FIRST SMRT GARDEN COMPLETED!

On March 15, Solana Beach Eco Club successfully completed an important project at San Dieguito County Park. About a year ago, Head Park Ranger Alejandro Santos approached the club with a request to transform a small, unused area of the park into a native pollinator garden. The club embraced the idea enthusiastically and began planning for a fall planting.

Securing a Grant and Shaping the Project

During the summer, one club member earned a grant through the I Love A Clean San Diego Stormwater Pollution Challenge. The winning idea was named SMRT (Stormwater Makes Retained Treasure) Gardens—street-side and parking lot gardens specifically designed to manage stormwater by channeling runoff from streets into garden bioswales. Native plants in these gardens use the collected water for growth, while simultaneously cleaning and replenishing groundwater supplies. By incorporating these gardens into urban areas, the project provides substantial environmental and community benefits.

Benefits of SMRT Gardens

• Flood mitigation/ prevention of erosion. SMRT gardens help reduce the burden on storm drains.
• Cool urban spaces. Plants provide shade and transpire, helping to lower the heat island effect.
• Wildlife/ pollinator habitat. Native plantings offer food and shelter to local wildlife.
• Pollution reduction. Through phytoremediation, plants clean both water and air.
• Climate mitigation. Plants absorb carbon dioxide, storing carbon.
• Improved quality of life. Access to green spaces is linked to increased wellbeing.
• Economic value. Green spaces increase community value and foster pride.
• Education. Educational signage in these gardens informs the public about pollution, climate change, and habitat degradation, supporting sustainability, resilience, and community cohesion. SMRT Gardens also serve as outdoor classrooms and venues for citizen science projects.

Building the Garden

Fortuitously, the area provided by Ranger Alejandro for the pollinator garden was located at the base of a long street, adjacent to a parking lot and hillside. Recognizing the potential, the club decided to create a demonstration SMRT Garden using the grant funds rather than a simple pollinator garden. The process began in the fall with community service projects focused on weeding, digging rainwater channels, and constructing bioswales.

The club’s efforts were soon tested by an atmospheric river that delivered nearly three inches of rain over a few days. This weather event allowed the team to evaluate and refine the bioswales, increasing their capacity to absorb rainwater. The larger trees and shrubs were planted just before a second atmospheric river arrived in December. The newly built dry stream beds and bioswales performed perfectly during these storms.

Enhancements and Community Engagement

Over the winter, the Solana Beach Eco Club installed bee hotels, insect houses, bat boxes, and a native seed library. They also added a rain gauge and thermometer, encouraging citizen science projects within the garden. The final phase of planting native species was completed last weekend. A huge thank you to all volunteers (including the Rotarians and Rotaractors) who contributed. The park will soon install educational signage to inform visitors about the garden’s benefits.

Looking ahead, the club will monitor the new plantings and organize educational sessions with scout troops, school field trips and informal presentations for the community. The creation of this garden was a true collaborative effort, involving contributions from community members, teen park volunteers, dedicated Rotarian and Rotaractors all working together to unite for good, improve our natural world and educate the public.