San Diego Canyonlands has a long history of protecting and restoring our region’s canyons and creeks. The local nonprofit leads community-driven action and environmental stewardship efforts that address environmental, human health, and safety concerns through education and collaboration.

This past weekend’s project was no different as our Environmental All-Stars teamed up with San Diego Canyonlands to create defensible space and reduce hazardous fuels in Manzanita Canyon, one of the four urban canyons in City Heights. 

With a focus on hazardous fuels reductions and defensible space, you might be wondering what an environmental volunteer program has to do with fire prevention. Wildfires decimate important habitats, destroy communities, and the smoke from those emit more harmful emissions than the entire electricity sector. While our urban canyons are different from the vast wilderness, they can still burn, causing risks to people and property.  

Working in two areas of Manzanita Canyon, approximately 35 Team Sempra/SDG&E volunteers removed dry, invasive brush to create defensible space for City Heights residents. These efforts help keep the neighborhood more resilient when it comes to fire and reduce the threat of invasive plants from taking over native habitats in the canyon. 

This volunteer event builds on an effort that we supported for Urban Corps of San Diego County corps members to create defensible space for low-income, senior and disabled homeowners on City Heights canyon rims.

In 2020, Urban Corps received a $150,000 grant for this initiative from The San Diego Foundation’s COVID-19 Community Response Fund – created in part with donations from SDG&E. Learn more about the partnership here, 

Ways to get involved 

San Diego Canyonlands hosts monthly volunteer events where community members can spend their morning removing invasive species and help reduce the risk of fire in urban canyons. To learn more about San Diego Canyonlands volunteer opportunities, visit their site.   

Environmental All-Stars 

Through the Environmental All-Stars program, SDG&E employees regularly volunteer their time for various projects in the community, ranging from building school gardens and planting native trees to restoring habitats for endangered species. 

In 2021, Team SDG&E has a full calendar of projects scheduled, including partnerships with the San Diego River Park Foundation, Coastal Roots Farm, ProduceGood, and many more.