Below is a Program Spotlight Blog from one of Circulate's newest staff members Paola Boylan, Program Coordinator. In the blog below, she spotlights just one of the terrific series of programs Circulate has been working on to improve sustainable mobility throughout the San Diego Region.
The Otay Valley Regional Park (OVRP) is an ideal place for a morning run, afternoon stroll with your family or even a mountain biking or horseback riding adventure. Elementary student across Otay are discovering this wonderful landscape through the Safe Routes to Nature Program spearheaded by Circulate San Diego and Funded by the San Diego Foundation.
Throughout the 2015-16 school year, students across Otay are beginning their mini-adventures from school to the OVRP trail head, learning safety tips about how to be a visible and aware pedestrian on the street, and courteous and safe on trails. Volunteer Canyoneers from the San Diego Natural History Museum join students at the trailhead and create a fun and exciting educational environment, bringing the classroom outside.
The flexibility of these nature walks caters to a dynamic environment where students can learn about the uniqueness of the chaparral vegetation in San Diego one moment and spend the following moment guessing the species of a nearby bird. Canyoneers allow students to ask a question about what they can see, touch, and hear and aid them in building an appreciation for the surrounding natural area.
Safe Routes to Nature is bringing close to 500 neighborhood students to the Otay Valley Regional Park and helping them bridge the gap between the natural and built environment. Students are discovering nature through exploration and education and it’s helping them share their positive experiences, peaking curiosity and opening the doors for parents, siblings and friends to venture out to explore the Otay Valley Regional Park in their community.
We invite you to visit and explore the Otay Valley with you family, for more information visit http://www.ovrp.org/
Watch the video here
Safe Routes to Nature is a program of Circulate San Diego funded by the San Diego Foundation and supported by The Natural History Canyoneers Program, Chula Vista School District, Stretch YMCA, and the County of San Diego Department of Parks and Recreation.
