May 2026 Newsletter

May 29
3 min read

Updated: May 30

Milkweed Farm Meander

To celebrate San Diego's first-ever Pollinator Week, EDI welcomed visitors to our Native Milkweed Farm! Organized by the San Diego Pollinator Alliance, the week featured a series of county-wide events honoring our local pollinators.

Thirteen community members joined us to learn how we cultivate native milkweed, monitor monarch larvae, and grow plants for our Monarch Waystation Project and public plant sales. We were thrilled to share the vital role native milkweed plays in supporting the endangered western monarch and the many other pollinators that make San Diego's ecosystem so special!

Family Days: Saturday at the Safari Park

Sixteen families from Johnson Elementary joined EDI this month for a trip to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in Escondido, and for most of them, it was their very first time at the park. All 47 guests, 18 adults and 29 kids, came ready for adventure!

We kicked off the visit with a ride on the Africa Tram together, spotting rhinos, giraffes, and all sorts of wonderful ungulates while learning about the Zoo's incredible global conservation efforts. We finished off the day by visiting the gorillas, tigers, and elephants, and we loved every minute of exploring these amazing animals alongside our community.

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.

River Days Rendezvous

Earlier this month, we led a hike for San Diego River Days, a week of festivities celebrating the San Diego River and its watershed hosted by our friends at the San Diego River Park Foundation.

Fourteen people joined us for a beautiful hike at Crestridge Ecological Reserve, where we explored wildflowers and learned about the local flora and fauna that rely on the San Diego River watershed to thrive.

Thank you to everyone who joined us on the trail!

Movie Night Magic

What a night! Earlier this month, 120 guests joined us at Crestridge Ecological Reserve for an outdoor family movie night under the stars. It was wonderful to see so many familiar faces, with many guests having attended one or more EDI events before.

Before the film, families explored the reserve's Oak Grove hike, currently featuring a storybook version of Disney's Wall-E scattered along the trail. Afterwards, everyone bundled up to watch the movie together while enjoying snacks and lemonade. In the spirit of the film, each guest went home with a seedball filled with San Diego native wildflower seeds to re-wild their own communities. We love finding new ways to bring our community together outdoors!

San Diego Green Drinks

Last Thursday, EDI joined San Diego Green Drinks for a fun evening of networking and conversations on the patio at Novo Brewing Mission Valley. San Diego Green Drinks is a free monthly gathering dedicated to connecting and uniting San Diego's environmental community, and it was wonderful to be a part of it.

Our Executive Director, Ida, discussed EDI's range of conservation projects, and our Education Director, Ashley E., shared an overview of our amazing education programs. Together, their presentation explored the exciting bridge between conservation and education that sits at the heart of everything we do. We loved meeting so many passionate, like-minded people who care deeply about San Diego's environmental stewardship. Thank you to San Diego Green Drinks for having us!

Chollas Lake Family Picnic

We recently had a lovely morning out at Chollas Lake Park, where EDI hosted a Family Day event exploring everything the park had to offer! Families enjoyed nature-inspired art, playground fun, and a leisurely walk around the lake, and we even invited fellow park-goers to join in on our activities along the way.

During the nature walk, guests spotted geese, ducks, egrets, grackles, a great blue heron, an osprey, a turtle, and bunches of baby squirrels. Perhaps our guest Zaire, age 5 and a seasoned EDI explorer, said it best: "There's so much nature here! I love this place. I give it five stars... actually I give it two times five stars."