San Diego River Revival
by Danielle Parsons & Ella Horvath
San Diego is famous for its beaches, but many residents are unaware of the rivers that are the lifeline of the city. Most of us have the perception that the San Diego River is a wild waterway, however its fragile ecology is unraveling due to the threats associated with urbanization, including invasive species, encampments, and differences in management practices by landowners. As seen in the photo, the degraded state of our river is in dire need of community support. Graffiti and trash are abundant within the river channel.
The challenge of balancing social and environmental issues stems from the separation of people from our environment. As the crisis of people experiencing homelessness continues to grow in San Diego, fragile riparian areas become inundated with community members residing in the riverbed. However, conditions in the waterway are unsafe for human habitation, and encampments tend to generate trash and human waste that pollutes the ecosystem. In addition, temporary shelters often start fires in the riparian zone, which can quickly escape to ignite the surrounding vegetation. Compounding this problem, the spread of highly flammable invasive plant species in the channel further accelerates the fire risk.
Since the San Diego River is divided up into parcels that are managed by many public and private organizations, invasive plants continue to spread due to the differences in management practices. This habitat degradation has cascading impacts on the health of the river and neighboring ecosystems. Although no physical boundary exists between parcels, a distinct visual barrier is created by the difference in the plant communities and trash build-up. As seen in the image below, the mismanaged parcel on the right is dominated by flammable invasive plants that recently burned from an encampment fire. The visually apparent barrier between the City of SD’s property (Left) and a private landowner (Right).
As many are aware, San Diego is home to a growing population of community members that live without the luxury of a permanent residence. According to the January 2024 census count, at least 10,500 San Diegans are living without access to a house, and more than half of these people sleep outside (Voice of San Diego). Unfortunately, many of these residents often experience mental illness or substance use disorders. This greater systemic issue is not easily solved, however there are organizations making a difference in the lives of those that accept support, including: San Diego Regional Task Force on Homelessness, PATH, Alpha Project, and many more.
Solutions that address both social and environmental perspectives are vital because our social systems reside within and depend directly on the environment. Addressing these growing threats requires community collaboration from many conservation organizations, public land agencies, and engaged citizens. One leader advocating for the River is the San Diego River Park Foundation, which conducts scientific research on the health of the waterway. When a massive sewage leakpolluted the San Diego River over 20 years ago, concerned citizens united to create this non-profit by bringing awareness of local conservation issues affecting our community. One of their key contributions is stablishing the San Diego River Coalition, which brings together over 60 community organizations each month to improve the cultural and ecological heritage of the San Diego River
Humans are not the only ones relying upon a healthy San Diego River. In addition to humans, an abundance of wildlife and plants depend upon this waterway as a major corridor through our heavily urbanized city. Located in the San Diego River Watershed, the river begins in Volcan Mountain near Julian and enters the Pacific Ocean at Ocean Beach. This watershed protects 25 endangered and sensitive species, including the least Bell’s vireo, arroyo toad, and coastal California gnatcatcher (SDGE 2012). As seen in the photos, the San Diego River continues to flourish despite encroaching urbanization. Ancient Cottonwood and Willow trees help create habitat for many wildlife species.
City of San Diego Senior Park Ranger Tiffany Swiderski is a local community leader that protects the natural resources of the San Diego River Park and nearby open space canyons. In August of 2024, Tiffany shared with us an intimate view into her role protecting the City of San Diego’s Open Space lands. While on patrol, she regularly encounters residents residing in the riverbed. Tiffany exemplifies immense compassion by listening to their stories and offering contacts for support services. She reminds us to be kind and remember our shared humanity, instead of isolating people for their living circumstances. However, she reminds us to keep a balance between caring for others and personal safety, as she had to keep herself safe in some unpredictable situations, whether it’s people with sensitive mental illnesses or aggressive dogs.
One of the most impactful anecdotes shared by Tiffany is the story of the lost dog residing in the San Diego River channel. A couple years ago during her patrols, she noticed that campsites were extremely messy, and people said it was because of a stray dog. Skeptical at first, but when multiple people claimed to have experiences with this dog, she began to investigate further. For nearly a year, she looked for the dog while on patrol, until she caught a glimpse of this scared and fearful dog weaving through the vegetation. She contacted a rescue organization, and with their help they tracked and caught the dog. It turns out that a family who lived on the mesa above the river owned this dog, but it got out of their yard and despite their best efforts, they were unable to locate it. Ultimately, the family moved to a different state and thought the dog was lost forever. The rescue contacted the family and coordinated for the dog to be transported to them after surviving 3.5 years in the San Diego Riverbed. Once they were reunited, the scared survival mode of the dog melted away. If it was not for the immense kindness of Ranger Tiffany, that dog never would have been reconnected with its family.
As residents of San Diego, it’s a privilege to enjoy the abundance of life supported by our rivers. Our shared connection with the San Diego River catalyzes a responsibility to protect this watershed for people and the environment. One way to engage with your local community is by participating in a river trash cleanup hosted by the San Diego River Park Foundation. Pictured below, volunteers floated down the river to haul out tons of trash polluting the waterways.
129 local community members, including many SDSU students, came out to support the Great River Clean Up in November 2024, where 5,000 pounds of trash and debris were removed from the river.
As a community member, how can we support this issue? Lucky for us, there are many organizations offering opportunities to bring people together, including:
- Weekly native plant restoration events led by our local City of San Diego Rangers
- Birding at the San Diego River mouth with San Diego Bird Alliance
- Trash cleanups and census walks with the San Diego River Park Foundation
- Record your ecology observations on iNaturalist and contribute to the City of San Diego Parks and Recreation Natural Areas Project and the San Diego Natural History Museum’s Healthy Canyons Initiative Project
- If you are interested in this type of work, the City of San Diego will be hiring Park Rangers in the next couple months. Fill out a job interest form to get email alerts when job opportunities are posted.
We’ve gained an invaluable new perspective thanks to the contribution of our local Park Rangers, along with the outreach work by the San Diego River Park Foundation and other community organizations.
Environmentalism is interwoven with our social, political, and economic systems. Environmental protection is the last concern of an individual struggling to find permanent housing and regular meals. Therefore, facilitating conservation also requires a social responsibility to support those in need. This brings us back to the common perception that humans are separate from nature and the environment. While it can be difficult to care about things that we can’t see, it’s imperative to be aware of our society’s impact on our environment. We are not separate from our environment; we are a part of it, and we must protect the home that supports us all.