1

The Batiquitos Lagoon Foundation (BLF)

The Great Egret Volume 11 Spring—Summer 2013

Docent-led School and Public Walks, and Club Pelican 2013

Success Continues!

Much has been written lately about our nature-deprived

younger generation. So, one of the greatest rewards of volun-

teering at Batiquitos Lagoon is introducing children to nature.

When a child sees a great blue heron for the first time and says

“wow, look at that”, you know this child will remember it for

a long time. One outing may become the basis for a life-long

interest in preserving nature.

This is the mission of the Docents. We lead walks for school

children from second grade through high school, and occa-

sionally college groups as well. We also lead walks for Dai-

sies, Brownies, Cub Scouts, Girls Scouts, and Boy Scouts.

Thus far in 2013 we have led walks for 311 children. They

come from as far away as Borrego Springs to enjoy the exhib-

its in our Nature Center as well as the sights along the trail. They learn about what makes an estuary, the plants and animals

that live there, the rocks that make up the land, and the various people who have made their home near the lagoon for the past

9,000 years. Every one of our student visitors takes home a copy of our special story book, “One Day at Batiquitos Lagoon”,

written exclusively for us by Cathleen Chilcote Wallace, a Luiseno native storyteller.

A few times each year we are asked to lead walks for adults, typically arranged through one of the nearby hotels. In 2013 we

led a walk for 20 hospitality professionals hosted by Park Hyatt.

In July we led two walks for Park Hyatt guests on July 5 and 6.

The Docents help staff Club Pelican which is held at our Nature

Center each summer. This year there will be 4 sessions totaling

120 children. Each day from 9:00 a.m. to noon, the kids divide

their time between art projects and nature lessons.

We are always on the lookout for new Docents. If you like talking

with children (or adults) about nature and want to help them ap-

preciate the lagoon environment, think about becoming a docent.

We meet on the first Wednesday of each month at 3:00 p.m. in the

Nature Center. For more information you can email me at

docents@batiquitosfoundation.org. I look forward to hearing

from you.

Don Rideout

2

Important Numbers

Nature Center: (760) 931-0800

City of Carlsbad Police Department:

Emergency: 911

Non-emergency: (760) 931-2197

Watch Commander: (760) 937-2115

Calif. Dept. of Fish & Wildlife:

Regional Office: (858) 467-4201

CALTIPS: (888) 334-2258

BLF Addresses & Other Information

Mail: P.O. Box 130491

Carlsbad, CA 92013-0491

Website: www.batiquitosfoundation.org

Email: info@batiquitosfoundation.org

Nature Center Location (Not Mailing Address):

7380 Gabbiano Lane

Carlsbad, CA 92011

Nature Center Hours of Operation:

M-F: 9:00 am - 12:30 pm

Sat-Sun: 9:00 am - 3:00 pm

Board of Directors & Officers

Fred C. Sandquist - President (2010-2013)

Don Omsted—Vice President (2011-2014)

Yvette Huffman - Secretary (2012-2015)

Kevin Kienast - Treasurer (2012-2015)

Jim Brown (2010-2013)

Don Connors (Honorary - Non-voting)

Paula Kirpalani (2011-2014)

Marty Montgomery (2012-2014)

Don Rideout (2012-2015)

Dr. Anne Spacie (2010-2013)

Newsletter

Fred Sandquist (Acting)

Contact: newsletter@batiquitosfoundation.org

The BLF—Celebrating over 30 Years of

Stewardship of Batiquitos Lagoon Eco-

logical Reserve (BLER) and Service to

the Community!

This year, the BLF celebrates

a big milestone - over 30

Years of Stewardship of Ba-

tiquitos Lagoon Ecological

Reserve (BLER) and Service

to the Community!

A year or so before our incor-

poration on January 5, 1983 as

a 501(c)(3) not-for profit pub-

lic educational institution, a group of volunteers met

planned, and formed what has become the BLF. The

original foundation plank holders included: Susan John-

ston, Martin Klotz, Charlotte Masarik, Sandi McKinney,

Anne Omsted (wife of current BLF Vice President Don

Omsted), George Shulman, Brandy Steger, Connie Swan-

son, and Ed Wainio.

