Silverwood Wildlife Sanctuary is a nature preserve owned and operated by the San Diego Audubon Society (SDAS). Silverwood was set up in 1965 to preserve coastal chaparral and riparian woodland habitats. It is also a nature education facility for San Diego area schoolchildren and adults, and functions as part of a wildlife migration corridor. Geography The Silverwood Wildlife Sanctuary is located in Lakeside, California, US, about 20 miles northeast of the city of San Diego. Its geographic coordinates are 116.88 degrees west longitude and 32.92 degrees north latitude. The topography consists of gentle to steep slopes, ranging in elevation from about 1,500 feet to 3,177 feet. There are frequent granitic boulder outcrops, and two seasonal streams. History The first 85 acres of Silverwood were donated to the San Diego Audubon Society by Society member Harry Woodward in 1965. Since then a resident naturalist and manager has lived on the site; the first was botanist Frank F. Gander (1899–1976). In 2013 it has grown through acquisitions to 757 acres, one hundred of which were lands transferred to SDAS from the federal Bureau of Land Management. The sanctuary is operated by a standing committee of the SDAS. Artifacts found in the Sanctuary indicate that Kumeyaay Indians have lived in and around the site for thousands of years. Immediately north of Silverwood is the Barona Indian Reservation. Biological importance Silverwood is located in a chaparral biological community. It is maintained as a pristine example of this habitat which is in decline in Southern California. As of 2013, 340 species of plants have been recorded on the Sanctuary. Silverwood served as a research area for the San Diego Natural History Museum’s book on the Flora of San Diego County. Along the two wet-season streams on the Sanctuary are riparian woodlands and a small cienega (seasonal wetland), which provide botanical diversity to the sanctuary. Mammals observed in the Silverwood Sanctuary include Bobcat, Mountain Lion, Ringtail, Coyote, Merriam Chipmunk, Mule Deer, Gray Fox, and some smaller mammals. About 160 species of birds have been recorded, and many nest there; the sanctuary is a popular bird-watching area. Reptiles include the threatened San Diego Horned Lizard and rare Lyre and Night snakes. Many species of both flora and fauna are designated as threatened, rare, or declining. Three naturalists who researched at Silverwood, Frank F. Gander (1899–1976), Dr. Gerald Cosgrove and Dr. Andrew Olson, have had species of flora