The Batiquitos Lagoon Foundation is opening its normally off-limits waters to paddlers for a weekend trash cleanup on Saturday, Oct. 3, and Sunday, Oct. 4.
The nonprofit's 20th Annual Kayak Fundraiser & Cleanup Event gives the public a rare chance to kayak the ecological reserve while collecting debris from the water, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. The lagoon, which stretches between Encinitas and Carlsbad along the coast, is closed to boating year-round. The annual fundraiser is one of the few occasions the public can get on the water.
Four launches are scheduled Saturday and three on Sunday. Each two-hour session includes check-in, personal flotation device fitting, a water safety briefing and about 90 minutes of paddling through the reserve. Water safety guides accompany every group on the water.
Patch Encinitas reported that launches will depart from the south shore near the Interstate 5/La Costa Avenue park-and-ride. The Batiquitos Lagoon Foundation (BLF) Nature Center is at 7380 Gabbiano Lane in Carlsbad.
Children as young as six can ride along with a parent or guardian in a tandem kayak.
Each two-person tandem kayak costs $160. The fee is a tax-deductible donation to the BLF, and proceeds fund the foundation's habitat restoration and other conservation projects along the lagoon. Tickets are on sale at batiquitoslagoon.org.
The event marks two decades of the foundation's kayak cleanup fundraiser. Registration details and specific launch times are available at the BLF website.
Upcoming community events
- Saturday, Oct. 3, and Sunday, Oct. 4: Batiquitos Lagoon Foundation 20th Annual Kayak Fundraiser & Cleanup. Tickets: $160 per tandem kayak at batiquitoslagoon.org.