We have come a long way since our star saw it’s first

light! Today we own property (Cholla Point), are near

upgrading our aging 20+ year old construction trailer Na-

ture Center to a modest and modern one, and have be-

come a recognized lagoon steward. Our docents and oth-

er volunteers help us in hosting many educational pro-

grams including public walks and talks, Club Pelican, a

very strong restoration and trail maintenance community-

based hand-on ongoing work event, Boy and Girl Scout

projects, a highly successful environmentally-oriented

school program, many science-oriented programs (e.g.,

bird counts, water quality monitoring, wildlife tracking,

invasive plant identification and management, an intern

program for high school and college-level students), and

many more.

As an all volunteer organization, help us recognize our

key milestone. Become a member of our community

family, become a volunteer, and help us to preserve, pro-

tect, and enhance BLER now and for future generations

to come!

3

From the Desk of the President ….

As you can see, we’re really late in

getting our newsletters out on

schedule and I want to assure you

that we are working on improving

that. We hope to implement an

electronic newsletter in the near

future as a means for improving

communications with our member-

ship and the general public. We

will still provide a hard-copy ver-

sion.

As you can see in the articles in this

newsletter, we have a lot going on, especially with our plans for

installing our new nature center in early 2014. We also are plan-

ning some events celebrating its opening and our 30+ year mile-

stone as a non-profit foundation.

As I’ve indicated in previous newsletter, we remain financially

sound, but, like many other non-profit organizations, are experienc-

ing the impacts of our economic recovery and slow growth as we

emerge from our recession. For an all volunteer organization, that

has presented us with a significant challenge, but we see the signs

of progress and an upward trend.

On the grant scene, we have and continue to do quite well. Over

the past month and a half, we have been awarded or have received

indication of approval for: a Community Wetland Restoration

Grant for $23,300; a San Diego County Supervisor’s Community

Enhancement Grant of $5,000 for our new nature center; review

committee approval of two City of Carlsbad Agricultural Mitigation

Conversion Fee grants for $70,275 (one to cover increased cost of

our new nature center for $49,542, and a restoration grant for

$20,733). We are currently working on an exciting California

Coastal Conservancy Climate Ready grant that is due in late August

2013, with award decision in 2014. The project associated with this

grant will enable us to start to gain data that will help us and stake-

holders begin the process of assessing and planning for the impacts

of climate change at the BLER. More will be reported on these

grants and associated projects in future newsletters.

If you are not yet a member, please consider joining the BLF family

and get involved in preserving, protecting and enhancing Batiqui-

tos Lagoon Ecological Reserve and its associated watershed.

As always, feel free to contact me at (760) 918-2408 or send me an

email at president@batiquitosfoundation.org if you have anything

you would like to discuss or suggest. 2013 is already a very excit-

ing and busy year for the BLF, and I really appreciate your contin-

ued trust and support in serving you as your President!

…Fred C. Sandquist, President

We Need Your Help!

As with any all volunteer organization, the

BLF depends on our volunteers to fill key

foundation positions in support of our pro-

grams and operations. The following is a list

of some of our key positions that we need

support for. If interested or you would like

further information, please call or leave a

message at our Nature Center ((760) 931-

0800) or send an email to: volun-

teer@batiquitosfoundation.org.

Nature Center Hosts

Docents

Volunteer Coordinator/Scheduler

Newsletter Editor

Webmaster/Electronic Media Chair

Fundraising/Marketing

Educational & Marketing Materials

Maintenance

Trail Captains (for Weed-whacking/

Trail Maintenance)

Grant Writers

A special thanks to some of our key partners who

support the Batiquitos Lagoon Foundation by

providing us with discounts, critical services, sup-

port, and products that contribute to of our many

programs or provide direct financial support.

These partners include:

Hunter Industries Waste Management, Park Hy-

att, Aviara, Four Seasons Residence Club, Leu-

cadia Wastewater District (LWD), REI Outdoor

School, San Diego, REI - Encinitas, Anderson’s

La Costa Nursery, Wild Bird Center, Hobie Cat,

Life Technologies, Anderson Stationers, Inc.,

Tree of Life Nursery, FedEx/Kinkos, Callaway

Golf , San Diego Horticultural Society, Palomar

Investigative Group, Inc., Point Loma Credit Un-

ion, Diamond Environmental Services, El

Camino Rental, California Department of Fish &

Game, La Costa Resort & Spa, La Costa Glen,

Hunter Industries, CDS Printing, California

Coastal Conservancy, Louise Julig Writing &

Editing, Home Village Realtors, Archer Johnson

Foundation, Joey’s Smokin BBQ, Kinan Events,

and the Coastal Community Foundation.

