April 2025 Newsletter

Spring Break Anza Borrego Adventure!

We took full advantage of Spring Break this month when we brought our east county neighbors on a camping trip to Anza Borrego Desert State Park! Our fellow campers learned to pitch tents, cook meals, and most of all: bond while enjoying the beauty of the great outdoors. It was a sand-sational adventure of camping, hiking, stargazing, and playing fun games under the desert's wide open sky. This was a first for EDI: although we have our own homegrown camp program, we've never brought campers to the desert before. Everyone had a fan-cactus time!

This adventure was made possible thanks to a partnership with the Anza Borrego Foundation, who graciously loaned their gear for camping, staff for leading activities (with support from EDI staff), and provided meals. Bus transportation and EDI staff support was funded by the Outdoor Equity Grants Program, created through AB 209 and administered by California State Parks, Office of Grants & Local Services.

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Sip, Savor, & Sketch Workshop with EDI Members

We spent a wonderful morning with EDI members at Harry Griffen park in La Mesa getting our creative juices flowing and soaking in the spring time sun together! We started the morning identifying details of Mother Nature that caught our eye, collecting inspiration for what we wanted to replicate in our masterpieces. With tips and tricks from Ashley Ersepke, an incredible nature illustrator (and EDI's Education Coordinator), members created their very own art pieces to take home!

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Kayaking in the Bay

It is never-ending fun bringing east county families out onto the water. Providing opportunities for people to bond outdoors and connect with nature and community is what we're all about! Our amazing partner, Chula Vista Water Sports, never disappoints - providing gear and tutorials on how to kayak and paddle board, equipping everyone with the confidence and know-how to test the waters and apply their new found skills!

Events like these are made possible by the Explore the Coast grant, funded by the Coastal Conservancy.

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SERCAL Conference

Our wonderful Conservation Director, Ida, attended the California Society for Ecological Restoration conference in Sacramento. Joined by former team member, Lyla, they presented on EDI's Monarch Butterfly conservation projects and highlighted the work she and Lyla developed together! We are so proud of them!!

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BioBlitz City Nature Challenge

Nature lovers (including little ones and canine companions) joined us for our BioBlitz event as part of this year's City Nature Challenge! Despite the drizzly morning, we had a really fun time together along the Horned Lizard Bypass, spotting native plants and birds, and learning about San Diego's local flora and fauna!

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Weeding & Watering Party at El Monte!

So appreciative of the volunteers (including many of our Tuesday volunteer heroes!) who came out and participated in our weeding and watering party at El Monte. We cleaned up around the hundreds of native oak trees out there and enjoyed our Sunday morning with some of our favorite people. Endlessly grateful for our volunteer heroes!

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Monarch Butterfly Event at the Oceanside Public Library

We had a fantastic turnout at the Oceanside Public Library for our Monarch Butterfly event! 48 enthusiastic attendees enjoyed our Monarch Butterfly presentation, then participated in potting their own native Milkweed plants and creating the Monarch Butterfly lifecycle out of pasta. We were thrilled to hear this was one of the biggest crowds this library has seen for their eco-event series!

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Celebrating 5 years with Sarah Maisonneuve, Executive Director!

Cheers to 5 years with Sarah, our Executive Director! Sarah's incredible leadership over the past 5 years has been a vital catalyst for our organization's growth and transformation. Her passion, strategic vision, and deep commitment to San Diego's communities and unique biodiversity have been instrumental in advancing our mission and vision, and in nurturing EDI's Dream Team. Still growing strong, and hoping for many more years ahead! Happy 5 years, Sarah!

Photo by the wonderful Tim Stahl.