May 2025 Newsletter

Earth Discovery Institute
May 31
5 min read

Cruising Around Cabrillo National Monument

We took the entire 3rd grade class from Vista Grande Elementary to Cabrillo National Monument to learn about San Diego's fascinating history and soak in the breathtaking views of the San Diego Bay and Pacific coastline! Serving 110 students across two field trips, our days were jam-packed with knowledge and nature as participants learned about Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo's voyage along the Pacific coast and what life was like for early San Diego settlers by visiting the preserved lighthouse. We also hiked through coastal sage scrub habitat viewing coastal and intertidal wildlife! Instructors, students, teachers, and chaperones had a blast visiting this very special historic site. We can't wait to return! Some quotes from participants below:

"This has to be the coolest field trip ever!"

"This is the best day of my life!"

"I want to live here."

"I'm totally going to plant lemonade berry at my house."

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.

Weeding & Watering Parties at El Monte

We've hosted some very fun and successful weeding and watering parties out at El Monte lately! Removing invasive weeds, hydrating our native oak trees and other native plants, and tending to the cacti are so crucial to the success of our El Monte project, and we are beyond grateful for every volunteer hero who has helped make this happen! The highlight from this past month was spotting our first-ever breeding pair of Coastal Cactus Wren while they were building a nest! After 3 years of hard work and countless hours, it is incredible to see this imperiled species making our restored habitat home.

Ciders & Sustainability Fundraiser at Serpentine Cider

We had a great time at Serpentine Cider in Miramar for our Ciders & Sustainability fundraiser! Grateful for this fundraising opportunity with Serpentine, especially during these uncertain times for nonprofits. We loved seeing everyone there, and bonding with our board, team, and EDI community is priceless. Thank you to everyone who came out to support!

Wild Times at the Safari Park

We had a zooper duper day at the San Diego Zoo's Safari Park earlier this month! EDI took 58 people on a wild ride via the park's tram to explore the wonders of San Diego's version of the Serengeti (the "SanDiegeti," if you will!), with sightings of rhinos, zebras, antelope, giraffes, gazelles, lions, and more. After the safari tram, people went ape for the gorilla exhibit and everyone had a very pawsitive experience at the Tiger Trail.

In addition to the Safari Park trips, we also purchased and distributed 100 tickets to the San Diego Zoo for El Cajon families from schools we serve, ensuring even more opportunities for our community to connect with the wonders of nature. We were able to provide this Safari Park trip, the camping trip, and Zoo tickets completely free for all our guests 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.

Spring Garden & Butterfly Festival

Did you spot EDI at the Spring Garden & Butterfly Festival at Cuyamaca College & the Water Conservation Garden? Spring and summer are our busiest seasons event-wise but we love participating in the community's festivities and connecting with new (and familiar!) faces. We are so grateful for the helpful hands over here in EDI land that make things happen. Major shoutout to our board, team, and community!

Scholarship Award Recipients

We are pleased to announce the recipients for EDI's 2025-2026 scholarship award program! Meet Hannah Palmer and Luke Cepurac. Read more about these incredible students by visiting our Scholarship page!

San Diego River Days Flower Hike

We had a wonderful weekday morning hike with an enthusiastic bunch of hikers to celebrate River Days in support of our partner, the San Diego River Park Foundation! We enjoyed a leisurely hike identifying the nearby flora and fauna and chatting about the San Diego River watershed together. We also had the chance to chat with EDI's board president, Michael Beck, about Crestridge and the watershed! Participants also received very handy and stylish River Days tote bags. Can't wait to celebrate again next year!

EDI Camp Champs

We had an in-tents-ly fun time camping with 28 East County community members at Sweetwater Summit Regional Park! For three days and two nights, campers braved the outdoors, roasted s'mores, set up tents, participated in fun team building activities, cooked yummy food, enjoyed the quietude, played games, made friends, and learned to camp like champs! Over the past three years, we've provided 15 days and 10 nights of camping for East County families! We love providing opportunities to fully immerse families in nature while creating a tranquil and fun space for them to bond, learn the basics of camping, form connections with other families, and discover the joys of the outdoors together. Afterward, we asked campers to complete an anonymous survey and 100% of them said camping with EDI made them want to go camping again! Some fun quotes from our attendees:

"Thank you for one of the best memories I've made with my kids."

"It was the best camping trip I've had!"

"I had fun watching my children playing in the activities and how they had a lot of communication to finish the games."

"It was a great introduction to camping for my kids!"

EDI offers events like these 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.

Celebrating 1 year with Katherine & Aaron Gordon!

A tip of the hat and a hearty high-five to EDI's dynamic duo, Katherine Gordon (center) and Aaron Gordon (second from the left), for completing one year as field instructors with EDI! Katherine began as an EDI intern back in September of 2023, so she has technically been with us for more than a year. She impressed us so much as an intern, we just couldn't bear to let her go, so we hired her on to help with field trips in May 2024! Her husband, Aaron Gordon (or "Mr. G.," as the kids endearingly refer to him), a former Eagle Scout and a survival wilderness guide, also became a field instructor at the same time. The two have been sparking a love for nature and bringing joy to youth and the families we serve ever since! We're so fortunate to have them on our team!