DEL MAR, Calif. — A small non-profit out of Del Mar says that the town is losing more trees than are being planted. And all the rain gave new life to weeds and invasive plants that steal precious resources from our native plants.
On Sunday, Native Del Mar is hosting a planting day this weekend to clean up from the storms.
Sixteen-year-old Tyden Chinowsky is trying to make one of the most beautiful places in San Diego even better.
With the help of his family and volunteers, he’s creating walkable gardens with hundreds of native plants overlooking Torrey Pines State Park and Del Mar.
“I’m trying my best to show what these native plants look like in unison and how this environment can really be so beautiful. We try to create this synergetic vibe to all these plants where they all rely on one another in this beautiful ecosystem," Chinowsky said.
When Chinowsky was just 13 years old in 2019, he had to make a presentation to the City of Del Mar to get permission and permits to restore native plants and remove invasive species on top of the bluffs on the southern end of Del Mar.
Before Chinowsky started his work, the area was bare, with only a few weeds and invasive plants. Now along the walking path that runs north of the bridge and Torrey Pines State Park into Del Mar, Chinowsky and his volunteers have created beautiful walkable gardens with hundreds of native plants and even some Torrey Pines.
He says, “You can obviously see the big difference between our implemented soil and plants and where it’s sort of barren and sort of empty.”
But Chinowsky and his group planted were no match for recent rain and wind storms. And it’s not just the new Torrey Pines, the wind knocked down a 50-year-old tree near Chinowsky's house.
“These recent storms made the soil so loose and the wind has just blown it over," Chinowsky said.
We learned about Native Del Mar through a nonprofit organization you may have seen on CBS 8 called WIT. It stands for Whatever It Takes. WIT teaches teens and tween youth entrepreneurship and leadership skills.
Chinowsky says WIT helped him grow his small non-profit into something with a social media following, a legit website, and a movement that’s making real change on the San Diego coast.
Sunday’s Volunteer Planting and Clean Up Day starts at 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. at the Del Mar Canyon Preserve.
WATCH RELATED: Balboa Park reopens after temporary closure due to dozens of trees that snapped due to gusty winds (Jan. 2023).