4

New Sign & Boy Scout Eagle Scout Project

Completed At Our Cholla Point Property!

Board member Don Connors has been very busy at our Cholla Point property at the northeast end of the

Batiquitos Lagoon Ecological Reserve (BLER)! At our trailhead on Arenal Road, he has installed a new

sign to help brand our 18.2 acre property and

make the public more aware of its name. The

signage also includes one of our BLER ap-

proved rules sign.

The site has been landscaped and our plans are

to install more native plants and trees in the

area. While the existing highly disturbed trail

leading down from the trailhead is wet and

muddy in places, our mid and long range plans

are to improve it while protecting the wetland

and coastal sage habitats. The BLF is working

with the California Department of Fish and

Wildlife (CDFW), other regulatory agencies,

and the City of Carlsbad to obtain the necessary

permits to make this trail upgrade - a complicated and relatively long process. We will report progress

on project in future newsletters.

In February 2013, Boy Scout Eagle Scout

candidate Cameron Blue, along with his sup-

porters, restored an area near our Arenal

Road trailhead. This project included clean-

ing and clearing an area, some grading, and

installing a bench with a concrete pad and

brass plaque. Some landscape timbers were

installed to provide access steps. Some na-

tive plants were also installed and a small

wooden access bridge was constructed over

the concrete drainage ditch.

Cameron is with Boy Scout Troop 750 and

has since received his Eagle Scout Award.

Please stop by and check out the results of

Cameron’s work.

Don, our Boy Scout Eagle Scout Project Chainman, has a number of Eagle Scout Projects in the works.

5

Annual Membership and Board of Directors

Election

As required by our Articles of

Incorporation and by-laws, our

Annual Membership Meeting,

including board of director elec-

tions, will be held on Tuesday,

November 19, 2013 at 4:30 p.m.

at our Nature Center, 7380 Gab-

biano Lane, Carlsbad, CA 92011.

The BLF has 9 voting board

members and one honorary non-

voting board member. Board

members are elected to three-year

terms with three positions being

up for election or re-election each

year. Elected board members are

volunteers and receive no pay for

their service. Board members are

expected to assume an active

leadership role on one or more

strategic committees or key sub-

ject areas. This translates into

work outside regular monthly

board meetings.

This year, Board Members Jim Brown and Fred Sandquist are up for re-election. Anne Spacie has indicat-

ed that she will not be running for another term. Each year, the board establishes a Nominating Committee

charged to solicit, vet and recommend candidates for the elections and for filling vacancies that might oc-

cur during the year. This year, Marty Montgomery and Yvette Huffman constitute the Nominating Com-

mittee.

Candidates must be BLF members in good standing (e.g., active members). If you are interested in being

considered for one of the three board positions, please provide the following information: A brief over-

view of your background; employment over the past five years; education; and a brief statement or para-

graph as to why you would like to serve on the BLF board. You may also summarize any volunteer work

you have done for the BLF or other organizations, or other information that you would like the nominating

committee to consider. Board candidates and associated information will be included on a ballot in our

fall 2013 newsletter.

If interested, you should mail or email your interest in being considered as a board candidate to: Batiqui-

tos Lagoon Foundation (BLF), P.O. Box 130491, Carlsbad, CA 92013-0491, or as an email attachment to:

nominatingcommittee@batiquitosfoundation.org.

6

New Nature Center Project Update

For many of us involved with replacing our nature

center, it has seemed more like a career than a pro-

ject! From the complicated Conditional Use Permit

(CUP) / Coastal Development Permit (CDP) appli-

cation process, meeting the requirements of the Cali-

fornia Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), design-

ing our new structure, and getting our application

through and approved by Aviara Master Association

(the homeowner association which owns the proper-

ty where our nature center is located), and replacing

our electrical service by burying our power cables

and replacing our power transformer, this project

has truly been a leaning experience for those involved! We have had to contract for two additional studies to meet

our CEQA requirements (a Biological Study, done

by DUDEK; and a Cultural and Historical Study by

Gallegos and Associates) and have experienced

increased facility design costs, including our ex-

panded front deck. The good news is that these

cost increases are covered by our grants.

