to intimidation and harassment by Minuteman followers from outside the county.
However, Jose Perfector stepped forward and said he liked Villa's food. "We just don't have time to make lunch at home," he said. "It's good to have a place nearby we can come to and get something to eat."
Villa is a picker of a different breed, a guitar picker, and member of the band Tenayuca that plays around North County San Diego at clubs, parties, wedding receptions and special events. He has worn other hats over the years, including a stint as agricultural mental health outreach worker for North County Health Service, that is until the program's funding ended.
So, Villa returned to the road, or rather the roadside, where he negotiates with construction site operators and nursery owners for locations convenient to his mission providing cold and hot food to workers on break.
Offerings include soda, water, coffee, chips, candies, cakes, eggs, fruit such as coconuts and bananas, Jell-O, even single cigarettes as well as hot food such as burritos, tacos, carne asade, chili and soup. Prices run 75 cents for a can of soda, maybe $1.25 for a small cake, $1.50 for a burrito, $2.50 for a chili relleno.
Villa, 40, an Oaxaca, Mexico native, and single, is an efficient guy. He carries an old-fashioned coin changer on his hip. He also carries credit for some of the men he has known for a while who might not get paid until the end of the week.
Customers go very self-serve sometimes, taking what they want from the open food van. They deposit dollar bills on a marked box on the side or give Vila the money when they require change. Those needing to wait a few day to make good on purchases tell Villa who notes their credits in a well-worn notebook.
Being a musician, Villa carries a large stock of compact discs made by his musical group or other Spanish tunes from popular ensembles. He doesn't hesitate to loan CDs to interested parties who return them upon his return to their roadside.
A long-time Escondido resident, Villa takes care of the eastern end of a highly competitive mobile food service zone across Rancho Santa Fe and Carmel Valley. His brother, Victor, introduced him to the business. An 18-year veteran of the roadside food delivery service, Victor mans the western zone alongside Oceanside construction sites and Carlsbad strawberry, and tomato, fields.
The roadside food business is highly competitive, even cutthroat at times. As Villa served his crew, a competitor with El Burrito perched across the street. El Burrito catered only to a handful of rival customers, however. Other roadside fare comes courtesy of major players such as Fiesta Catering, Moody's Lunch Service, Bobby's Food Vans, Michoacan Foods as well as smaller competitors who come and go depending on the season or the vagaries of fortune.
Villa loads his truck at R&B Catering at San Marcos around 5:30 a.m., then hits his route, unloading around 3:30 p.m. R&B Catering has been in the business more than 30 years, has its own commissary and loads eight, or so, trucks a day.
"The drivers need a personality and have to be able to hustle," said Benita Holloway, one the company's owners. "They have to look for business and not just say they lost a stop and are finished for the day." Cold trucks, such as the Villa van, seek about $400 to $500 worth of business, either going to many smaller stops or locating a few larger stops to make their day. Full-service hot trucks should do about twice the business, Holloway said.
While the business is highly competitive, "it is much friendlier now," Holloway said. "There used to be catering truck wars with guns, guys running you off the road. Now, it's more professional."
Yet, some stops are easier to obtain, or more lucrative than others.
"Sometimes you have to buy a stop," Holloway said. "It can vary from something like a trip to Las Vegas to a trip to Hawaii, from $100 to $500."
For Villa, however, the road seems to go on forever. The next day he will retrace his route, on the roadside go to men who stop for a while to take a break from picking along Rancho Santa Fe and Carmel Valley's fields or building luxurious, million dollar homes.
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A changing of the guard is now taking place at The Santaluz Club, after nearly a decade of growth and quality member services at the private facility near Rancho Santa Fe. |
The Santaluz Club, which showcases a 250-acre championship course designed by renowned architect Rees Jones, has announced Jim MacDonough as its new general manager. MacDonough is known throughout San Diego for his successes at the University Club Atop Symphony Tower and Morgan Run Resort. Most recently he was general manager of the private clubhouse at PGA West in La Quinta.
“Jim has an outstanding reputation in hospitality, improving services and programs wherever he goes,” said David O’Donoghue, regional VP of DMB Associates, Inc. “We are pleased to welcome him to The Santaluz Club, where membership sales have excelled and excitement is building for a new administration.”
According to Membership Director Kelly Collins, 40 Santaluz Golf Memberships have sold in the past seven months. The Club is currently offering limited time price reductions.
MacDonough assumes command from Gordon Carter, who has been general manager since 2001, when the Hacienda had just opened and the Clubhouse was still under construction.
“We wish a fond farewell to Gordon, who has had an important influence on The Santaluz Club’s formative years,” said Graham Anderson, Board Chairman. “The Santaluz Club is recognized as among the finest country clubs in Southern California, thanks to the dedication, commitment and vision of Santaluz’s leadership team, including Gordon as our first general manager.”
Currently living in Carmel Valley with his wife, Colleen, MacDonough has a bachelor’s degree in recreation administration from San Diego State University. Prior to his Club positions, MacDonough spent several years in corporate management with Paragon Restaurants and was a managing partner at Donovan’s Steakhouse in La Jolla.
In addition to its private championship course, The Santaluz Club includes the numerous amenities of the 35,000-square-foot Santaluz Clubhouse and Spa, as well as the 19,000-square-foot Hacienda Santaluz.
The clubhouse features elegant dining in a casual, family-friendly setting, an award-winning golf shop, and amenity-rich men’s and ladies’ lounges. The clubhouse also includes the private Spa at Santaluz, which captivates the senses with gardens, dramatic water features and indoor/outdoor treatment rooms.
Adjoining a lush 11-acre Village Green, the Hacienda includes a casual coffee shop café and poolside grill; numerous outdoor lounging and conversation areas; a resort-like swimming pool; six tennis courts; fitness center and an indoor basketball court.
For information about Santaluz Club membership opportunities, call Kelly Collins at 858-759-3109. Memberships are limited, but members are not required to live within Santaluz. Corporate memberships are also available, however only a few remain.
Santaluz is a community of DMB Associates, Inc., and Taylor Morrison. Visit http://www.Santaluz.com for information.
# # #
This story was written by Scribe Communications, a full-service public relations firm headquartered at the La Jolla Golden Triangle business hub.
Cranes and jackhammers have been humming at Rancho Santa Fe's Helen Woodward Animal Center, 6402 El Apajo, as the multi-million dollar new administration building, and facility construction, project heads toward completion.
Big-ticket items include a replacement for the 35-year-old main administration building, expanding it from 24,000 to 80,000 square feet to include the adoption kennels and education programs, according to publshed reports. Woodward officials could not provide updated information about costs, any project changes, and completion dates.
The small-animal hospital would increase from 6,000 to 15,000 square feet, while the 38,000-square-foot equine hospital center would be remodeled and the therapeutic horse-riding facility enclosed, according to reports.
The center's pet-boarding center, which accommodates about 90 cats and dogs, will add space for an additional 75 animals, and will even offer luxury time shares in one-week increments, with the degree of pet comfort dependent on how much the owners wish to spend on furnishings, center president Mike Arms said to the San Diego Union Tribune in 2008.
These suites, amounting to about 75 percent of the available space, will come with camcorders so owners can check up on their pets from anywhere in the world with an Internet connection.
The center was founded in 1972 by Helen Woodward on 12 acres in the San Dieguito River Valley. It has grown to 130 employees and a $6.2 million annual budget, and last year it placed more than 2,500 animals in new homes.
