RiverWatch September 2023: Tarantulas, Crayfish and Toads... Oh My!

We had some feisty creatures out after the tropical storm in August; crayfish hiking the trail, thousands of toads and frogs in El Monte Valley and tarantulas looking for love. This scrappy mudbug appears to be a Red Swamp Crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) - a naturalized species native to northern Mexico and the southern United States. This species tends to burrow and is most active at night; it is uncommon for us to see one out taking a stroll! This species is farmed for food in the US and Asia, where it is grown concurrently with rice crops that thrive in the same conditions. This particular individual, however, we just wished a good day!

San Diego Gives Day of Giving!

Please join us this year if you can

San Diego Gives Day

Thursday, September 7

We Have Matching Funds!

Thanks to generous river park champions, gifts made now through Sept 7 will be matched dollar-for-dollar,

up to $3,500.

San Diego Gives Day of Service!

Please join us this year if you can

Friday, September 8

8 am- 11 am

River bed clean up here at the park

12108 Industry Road

Lakeside, CA 92040

River park wetlands receive runoff after every major rain event, and with that comes any debris or trash in the way of the water. We are so grateful for community members who come help us to clear the river bed - it improves not just our own riparian habitat, it also improves water quality for our neighbors downstream.

Welcome SIO to the River Park!

Go Tritons! This week we welcomed a visit from the Climate Science & Policy cohort from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UCSD. Among many things, we talked about restoration and projects at the river park, ecosystem services provided by natural habitat, and land use as a nature-based solution to climate change.

Weird Bugs