By Mimi Pollack
SAN DIEGO — The San Diego River Park Foundation is a local non-profit organization that serves the San Diego community well with events for nature lovers and environmentalists. Rob Hutsel is its President & CEO.
Established in 2001, the foundation’s original vision was to serve as a catalyst in creating a 52-mile-long system of parks, trails and open spaces along the San Diego River.
They also offered different educational classes, particularly about local nature, including bats and moths and bird watching events. According to its website, The San Diego River Park Foundation’s “Our Clean River Program” organizes volunteers to work toward a pollution-free San Diego River. They focus these efforts on the lower 21 miles of the river in the cities of Santee and San Diego, though they also work on targeted tributaries in the unincorporated county.
They partner with the City of San Diego, City of Santee, other public agencies and landowners and managers to work together to take action against trash and pollution.
There will be an Education Event & Habitat Restoration at the San Diego river mouth on Saturday, August 30. They have monthly habitat restoration events along with educational events for all ages.
Last Saturday, I attended a different type of “bat mitzvah.”
Specifically, I joined a group of about 25 bat enthusiasts for “Nature Nights- A Bat and Moth Walking Event under the Moonlight” that was held at the Peutz Creek Preserve in Alpine. We walked along the riverbed in the evening with flashlights and echo bat locators. We did a lot of walking and standing and observing. When we saw a bat flying above our heads, our leader, Dan Taylor, provided some interesting facts.
Taylor, a bat researcher and scientist with Bat Conservation International, has more than 30 years of experience working on a wide range of wildlife and conservation issues in the U.S., Central America, and Africa. Taylor has been with Bat Conservancy International for over 23 years and currently specializes in habitat protection and restoration.
We learned that bats are very good for the environment as they devour insects. Some bats can eat up to half their size. Nectar slurping bats also pollinate. Finally, bats disperse seeds that facilitate plant growth. We learned that every bat species has a unique story and value, but sadly, many bat species are endangered.
After the walk, a moth specialist spoke and displayed some different species.
The next “Nature Nights Bat Walk” will be on September 27th at Grant Park in Mission Valley. There are also several “Bird Walk” events for all ages coming up at Grant Park. For those who want to help the environment, the website has several events listed, including Water Quality Monitoring and San Diego River Habitat Restoration. Click here to view upcoming events.
What I find most admirable is that most of the events are free to the public.
On Saturday, Sept. 20th, there is going to be a fundraiser, called Fiesta del Rio, to support free nature learning for underserved kids, a worthy cause. In my opinion, the San Diego River Park Conservancy is a San Diego gem that more people need to know about.
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Mimi Pollack is a freelance writer based in La Mesa, California
Interesting article, especially because I believe that bats are thought to be kind of creepy. Obviously spoken by a nature lover.