EcoFlight: A bird’s eye view of the Tijuana River Valley

IMPERIAL BEACH, Calif. (KGTV)— On Monday, a group of environmental advocates, researchers, and industry professionals got a bird’ s-eye view of the Tijuana River Valley.
They boarded a flight provided by EcoFlight, a non-profit focused on conservation and environmental justice efforts.
“It’s my home. It’s where I grew up, it’s where I played…it’s where I learned how to surf,” said Ramon Chairez, Director of Education and Environmental Advocacy at Un Mar de Colores and one of the people on board.
Chairez shared he is collaborating on a three-part series on the pollution that has plagued the Tijuana River Valley for decades.
“When you come into this space where there’s a lot of work being done on both sides of the border, it’s hard to really visualize how everything is connected,” said Chairez.
Passengers said the flight provided a new perspective on the crisis. They witnessed the areas where millions of raw sewage flows into the ocean.
“You have a better understanding on why we have that lack of life in the first kilometers of our beaches…it would be better for people to know to take care of this place,” said Abraham Garcia, Kilometro Uno.