Lifetime Achievement Award 2011

Susan Welker, retired County ranger, receives Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2011 Birds of a Feather Gala.

Susan Welker is one of the lagoon's longest and most ardent protectors. From the summer of 1986, to the winter of 2011, Susan served as San Diego County Supervising Park Ranger for San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve. When Susan began working at the reserve, she had only a truck to serve as both transportation and an office. Dumping was a problem in secluded locations, especially at a demolished sewer treatment plant, which later became the location of San Elijo Lagoon Nature Center.

She had only a county radio for communication, no computer, and no cell phone. Sometimes crews from the honor camp would be assigned to come in to help with especially large projects, but most of the time it was just Susan and two part-time assistants.

People regularly made their own trails, were caught poaching, even grazing their livestock. The lagoon inlet would close up over the summers. The high water level, chageable salinity, low oxygen levels and warm water temperatures combined made a difficult environment for native plants and animals.

Susan began her career with a B.S. in Botany from San Diego State University. She became familiar with landscape plants having worked for the City of San Diego for a few years as a gardener and belongs to the California Native Plant Society.

It was her years of service at San Elijo Lagoon that made her recognized as perhaps the foremost expert on its native and invasive plants. Now that she's retired, Susan plans to pursue her long time ceramics hobby, as well as learn to draw.

To honor Susan and her many years of dedication to the reserve, San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy planted a Del Mar Manzanita (Arctostaphylis glandulosa ssp. crassifolia) at the Nature Center in Fall 2011.