Sierra Club Sierra Talks
July 5 San Diego Canyons: Grassroots Success Story San Diego Canyon Lands (SDCL) promotes, protects and restores the natural habitats in San Diego County's canyons and creeks. The presenter, Eric Bowlby, is SDCL’s Executive Director for ongoing community involvement in stewardship and advocacy, and collaboration with other organizations. These programs include building Friends Groups for San Diego’s canyons and creeks, planning and implementing Canyon Enhancement Planning to improve habitats and access in open spaces, and environmental education events. In 2017, SDCL finished construction on the City Heights Canyons Loop Trail system, creating a 5-mile trail network between 4 urban canyons in the under served community of City Heights. Eric served as Executive Chair of the Sierra Club, San Diego Chapter was subsequently hired to run the Sierra Club’s Canyons Campaign. In 8 years He built the Campaign and established over 45 neighborhood-based “friends groups”. In 2008, Bowlby established a new non-profit “San Diego Canyon Lands” dedicated to canyons conservation that has grown to nine staff. He also served for ten years on the City Wetlands Advisory Board and still serves on the City’s Open Space/Canyons Advisory Committee.