Friends of Tecolote Canyon and friends of Ms. Eloise Battle are heartbroken to share the passing of our ray of sunshine on March 28, 2025.

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How can we find the right words to honor someone who was truly a force of nature—someone who changed countless lives through her passionate defense of the vibrant ecosystem in Tecolote Canyon?
When Eloise Battle got word that Tecolote Canyon might be developed in the late 1960’s, she took to battle. She created Citizens SOS (for Save Open Space) and began gathering multi-neighborhood support including her new next-door neighbors Sherlie and Carl Miller. Eloise would lead decades-long efforts to preserve Tecolote Canyon Natural Park into her final days, making a virtual appearance at the March 19, 2025 Tecolote Canyon Citizens Advisory Committee meeting.

 

Eloise poured her heart into saving this precious open space, and she had a special gift for bringing people together. Thanks to her efforts, Tecolote Canyon Natural Park was officially dedicated in April 1978. As the first chairperson of the brand new Tecolote Canyon Citizens Advisory Committee, she helped author the Master Plan for San Diego’s first dedicated Open Space park. But Eloise was quick to give credit to others—her near and dear accomplices who teamed with her on these achievements.

 

For more than half a century—and more than half her life—Eloise wove her love for Tecolote Canyon deeply into her passion for community. A devoted volunteer, she developed an educational program. There, she helped spark a sense of awe and wonder for countless local elementary school students and teachers who joined her on nature walks. Her joy in sharing the beauty of the canyon was widespread as a regular volunteer with Tecolote Nature Center Director Marla Gilmore, and as an Interpretive Guide, Friends of Tecolote Canyon charter member, as well as founder and Chair of Tecolote Canyon Citizens Advisory Committee.

 

A gifted storyteller, she proudly told of her adored and beloved family among her adventure tales about the “big black cat” sightings in the canyon and the "mild" rattlesnake bite she experienced. She sourced her interest in nature back to her fourth grade year when she saw a bright yellow beetle crawling on a gravel pile. Her curiosity about this insect's identity ignited lifelong learning and her will to share this with others. Some of this abundance can be seen in two guides she wrote for our community. And it is no surprise that her newest friends nicknamed her Google because she knew all of the answers during weekly trivia game sessions. 

 

This springtime and next, we can look for blooms of her favorite plant she called a harbinger of spring, blue-eyed grass. On and beyond the Battle Trail, chance moments with her two most beloved local creatures, Black Phoebes and king snakes, will surely bring immense gratitude.

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Her profound legacy and life inspire us to be stewards to Tecolote Canyon and always to one another.

 

Thank you for the awe you shared with us all, Ms. Eloise. We love and miss you dearly.