Did you know that the Tijuana River Valley is home to two dozen sensitive species and 340 bird species? With 1,800 acres of diverse habitat, it is a special sight to see! Help us remove trash and harmful waste from this unique and sensitive habitat and prevent trash from reaching the ocean shores!
Join ILACSD and WiLDCOAST on Saturday, September 30th from 9:00 AM – 12:0 0 PM for our Tijuana River Valley Cleanup!
Last year we removed over 6,000 pounds of trash and recyclables from the river valley! Come with us this year for this truly rewarding experience! Help us practice and promote zero-waste practices by bringing your own reusable supplies like buckets, gloves, and water bottles, though we will have extras on hand too!
All volunteers are required to sign a waiver, of which volunteers under the age of 18 will need an additional parent/guardian signature.
Volunteers will meet at Dairy Mart Road Bridge near 2411 Dairy Mart Road, San Diego, CA 92154.
Today’s blog comes from our Development and Marketing Coordinator, Sarah! Each April and September, she looks forward to the opportunity to shed light on the diversity of our countywide cleanup sites and the dedicated site captains that lead them. Read on to learn more about how one of our Coastal Cleanup Day sites, the Tijuana River Valley Community Garden, is going above and beyond the typical cleanup to benefit their local community.
One view of the Tijuana River Valley Community Garden, the largest community garden in the county!
Get to know the Tijuana River Valley Community Garden
Ann Baldridge, Coastal Cleanup Day site captain and Education Coordinator for the Resource Conservation District of Greater San Diego County, oversees the largest community garden in the County, the Tijuana River Valley Community Garden. The garden has 136 gardening plots that reflect the local community. Community members of all ages, young families to retirees, come to the garden to plant everything from your standard lettuce and tomatoes to culturally significant foods that represent the diversity of the surrounding communities. The plots have become so popular that there are currently 150 individuals and families on a wait list to receive a plot.
Ann shared that one of the most unique aspects of the garden is that it is a hidden gem within a regional park. Visitors of the regional park often mention that they had no idea this garden existed.Click here to learn moreabout the garden and how you, too, can find this local garden.
The regional park trails run along the outskirts of the community garden which lead park visitors to stumble upon this local garden.
So, why does a community garden have its own cleanup site? While the garden itself is beautiful, other parts of the river valley are significantly affected by illegal dumping and littering. As you can imagine, trash negatively impacts the local environment and the garden that feeds the local community. Before joining I Love A Clean San Diego for their first Coastal Cleanup Day in 2013, the RCD, Park staff, and plot holders at the community garden were already coordinating regular cleanups along the Tijuana River. When the team heard about Coastal Cleanup Day, they were inspired by the international movement and they knew that wanted to be a part of something bigger.
Trash found in the Tijuana River – one of San Diego County’s many waterways that leads to the Pacific Ocean.
After years of leading these cleanups, Ann and her volunteers have found everything from construction debris and furniture to cigarette butts and abandoned shoes. When it rains, all that trash gets flushed through waterways straight to the ocean, resulting in unsafe conditions and frequent beach closures. When we remove the trash beforehand at cleanup sites like the Tijuana River, thousands of pounds of pollutants are kept from contaminating our beloved coastline and Pacific Ocean.
Another view of the Tijuana River that shows how debris travels from inland sources straight to the Pacific Ocean.
Trash removal is a large part of this annual event, however, it will not be the only focus at this site. Thanks to SDG&E employee volunteers, the community garden will have extra volunteer power this year to help expand the capacity of the garden. SDG&E volunteers will work alongside local residents to mulch trails,construct new compost bins, plant a new pollinator garden as well as build two new garden plots for local residents to grow their own nutritious food. Talk about sustainability!
Hundreds of SDG&E employees and their families will participate in service projects to beautify San Diego County on Sept. 19th!
If you’ve never visited the garden, Ann encourages you to come out for Coastal Cleanup Day on this Saturday, September 19th –“You’re guaranteed to have a great day and connect with wonderful people!”
Tijuana River Valley Community Garden volunteers with buckets and grabbers in hand ready to cleanup their community!
Whether you join Ann at the community garden site in the Tijuana River Valley or another site that is meaningful to you, we hope you’ll join us for the largest cleanup of the year. Check outa complete list of cleanup sites atwww.CleanupDay.org to find one near you.
