New trail, gathering spaces created at Osuna Ranch

The Rancho Santa Fe Association is taking steps toward making the Osuna Ranch a more inviting place for all Covenant members to visit.

At the March 1 board meeting, Caitlin Kreutz, Association assistant parks and recreation manager, reported that they are the final stages of landscaping improvements from a $10,000 grant from the Rancho Santa Fe Garden Club.

As part of the improvements they have added onto the native and historic landscaping already made possible with previous Garden Club grants of drought tolerant plants and are near completion on a trail extension on the northeast hillside of the Osuna adjacent to the area where community members planted 35 native trees in last year’s “Plant our Future” event.

The area around the new trail includes seating spaces that will overlook the lower pasture on Via de la Valle — Kreutz said they hope to provide visitors with places to walk, gather or picnic.

“We’re trying to further define gathering spaces away from the horse-keeping and horse-training operations,” Kreutz said. “The goal is to create spaces for non-equestrian Covenant residents as well as improve the horse facility.”

At the Osuna horse facility, the main barn was painted last year and the Association has also installed new fencing and new top-of-the line footing in the area, considered the big centerpiece of the horse-keeping operations there, Kreutz said.

Last year the Osuna Adobe was added to the National Register of Historic Places as one of the oldest historic adobes in California and the Association is also close to completing a master plan for the property.

“We encourage everyone to come and check out all of the new improvements out there,” Kreutz said.

The Osuna Ranch is located at 16332 Via de la Valle. To learn more about visiting the ranch, use the online form on the website at rsfassociation.org