New Year, New Field Trips!
We jumped right into a new semester full of field trips at the San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge! Students who explored Crestridge Ecological Reserve last fall arrive bursting with excitement to explore a whole new habitat with our instructors. On these trips, they spend the day testing the quality of the bay water, identifying new wildlife species using binoculars, practicing their art skills through nature illustration, and planting native species with their classmates to give back to nature! This month alone, we've served nearly 400 students from 4 East County Title-1 schools across 9 field trips to the bay, and we are thrilled to have former interns (now field instructors), Katherine Gordon and Sabrina Herrera, leading field trips this semester!
Successful Completion of Monarch Butterfly Habitat Gardens: Round 1
We are excited to announce the successful completion of the first round of our Monarch Butterfly Habitats Garden project! Through this initiative, we installed 28 gardens across San Diego County, creating 94.7 square meters of Monarch habitat. Additionally, 20 participants expanded their gardens with EDI’s guidance, adding 67 square meters of habitat!
From January to June 2024, our Conservation Technician shared weekly "Tips of the Week" reels on topics such as growing Monarch gardens, Milkweed care, and general Monarch Butterfly knowledge. These resources are available on our website and social media! She also developed eight downloadable sample garden layouts available for anyone wishing to start their own Monarch Butterfly Garden. This project was funded by Monarch Joint Venture and the MALK Nature Fund, and we are so grateful for their support.
Thanks to our incredible community who participated in our Giving Tuesday campaign, we now have funding for an additional seven gardens! Work on these new habitats will begin next month, and we can't wait to continue growing vital spaces for Monarch conservation!
EDI Receives Another Route to Parks Grant from Parks California!
That's right! We applied and were approved for a second round of funding for Parks California's Route to Parks grant! This funding will allow us to provide a unique, hands-on learning experience for 4th grade students from East County San Diego, immersing them in the natural wonders of their local Sweetwater Watershed through field trips to Cuyamaca Rancho State Park and the San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge. By the end of the program, these students will not only have a holistic understanding of their watershed but our hope is they'll be inspired to protect it, too: fostering a lifelong commitment to environmental stewardship and cultivating a generation that will help ensure a better planet for us all! We can't wait to get out there!
This program is made possible through a public-private partnership, supported by private fundraising by Parks California, and the California Department of Parks & Recreation's Waterway Connections Initiative.
In-terning Over a New Leaf
We're thrilled to welcome a new cohort of interns to EDI for the winter/spring 2025 season! This crop of budding environmental professionals includes Brooke Penny, Andrew Bowman, and Joseph Sandoval. All three of these interns will be paired with EDI staff to learn about and help support our field trip programs and restoration projects. They'll also get to shadow our Office Manager to gain insight into some of the behind-the-scenes aspects of nonprofit administration. As their internship draws to a close after completing 65 hours with us, they'll get to participate in a mock interview, support from our staff in updating their resumes, and each will receive a stipend.
We're also proud to report that both of our previous Fall 2024 interns have landed jobs since completing the internship with us. Avery Montoya accepted a job at San Diego County's public health services department, and Sabrina Herrera is now a substitute Field Instructor at EDI!
Our paid internship opportunities are made possible by the Outdoor Equity Grants Program, created through AB 209 and administered by California State Parks, Office of Grants and Local Services.
Working Hard at El Monte Ecological Preserve
It has been a busy few months for our Conservation Dream Team at our cactus scrub restoration site! Adding to the 50 Engelmann Oak trees and 950 coastal sage scrub species we planted in November and December, this month we’ve planted an additional 50 Engelmann Oaks with the help of 18 volunteers, and are in the process of planting 450 more coastal sage scrub plants! Our team has also been hard at work weeding and watering, ensuring the newly planted vegetation thrives. We are thrilled to share that since the first sighting of a Coastal Cactus Wren in November, we have spotted this charismatic bird on two more occasions! It seems our efforts are paying off and they're sticking around!
Bringing Nature to the Classroom
We are thrilled to begin an in-classroom science lesson program at Lexington Elementary! Formerly our after-school program, nine, 1-hour lessons will now be delivered in the classroom during school hours. Led by our seasoned program instructors, Erin Francisco, Adamari Martinez, and Mackenzie Karl, all 3rd graders at Lexington will learn about a new environmental science topic each week by engaging in fun, themed activities aligned with Next Generation Science Standards. From Helping Habitats to Pollution Solutions, we can't wait to connect a record number of students with science and nature this year!
