Community Effort Removes Trash from Otay River Valley

From Girl Scouts, the Urban Corps, to residents--a conservation army takes action. (Article reproduced courtesy of WiLDCOAST)

On January 22, in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. and his commitment to service in the community, more than 90 community members united to remove more than 1,460 pounds of trash, debris, and invasive species from the mouth of the Otay River in south San Diego County.

This event officially launched River Partners’ project on the San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge to restore more than 60 acres of habitat within the Otay River Valley, an area identified as vital green space by The San Diego Foundation’s Parks for Everyone Report. By replacing non-native vegetation with native plants, this project will benefit a range of wildlife species, including more than 60 species of migratory birds that depend on Southern California riparian habitat.

This event is part of a larger effort to restore the Otay River Valley and the south San Diego Bay, an area that once was an eyesore and forgotten by the community. Restoring natural habitat for wildlife also restores the value of the area as a community asset for healthy recreation activities and contact with nature.
Special thanks to: Supervisor Greg Cox, Councilmember David Alvarez, River Partners, The San Diego Foundation, Park Ranger John Barone, Brian Collins with the FWS, the Urban Corps, Girl Scouts Troop 5912, Albert Fulcher, WiLDCOAST team member Stephanie Batt, WiLDCOAST volunteer allstar Bettina Rausa, the Swiss Park Club and Allied Waste.

The above article originally appeared in the March 2011 issue of the River Partners Journal.