TECOLOTE CANYON (KGTV) — As Tecolote Canyon celebrates its 47th year as a dedicated park and hiking trail in San Diego, the community is grieving the loss of one of its greatest advocates.
Eloise Battle, a tireless environmental activist who spearheaded efforts to preserve the natural space, passed away on Sunday, according to family members.
"I'm very proud. I'm very proud to be her son," says Adrian Battle, Eloise's second-born child.
Growing up with a local icon as a mother left lasting impressions.
Battle recalls one memory and said, "When I was in 10th grade, one of my teachers walked in with a Time magazine and slopped it down on my desk and pointed down and said, 'Is that your mom?' And I looked and I said, 'Yeah, that's my mom.'"
In the 1960s, when developers sought to build condominiums and a road to connect to Genesee Ave in Tecolote Canyon, Eloise Battle and her next-door neighbor, Sherlie Miller, led the charge against development. Their persistent efforts convinced the City Council to vote unanimously to preserve the area as a natural park.
"We were in and out [of City Hall] so often, and they began to call us the Tecolote twins," Miller recalls of their advocacy campaigns.
Wilbur Smith, a longtime friend of Battle and Williams who teamed up to save the canyon at that time, also remembers Battle's dedication: "She was really a true 100% volunteer."
Battle's influence extended well beyond the initial preservation efforts. Throughout her life, she continued to inspire others to take up her cause, calling them 'stewards'.
One of them is Darrel Madison, whom she met on the canyon trails.
"It was immediate that she was able to pull me in like she did so many other people and infect me with a love for Tecolote Canyon," Madison said. Battle later asked Madison to serve as Chairman of the Tecolote Canyon Citizens Advisory Committee.
Similarly, Battle mentored Nikki Ahrens, teaching her how to lead nature walks through the canyon and asking her to join the committee as well.
Ahrens said she now feels the weight of continuing Battle's important work.
"When I look at the job we have before us, it's huge. We're following in impossible footsteps that she left behind," Ahrens reflects. "But also, there's nothing more that any of us that knew her want to do more than just make sure that her legacy is keeping this canyon and open space beautiful and thriving like she's worked so hard for decades to do."
To read more about Battle's legacy, click here.
