SAN DIEGO, CA, January 14, 2024
With 2023 in the rearview, we also say farewell to our apprentices from the Fall 2023 Environmental Career Opportunity (ECO) Initiative program. Seven participants leave us with new skills and experiences to take with them in their next journey. With an approximate 1,260 hours worked, Mission Hills canyon looks completely different from when the cohort started in early September. The amazing transformation of this neighborhood canyon includes 6,000 pounds of invasive plant material removed, 2,650 feet of fiber rolls being installed on the hillsides to help deter erosion, and 320 native plants put into the ground to help the restoration of the canyon.
These apprentices take with them the knowledge of how to identify native and invasive plant species. Whether it be removing Wild radishes (Raphanus raphanistrum) and Shortpod mustard (Hirschfeldia incana) or weeding around Hooker’s evening primrose (Oenothera elata), Black sage (Salvia mellifera, and Laurel sumac (Malosma laurina) this cohort quickly found their stride in how to prepare a whole hillside for planting. Guided by our canyonlands team, the ECO participants were able to go through the whole process of visualizing, planning, and executing the rehabilitation of Mission Hills Canyon. Apprentices learned how to use a variety of tools such as: sickles, snake tongue weeders, loppers, and weed whackers to meet their goal of getting the steep hillsides of Mission Hills down to bare soil if it was covered in invasive vegetation. Afterwards, alongside our canyonlands restoration crew, the program went ahead and placed waddles developing skills of knot tying and learning how to minimize erosion. Finally, they completed their portion of the project by putting plants in the ground. Plants were spaced out and identified in where would best suit them so that the hillside would one day soon be covered in beautiful native habitat where plants would coexist and not only restore the natural state of the canyon but also protect it from further damage from erosion or other human causes.
We would like to thank all our ECO participants for helping us in this huge endeavor to help Mission Hills and our local watersheds. This project will help to reduce pollutants entering the waterstream that would eventually find its way into the ocean utilizing ecologically friendly methods. We will be watching full of excitement to see what comes next for our apprentices in their adventures. We would also like to thank everyone who assisted us in putting this program together, from our Canyonlands Team, especially Outreach Coordinator Jennifer Ochoa, to our partners, this wouldn’t be possible without you.
Check out the progress and volunteer with us monthly on Friday mornings at Mission Hills Canyon or by following us on social media.
Author, Jose Jasso, Canyonlands Outreach Coordinator
About San Diego Canyonlands: San Diego Canyonlands is an entrepreneurial environmental restoration nonprofit dedicated to clean, safe, and beautiful urban canyons, particularly those in underserved communities. Led by professional restoration crews, green workforce apprentices, community stakeholders, youth leaders and volunteers, Canyonlands transforms urban canyon spaces into thriving native habitats, simultaneously enhancing San Diego’s water quality, air quality, natural beauty, fire and flood resiliency, wildlife, biodiversity, property values, access to nature, physical and mental well-being, and overall quality of life. During a critical era for habitat restoration across the globe, Canyonlands is demonstrating how restoring sensitive ecosystems can be a wellspring of inspiration for climate justice, social equity, educational opportunity, and infrastructure.