If you happen to wander into Olivia Canyon in the heart of City Heights, you quickly notice how the sound changes. Gone are the sounds of the city, replaced by a different kind of racket. A woodpecker rat-a-tats at its lunch, hummingbirds whistle around, and a yellow rumpled warbler (at least that’s what your phone’s app says it might be) rills and tweets. Even a little cottontail rabbit skitters by. The only creatures not kicking up a racket are the butterflies. It’s not exactly quiet, but it sure is peaceful.
That this connection with nature is so close and yet so far for many of San Diego’s residents is a challenge that the nonprofit organization San Diego Canyonlands is working hard and very effectively to solve. But more than that, the organization is seeing that this connection to nature has healing properties that can defy description and exceed even the most optimistic organization’s ambitions.
San Diego Canyonlands was recently awarded $x as part of the Prebys Healing Through Arts and Nature Initiative, which is distributing more than $6,400,000 to 59 organizations. This initiative seeks to improve community health and well-being by enhancing access to arts, culture, and nature. A growing number of healthcare providers, researchers, and community advocates recognize the importance of not only treating illness but also promoting mental, physical, and social wellness through non-clinical experiences in the arts, culture, and nature.
Recent data shows the particular value of experiences in nature for improving happiness, reducing stress, and improving health.
An Organization Evolves
Founded in 2008 by Eric Bowlby as an advocacy group, Canyonlands has evolved far beyond its original mission. Under the leadership of Clayton Tschudy, who joined as executive director in 2019, the organization has reimagined what an environmental group can be – combining professional land management with environmental justice and community healing. “We’re really a community benefit organization with a high level of environmental expertise,” explains Tschudy, an environmental biologist who has helped shape the organization’s creative approach to conservation.
San Diego’s network of urban canyons presents an extraordinary opportunity – hundreds of thousands of residents live close to protected natural areas, many home to endangered species. Yet for many in communities like City Heights, where Canyonland’s offices are located, these spaces have long felt inaccessible or even unsafe.
Canyonlands is changing that perception through innovative programs that connect diverse communities with nature. Their Environmental Careers Opportunities Initiative (ECO) provides intensive training for individuals experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity, while their Canyon Connections Internship Program offers paid internships to local high school students – a crucial detail for youth who don’t have the luxury of being able to take unpaid work. The organization’s commitment to diversity extends to its hiring practices. They don’t require environmental degrees for many positions, instead focusing on building expertise through hands-on experience.
Healing through Nature in a Variety of Ways
Perhaps most surprisingly, Canyonlands has discovered that their work goes beyond environmental conservation – they’re fully embracing the concept of healing through nature. This revelation emerged partly through their ECO program, where participants found not just job training but also community and personal transformation.
One example of the unintended benefits of the approach is evident in their work with immigrant families in City Heights, one of the country’s most diverse neighborhoods. Through their youth programs, they’ve created a unique bridge – children who participate often become interpreters for their non-English-speaking parents during family nature events, introducing multiple generations to local environmental stewardship.
