For more than 20 years, the Resource Conservation District of Greater San Diego County managed the Tijuana River Valley Community Garden. It has been a place where people grew food, neighbors built community and families connected to the land since 2002.
We are proud of that history in partnership with San Diego County, and we know how much this garden means to the many gardeners, farmers, district employees and partners who cared for it.
Ending our role as the garden’s operator was a difficult decision — but a necessary one. As we handle all the administrative details of transferring the garden to a new interim operator, it is time to reflect on both this transition and the path forward.
Over time, we witnessed the change in conditions in the Tijuana River Valley. Increasing sewage contamination affecting air, soil and water, along with flooding, created growing health and safety concerns. As a board, we had to ask a hard question: Given many factors, could the district continue to responsibly operate this garden? The answer, ultimately, was no.
Stepping back did not mean walking away. It meant allowing the county — the landowner — to lead a process to secure new stewardship for the site. That process has now resulted in Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center taking over management of the garden as its interim operator. The district is a public agency with statutory duties and public sector liability; Olivewood is a nonprofit organization able to make mission-driven choices under a different governance and risk model. We welcome this outcome and are grateful to the county and Supervisor Paloma Aguirre for their leadership in ensuring the garden can continue under new care. And no district employees lost their jobs as a result of the transition.
This transition has also highlighted an opportunity to share more about the work we do: The district is more than one program or one site.
Resource Conservation Districts were established in California in the 1930s, during the Dust Bowl era, to address soil erosion and land degradation through locally led conservation efforts in partnership with landowners and communities. We are among three active districts in this county.
The garden in the Tijuana River Valley was an important part of our work, but it has never been all of it. We continue to manage the Sweetwater Community Garden in Bonita. Countywide, we provide conservation, wildfire prevention, watershed protection, agricultural support and environmental education. Much of that work happens quietly, across large landscapes and in partnership with local communities.
In 2026, the district’s work will span both people and landscapes. We will provide hands-on wildfire and forest land management training to seven local tribal youth through the Native American Conservation Corps, while supporting a network of more than 50 local Fire Safe Councils.
Across the region, the district will facilitate 23 forest health and wildfire prevention projects, treating approximately 2,679 acres. On the agricultural side, we will enhance pollinator habitat on 10 farms and ranches countywide and continue supporting a school farm at Southwest High School, where students will learn to grow food with the first harvests entering school cafeterias in early 2026.
We will also reach 50 classrooms through our Watershed Education Program, helping students understand how everyday actions can reduce water pollution, and host field-based events demonstrating climate-smart land management practices on working farms and ranches.
The Tijuana River Valley Community Garden will always be part of the district’s story. As we reach the end of this chapter, our work continues. The district remains focused on protecting land, water and communities across San Diego County, and on doing so with care for the people we serve.
Butz is president of the Board of Directors of the Resource Conservation District of Greater San Diego County. He lives in Carlsbad. Moss is CEO/managing director of urban agriculture at Project New Village and a member of the board of the Resource Conservation District of Greater San Diego County. She lives in the Encanto neighborhood of San Diego.