Canyon Crisis:

Golden Hill&’s Neglected Natural Treasures, and resisting the City of San Diego “Trails Master Plan”

by Cherly B.

As a longtime resident of Golden Hill and an active community member, I’ve watched with growing concern as our beloved canyons have been overlooked and undervalued. While our city has made strides in preserving green spaces, there’s inadequate and/or sloppy maintenance. It’s essential to recognize that canyons offer a unique and irreplaceable ecosystem that deserves our protection.

When we were updating the Golden Hill Community Plan, we strongly rejected the idea of counting canyons as parks. Yet, once again the City equates canyon trails with parks in its “Trails Master Plan.”

The City cannot substitute canyon trails for parks. Both are needed in our urban environment. Canyons have fragile ecosystems, with endangered species of plants, birds, and other critters – resources that hard-driving recreation and more trails can interrupt. Parks are needed for picnics, for playing, and for running free.

Canyons and parks serve different purposes, and require different maintenance. Both are important for user experience, but the user experiences are different. Canyons connect us to the spiritual majesty of nature. Parks connect us to the laughter of our humanity. Since the City’s updated Community Plan for Golden. Hill equated canyon trails with parks, canyons have been neglected. For example, right now our beloved 32nd Street Canyon is full of excrement of unknown provenance; has no trash receptacles for the garbage strewn along the paths; has tall invasive weeds ready to burn in wildfires; and overgrown hiding places for nefarious activities. Trails and slopes have eroded from flooding and overuse. 

Canyons require park rangers and biologists to protect their fragile ecosystems and to promote biodiversity. Motorized vehicles, including e-bicycles, are antithetical to preservation. Canyons need caregivers with the ability to differentiate native and invasive species and to prepare educational signage. Ultimately, urban canyons connect us with the sounds and smells that create the unique stillness of undisturbed nature.

Parks, on the other hand, are areas for picnics, barbecues, games, room to run and play outdoors, laughter. They are the backyard gardens of residents of dwellings with no space for these fun, “active” forms of recreation.

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More info - Citywide Trails Master Plan