We are able to offer lessons 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.
Birding by the Bay
We hosted a Migratory Bird Hike at the San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge! From novice to expert birders, together we observed a wide variety of shorebirds, from resident species to migratory winter visitors! Enjoying the beauty of the bay with a great group of people was a fantastic way to kick off the weekend and connect with like-minded nature enthusiasts!
Happy Workiversary to our Education Coordinator, Ashley Ersepke!
This month, we celebrate Ashley Ersepke completing two years as our much beloved Education Coordinator! Ashley was promoted to this role after first beginning at EDI as one of our Field Instructors. She brings a unique and impressive skillset to the organization. As an educator, she excels at making connections with her audience and providing high-caliber experiences, whether it’s with elementary students or multigenerational community members. As a coordinator, she’s remarkably well-organized, and ensures that field trips are scheduled, buses are booked, our staff are aware of any special needs of the individuals we serve (from languages spoken to allergies, special accommodations, behavioral needs, and more), and our programs and events run smoothly. The teachers and community liaisons we work with have come to know and appreciate Ashley as a clear and courteous communicator. Her work is always high-quality and she welcomes new challenges with zest. She's also an exceptionally gifted science illustrator, which has proven to be a valuable skill for EDI’s work, from producing paintings for our silent auctions to leading nature illustration workshops. We're so grateful to have this exceptionally talented, logistical wizard on our team!
A Very Fond Farewell to Two EDI Veteran Field Instructors: Dana Alagha & Grace Schmalz
With a heavy heart, we say bon voyage to two outstanding Field Instructors: Dana Alagha (left) and Grace Schmalz (right). Both have been with us since Fall 2022, and have made a tremendous positive impact during that time. As naturalists, they each connected hundreds upon hundreds of children and families with nature, sparking inspiration, a sense of belonging, and instilling an ethos of stewardship in the process. Both accomplished this in their own unique way.
Dana approached every field trip with a deep empathy, patience, and compassion for the students, always putting their needs above all else. Moreover, with El Cajon having a significant Arabic-speaking population, Dana’s ability to lead lessons in Arabic has been pivotal to building rapport with the communities we serve. Grace, too, has approached every outing she led with genuine kindness, as well as an infectious enthusiasm she injects into everything she does. Grace’s passion for health and wellness permeates her work. She always finds creative ways to incorporate her love for yoga and nutrition into her environmental education lessons.
While it's sad to see them both go, we're cheering them on in their next chapters. And it's very befitting to see the respective paths they're each heading down. Both are leaving EDI to further their own education in fields they frequently embodied at EDI: Dana is pursuing a degree in developmental psychology at University of San Diego, California. From what we've seen, she's already a master of child psychology! Meanwhile, Grace is pursuing a Masters in Nutrition at SDSU, a natural extension of her commitment to improving people’s lives and the environment, and the vital connection between the sustainability of our planet and the health of its people through organic food.
Some departing words from each of these superstar Field Instructors:
Dana Alagha: "EDI is integral to strengthening community ties and fostering a true adoration for nature in students and educators alike. I am so grateful to have been a part of such a foundational non-profit that makes environmental education accessible in the El Cajon district and diversifies future generations of students, leaders, and educators in STEM fields. EDI has progressed my professional and personal development, more than words can express. The work continues to inspire me to lead with inquisition and curiosity. Here they teach that 'anyone can be a scientist.' I truly believe that. As I was saying this to students, I was also telling it myself. Deep gratitude for Simon, and the stellar education team at EDI. Farewell to you all, I wish you the best!"
Grace Schmalz: "Working for EDI not only brought me immense joy spending time in the outdoors with young, curious, and energetic minds, it also taught me so much about being a teacher and a naturalist. I feel so grateful to have been surrounded by such an incredible team, each person bringing their own unique set of skills and knowledge to the table. To be able to witness these students experiencing nature has been so special, and every day after work, I drove home with a huge smile on my face!"Â
We know they're going to continue making positive impacts in their fields, just as they did in the communities they served with EDI! Happy trails, Dana and Grace!