January 2026 Newsletter

Jan 29
3 min read

Thank YOU!

We want to start this newsletter by expressing our gratitude for your support during our best matching campaign yet. As a reminder, we had two generous board members pledge to match $11,000 in donations through the end of 2025. Thanks to you, we raised a total of $14,108! We are blown away by your passion for our wild spaces and our planet’s future, and grateful for your belief in EDI’s mission & vision. Thank you thank you thank you.

Now Accepting Applications for Monarch Butterfly Habitat Gardens

Are you interested in having a Monarch Butterfly Habitat Garden installed in your yard? We are accepting applications from San Diego County residents to receive free monarch habitat installations in home gardens! After applications are received, we will identify 10 suitable home garden sites to establish habitats that support the imperiled Western Monarch Butterfly. Priority will be given to residents from park poor and low-income communities and different climactic zones throughout San Diego County.

Click here to learn more and to apply! Deadline to apply is February 15th, 2026.

EDI's Voices for Nature with Neve Luna

We had our first ever EDI's Voices for Nature speaker series with presenter Neve Luna. 25 community members joined us at the San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge to engage in a moving presentation by Neve about the Kumeyaay people and their take on conservation and environmental education. We could not have asked for a better first event for our new quarterly series! Thank you so much to Neve for an inspiring presentation, and to everyone who came out to connect with us on Sunday morning. We sincerely hope this will serve as an additional way to continue connecting with one another about nature and our planet!

Training the Team

This month, we held our annual field trip training day at Crestridge Ecological Reserve. A whopping 10 staff members, 4 volunteers, and 2 interns attended to hike the trails, familiarize themselves with the habitat, and learn techniques for engaging students in our hands-on, environmental science activities. We can't wait to bring over 800 students from Title I schools for the remainder of the school year to the Reserve to connect with nature!

Monitoring at El Monte

Our conservation team conducted annual monitoring at our El Monte cactus scrub restoration site to record any changes and assess the impact of this project. They monitored vegetation, insects, and birds to track changes over time and ensure our restoration work is having a positive ecological impact. Stay tuned for this year’s results!

Family Rock Climbing Day

We brought 45 participants of all ages to Grotto Climbing and Yoga in Miramar for another Family Rock Climbing Day! 10 families from El Cajon enjoyed learning how to boulder for the very first time, encouraging each other to reach new heights, and making new friends from their community. Thanks to Grotto's support, each family received a 10-day pass to return to either Grotto location for more fun and additional practice with their new skill!

EDI is thrilled to offer events like this as part of our Education Through Recreation program. This program is funded by the Outdoor Equity Grants Program, created through AB 209 and administered by California State Parks, Office of Grants and Local Services.

Migratory Bird & Wetlands Walk

We had an amazing time with fellow bird lovers at our Migratory Bird & Wetlands Walk this month! One of our attendees mentioned she'd never seen so many shorebird species in this area before which was really special to hear. We spotted some incredible coastal birds, including Great Egrets, Western Shoveler, and even a tiny Allen's hummingbird. This was such a fun way to close out celebrating National Bird Day, and we can't wait for the next one!

Planting Party at El Monte

We hosted a planting party at El Monte which was slightly wetter and gloomier than anticipated, but all 14 volunteer heroes stayed motivated, getting 200 more native plants into the ground! We loved seeing a combo of new faces and dedicated regular volunteers. Thank you to everyone who came out and made the day brighter!