Earth Discovery Institute

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El Cajon, CA
Earth Discovery Institute

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Environmental Education, Habitat Restoration, Science Service-Learning, Community Outreach for Conservation

EDI conducts education, restoration and community outreach activities at Crestridge Ecological Reserve, the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge, Sweetwater Marsh, Rancho Jamul Ecological Reserve, and Otay Valley Regional Park.

10/09/2026

It’s that time of year again where we help fill up your beautiful gardens with native plants! ✨ Our Native Plant Sale is TOMORROW, Saturday, October 10th, from 9 AM to 12 PM, at Crestridge Ecological Reserve ✨ If you're an EDI member (we emailed you!), friendly reminder that you gain early access at 8 AM and 10% off your purchase. EDI volunteers receive 20% off their purchase!

Don’t forget you can get a sneak peek at the amazing selection our Conservation Dream Team has curated for our community by visiting our website (keep in mind nature has a mind of its own, so while we hope to have all of these plants, some may have become unavailable last minute!).

To learn more & for a sneak peek at the plant list, visit: https://www.earthdiscovery.org/event-details/native-plant-sale-2

We can’t wait to talk all-things-plants with you!

10/07/2026

Throughout September, our Education Dream Team created and delivered a brand new program to high school students from SDCOE's Juvenile Court and Community Schools! 21 students joined us in exploring Crestridge and the San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge while gaining hands-on career skills. Throughout the month, they learned about habitat restoration, irrigation installation, and science communication. Each eco-leader also got to enjoy kayaking on the San Diego Bay thanks to our partners at Chula Vista Water Sports followed by a litter clean-up at Bayside Park (where we collected nearly 50 pounds of trash!). This program was made possible thanks to funding from the San Diego Foundation, and each student received a stipend as well as hiking gear for their dedication to learning about environmental stewardship. 💚

10/05/2026

Eleven nature lovers joined us in celebrating California Biodiversity Day with a Twilight BioBlitz at Sweetwater River where we spotted two rattlesnakes, hummingbirds, and an abundance of beautiful summer blooms! 🐍 It was a great evening and everyone really enjoyed the cooler evening air as the sun set. We were thrilled by our sightings and had so much fun getting out into nature as the sun clocked out for the day!

10/03/2026

Some of our favorite things about working in San Diego are the partnerships and collaborations with other organizations. It really feels like one big conservation community working toward shared goals and amplifying our impact by working together. 🫶

Last week, our team attended the San Diego Pollinator Alliance annual meeting to help shape future priorities, and this week we joined a full-day U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service workshop at the San Diego National Wildlife Refuges focused on better monitoring our outcomes and impact.

Grateful for our conservation community and all the good work happening across San Diego!

10/02/2026

EDI Species of the Week: California King Snake (Lampropeltis californiae) 🐍⚪️⚫️

The title of "King Snake" is well earned. Found across virtually every corner of California and extending into Oregon, Nevada, Arizona, and Mexico, this adaptable species is equally at home in forests, woodlands, chaparral, grasslands, marshes, and deserts– a true generalist in every sense! Its royal title comes from its hunting behavior. California King Snakes specialize in preying on other snakes, including rattlesnakes, with a natural immunity to their venom that makes them a fierce predator at the top of the reptile hierarchy. The species is also notable for its striking and variable appearance. While bands of black and white are the most recognized pattern, some individuals display what are known as aberrant morphs, unique stripe patterns that set them apart from any other coloration found in the species, making each sighting its own distinct encounter.

10/01/2026

We enjoyed a walk on Saturday morning along Finney Trail Overlook, exploring the trails and talking about the future of San Diego's trail system! Community members joined us to share what they value about our trails and provide feedback on what could be improved as part of the City of San Diego's Citywide Trails Master Plan. A big thank you to everyone who joined us and to the City of San Diego for creating opportunities for our communities to have a voice in the planning process!

09/25/2026

EDI Species of the Week: Vinegar W**d (Trichostema lanceolatum) 💜🌸

Vinegar W**d may be more recognizable by its sharp, pungent odor than its appearance, but get past the smell and you'll find a beautiful burst of lavender color lighting up Southern California's hot, dry summers. Its curling flowers, blooming from August through October, bear a resemblance to the blue larkspur, though with a distinctly more dramatic curl. That distinctive odor comes from the plant's oils, which carry phytotoxic properties, meaning they can injure or kill neighboring plant species. Not the most neighborly presence in the plant community, but those same potent properties made Vinegar W**d highly valued among Indigenous peoples. It was used medicinally to relieve colds and ease headaches, practically as a pest deterrent, and perhaps most remarkably, as a tool for fishing as its compounds are capable of stunning fish in the water.. A plant that is equal parts difficult and resourceful.

09/24/2026

It's hard to put into words how incredible it feels being able to visit our cactus scrub restoration site at El Monte Ecological Preserve and spot Coastal Cactus Wrens nearly every visit! We have five of them that officially call El Monte home and they've been busy building roost nests throughout summer.

Every bit of blood, sweat, and tears have been worth it to spot this California Species of Special Concern returning to land that was almost entirely invasive grass 4.5 years ago.

Habitat restoration works. And five Coastal Cactus Wren calling El Monte their home are a pretty wonderful reminder of why we do it. 💚 Thank you to the Wildlife Conservation Board for funding this work!

09/23/2026

The wait is over! 🥳 Curious what plants you may find while browsing the selection at our Native Plant Sale two weeks from this Saturday? We've added the list of plants we've ordered to our website so you can start making your very own list to purchase at the sale for your home gardens! 🪴

Don't forget, EDI members receive 10% off (and early access at 8 AM) and EDI volunteers receive 20% off their purchases 💚

To learn more & check out the list of native plants, visit: https://www.earthdiscovery.org/event-details/native-plant-sale-2

09/22/2026

If you're planning to join us this Saturday to share your input on the City of San Diego's Citywide Trails Master Plan, consider being an early bird! 🪱🐦 The first 20 community members will receive a $20 gas gift card for coming out to hike with us and participate in shaping the future of San Diego's trails. 💚

To learn more & RSVP, visit: https://www.earthdiscovery.org/event-details/community-trail-walk

Address

El Cajon, CA
92021

Telephone

+16196543793

Website

http://www.earthdiscovery.org/

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