Dear Friends and Supporters,
As we wrap-up another year, I want to thank you for the myriad of ways you have supported us to accomplish so much. In 2024, our team:
Provided hands-on environmental education programming to more than 2,958 students from under-served communities
Provided “education through recreation” opportunities for more than 3,738 children and adults from San Diego’s east county to participate in sea kayaking, guided nature hikes, camping, whale watching, indoor rock climbing, and more
Led community volunteers to contribute 1,413 hours toward habitat restoration and conservation projects
Installed more than 1,965 native plants to create and restore native habitats on conserved lands
Completed the third year of a long-term project aimed at creating 15-acres of cactus scrub habitat in Lakeside, to support coastal cactus wren and other native species, (and spotted our first cactus wren!)
Expanded our native milkweed farm to support monarch butterfly conservation, and installed 28 Monarch Butterfly Gardens for residents living in low-income and park-poor communities throughout San Diego County
Created self-guided “storybook hikes” at Crestridge Ecological Reserve, translated into Spanish, Arabic and English, to support literacy and nature engagement
Provided two, $1,000 college scholarships for students from San Diego county to pursue careers in conservation
And more!
Of course, there is much left to be done and looking ahead to 2025, we will face new challenges. The critical gaps nonprofits fill in society will be wider, and more evident than ever. EDI will meet these challenges, but only with your help.
Support biodiversity conservation and programs that connect underserved communities with nature, with your year-end contribution to Earth Discovery Institute. A contribution of any size truly is meaningful to our work.
THANK YOU to the entire EDI family- donors, board members, staff, volunteers. You make it all possible.
Sarah Maisonneuve,
Executive Director
A Cozy EDI Holiday Celebration
On December 4th, our tiny but mighty EDI family of staff, volunteers, interns, and elves gathered for our annual holiday celebration. Special thanks to board member Anneli Kyner for hosting us in her cozy home and Tim for capturing the memories!
Needless to say: the cheer-ometer was off the charts! We rely on so many people to help us make an impact, from volunteers to teachers, partners, community liaisons, members, donors, and countless others. Thank you for your role —whether it's hands-on help or cheerleading from afar—in helping us make a difference for wildlife, habitats, people, and the planet. Wishing you a joyful holiday season!
That's a Wrap for School Field Trips This Season
Stick a bow on it: on December 5th we wrapped up our final school field trip of 2024! All autumn long, we've been bringing students from East County schools on 25 field trips to Crestridge Ecological Reserve, where they've been learning about watersheds, exploring the diverse woodland, chaparral, riparian, and grassland habitats found there, and getting their hands dirty helping restore a native grassland meadow with purple needle grass (Nassella pulchra). Although the calendar year is coming to a close, the school year rolls on! After the New Year, we'll be bringing these same kids to the San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge so they can discover connections between inland and coastal habitats, and the actions they can take to help protect the planet we all share.
Engelmann Oaks at El Monte
We spent a beautiful morning with a great group of hardworking and enthusiastic volunteers planting Engelmann Oaks out at El Monte Ecological Preserve! Thanks to them, we are helping support threatened species and boost biodiversity.
Grossmont Biology Class Takes on El Monte!
We are so grateful for the Grossmont Biology class that joined us in planting Coastal Sage Scrub species at El Monte! In just over 2 hours, students, professors, and EDI staff planted over 100 plants. With this final stretch of planting, we’ve gotten 1,000 plants in the ground since the beginning of November! We loved how eager and hardworking each and every participant was, and are beyond grateful for our volunteer heroes!
Ending 2024 On a Cliffhanger
For our final Family Day recreational event of 2024, East County students and their family members channeled their inner squirrel and scurried the walls of the Grotto Climbing gym in Miramar. After covering the entrance fees and shoe rentals for all our participants, we provided safety talks and showed them the ropes (technically as a bouldering gym, there aren't actually any ropes involved, but the pun was too good to pass up). This event is a great way for families to bond with each other, and also for community teambuilding between families!
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.
End-of-Year Meeting for San Diego Management & Monitoring Program
Ida, our wonderful Conservation Director, presented on our Monarch Butterfly Habitat Gardens project at the San Diego Management & Monitoring Program's end-of-year meeting! We always have a great time getting together with the conservation community of San Diego County.
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