Where The SUN, Southwestern College meets the WiLDCOAST: WiLDCOAST Youth Restoration Project, Otay Valley Regional Park

ALL AGES WELCOMED: Girl Scout Group member Andrea, 7, comes with her mother and sister to help keep the young plants in the project alive.

Just a little bit of water. Their survival depends on it.

On a three-acre plot, behind the Ranger Station of the Otay Valley Regional Park, more than 200 indigenous plants, at several stages of growth need continuous care.

Between South Bay’s Palm Ave and Main St. on Beyer Blvd., this hidden entrance veils access to the beauty of what lies ahead—8,869 acres of river valley habitation. A direct route to Fenton Pond, this restored plot is growing into an educational showcase of the river’s natural landscape. To become this, it needs weekly watering by hand to thrive until the rainy season.

Fenton Pond in itself is a beautiful walk, with access to the pond for fishing and sightseeing. Sounds and sights are a direct draw to the pond. Birds are everywhere. Ducks floating around in the pond, hawks heading for the brush and sterns for the water as they dive for prey. Butterflies and dragonflies are just beginning to appear. Small natural coves are a perfect to sit quietly and observe.

HIDDEN OASIS: Fenton Pond hides behind the ranger station just beyond the Youth Restoration site.

Otay River Conservation Program Manager Katie Westfall, with the help of youth in the local community, developed and maintains WiLDCOAST’s Youth Restoration site. Together, Park Rangers, Girl Scouts, Finney Elementary, interns and community members removed invasive plant life and planted native species.

Westfall said WiLDCOAST’s goal, and her job, in this program is to educate and build community support for restoration and preservation of the Otay Valley.

WATERING MADE FUN: Otay Valley Program Manager Katie Westfall works as hard as she educates.

Programs of this type are what our protected parks need most. Educating the next generation on how to respect, care and preserve what little open space that is left is the only way to secure its future. With enough community support, this program, this 3-acre is only a threshold to restoring the valley’s natural coastal sage scrub habitat.

Our local ecosystems are overrun and many places conquered by invasive plants. Those beautiful daisies and eucalyptus trees you see are just two species that propagate by releasing toxic chemical from roots. No other plant life can survive within its boundaries with an internal system ensuring its own survival. Ice plants, used widely in housing and development projects spread throughout. It takes up precious space.

Just about any plant or flower seen in a neighbor’s yard grows from the valley to the South Bay National Wildlife Refuge. As beautiful as some of these plants are, they are still a hazard to the valley and wildlife.

A SAGE SAGA: White sage has a long history in this region. Kumeyaay lived this land and white sage is used in spiritual and healing rituals.
Group Leader Irene Barajas, Girl Scout Group 5912 said that they got involved in this program by accident. Being the first and only Girl Scouts in San Ysidro, they call themselves a group. This Girl Scout group has 50 girls, kindergarten to high school age.

Barajas said that with her group so large, transportation is a real problem in getting the girls out on field trips. Group 5912 joined WiLDCOAST for one of their local community trash removal events.

“I didn’t even know that this was here,” she said. “This is exactly the type of place and event that I was looking for the girls.”

Meeting Westfall, her group quickly became a part of the Youth Restoration program. Barajas said it was like coming to Disney for all of them.

“They really enjoy this project and are very enthused,” said Barajas. “We have all learned so much. I didn’t believe that I could get my girls this much experience and education in the outdoors.”

HANDS ON TRAINING: Girl Scout Group Leader Irene Barajas teaches the fundamentals of weeding invasive plants.

WiLDCOAST needs volunteers to continue this program. Both young and old. Watering of these 3 acres is every Friday. Normally around 9 a.m., come out and spend the morning weeding, watering and learning.

A couple of hours take care of the task with help from Park Ranger John Barone. Listening to him and Westfall you will start to learn about each of the plants, the place they hold in this environment, and many times a story if a plants rich history.