Roots, Wildlife Corridors, and Why I'm Here
My name is Gabrielle Aravena and I'm a California native with a deep passion for all things life. I care deeply for and understand the interconnection of everything on planet earth, from the smallest bug or grain-sized flowers to the mighty oak trees and largest mammals. I try to follow my life by learning lessons from nature and following their guidance- an ancient practice of indigenous wisdom used by many tribes such as the kumeyaay whose land we occupy today. I am also a huge advocate for social justice and understand the importance of bringing the voices of those most oppressed to the front. Only when we face our history and learn from our mistakes can we begin to relearn and reshape our ways of thinking and living in harmony with the world around us.
The joined Preserve Greater Golden Hill (PGGH) because of its healthy canyons initiatives. San Diegans are so rich with green space that most people don't even know they have access to. According to the Natural History museum, we have over 150 canyons which provide 81% of us with Green space within 10 minutes walking. This is higher than the national average! Each canyon is as incredibly diverse as each neighborhood in San Diego. Some are highly restored and some are sadly not, maybe due to budget, priorities, or simply just the community not knowing how important they are. Canyons, when healthy, can be rich, biodiversity hot spots and serve as vital wildlife corridors within urban areas. I truly believe that the more people learn about them, the more likely they are to want to protect them. In fact, San Diegans have preserved many canyons when developers tried to come in and destroy them. Communities came together and fought to protect Tecolote, Peñasquitos, and Switzer canyon and won!
Additionally, what exists in the Matrix, or the space between canyons, is just as important as the canyons itself. PGGH is also working on trying to protect our cities from high rises and over development which don't just disrupt our communities, but disrupt the already deeply fragmented wildlife corridors. Unfortunately, in our greed and ignorance humans continue to develop and destory these passages without a second thought. Imagine if a huge rock wall appeared on 30th Street, blocking the roadway. How cars, buses, bicyclists, and those just strolling the neighborhood would have to find an alternate and more difficult route just to get to North Park.
We have such an incredible opportunity to protect our home and neighbors, especially the ones with no voice. We need community now more than ever and PGGH is the perfect place to start. Every single one of us has the responsibility of righting the wrongs of our history and past and preserving and tending the land we share space in. The only way out is to imagine a new world so that we can begin to build it and that will require some sacrifice and inconvenience to start, but I believe that the rewards will be abundant and priceless. Every single one of us has a unique skill and role to offer in creating this new and more vibrant world. No one is coming to save us. Only we can save us. Only we can save our community and our community includes our neighbors that live in the canyons. Please consider joining PGGH today, we need you!
