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This landscape linkage connects the Otay Mountain Wilderness Area, administered by the BLM, with the Hauser Wilderness and Pine Creek Wilderness Areas, administered by the U.S. Forest Service, in the foothills of the Laguna Mountains.  The Otay Mountain Wilderness Area is part of a larger block of protected habitat within the County’s Multiple Species Conservation Plan, and the Hauser and Pine Creek Wilderness Areas comprise significant conservation areas within the Cleveland National Forest.  Much of the land between these areas, along Cottonwood Creek and Potrero Creek, is privately owned, with the exception of some watershed lands bordering Cottonwood Creek, administered by the City of San Diego Water Department.  Obviously, there have been enormous conservation investments in these areas that support large area dependent species, such as mountain lion, mule deer, badger, golden eagle, and spotted owl, as well as other high elevation and coniferous forest species.  The riparian habitats in this area support breeding habitat for neotropical migrants, such as the least Bell’s vireo, as well as arroyo toads, western pond turtles, and other aquatic species.  Maintaining this connection is vital to the integrity of the Tijuana River Watershed as well as to the survival of these species.