We now see the light at the end of the tunnel and

are planning to be able to install our new facility in

the February - March 2014 timeframe. We will be

asking our docents and other volunteers to help us

plan for furnishing our new nature center, design-

ing new displays and helping our with our move.

The physical removal of our old nature center and the installation of the new one will be a challenge and we will be

looking for help with our volunteers and friends.

This article includes architectural renditions of the front and back of our new facility. The interior design is depicted

in the lower right picture. As you can see, our facility includes a large open area with two skylight, a modern re-

stroom, a service center with a sink and where we will have a refrigerator, microwave, and hot water and coffee mak-

er. We will have an office with a window so our hosts

can see visitors when they enter, and a working and

storage area. Our new nature will have central heating

and air conditioning. Our attached garage will have a

roll-up garage door and allow us to store our John

Deere trail vehicle. It will also have space for us to

have a workshop and area to store our equipment and

tools. We are considering adding windows and an ex-

haust fan air circulation and cooling system. We plan

to install an updated security and video monitoring

system for both inside and outside security purposes.

Our new deck will be large and be great for people to

sit and enjoy the view! As we approach our installa-

tion date, we would welcome your help in our transi-

tion to our new nature center.

7

8

9

UPCOMING EVENTS

July 2013

Sat, Jul 27th:

BLF Volunteer

orientation for

people interest-

ed in joining the

all-volunteer

BLF family. A

general over-

view of the Ba-

tiquitos Lagoon

Ecological Reserve (BLER) and Marine Protected Area

(MPA), its resources, and the many volunteer opportu-

nities available will be presented. Take home reference

material will be provided. 12 Noon – 1:30 P.M.

Mon - Fri, Jul 29th - Aug 2nd 9 A.M. to Noon: Club Pelican

Summer Camp for ages 7 to 9, BLF Nature Center,

Gabbiano Lane. (Fee charged; register through the

City of Carlsbad.)

August 2013

[Mon - Fri, Jul 29th - Aug 2nd 9 A.M. to Noon: Club Pelican

Summer Camp for ages 7 to 9, BLF Nature Center,

Gabbiano Lane. (Fee charged; register through the

City of Carlsbad.)]

Sat, Aug 3rd: Weed-whacking/trail Maintenance. 9 A.M. - 12

noon. Volunteers meet at BLF Nature Center.

Mon - Fri, Aug 5th - Aug 12th 9 A.M. to Noon: Club Pelican

Summer Camp for ages 9 to 12, BLF Nature Center,

Gabbiano Lane. (Fee charged; register through the

City of Carlsbad.)

Fri, Aug 9th: Bird Count. 7:30 A.M. All are welcome; bring

binoculars. Meet at the Gabbiano Lane trailhead.

Sat, Aug 17th: Weed-whacking/trail Maintenance. 9 A.M. - 12

noon. Volunteers meet at BLF Nature Center.

Sat, Aug 24th: BLF Volunteer orientation for people inter-

ested in joining the all-volunteer BLF family. A gen-

eral overview of the Batiquitos Lagoon Ecological Re-

serve (BLER) and Marine Protected Area (MPA), its

resources, and the many volunteer opportunities avail-

able will be presented. Take home reference material

will be provided. 12 Noon – 1:30 P.M.

September 2013

Mon, Sep 2nd: Labor Day. Nature Center open from 9

A.M. to 3:30 P.M.

Wed, Sep 4th: Docent Corps Meeting. 3 P.M, BLF Nature

Center. Everyone welcome to attend.

Sat, Sep 7th: Weed-whacking/trail Maintenance. 9 A.M. - 12

noon. Volunteers meet at BLF Nature Center.

Fri, Sep 13th: Bird Count. 7:30 A.M. All are welcome; bring

binoculars. Meet at the Gabbiano Lane trailhead.

Tue, Sep 17th: BLF Board Meeting. 4:30 P.M., the BLF Na-

ture Center.

Sat, Sep 21th: Weed-whacking/trail Maintenance. 9 A.M. - 12

noon. Volunteers meet at BLF Nature Center.

Sat, Sep 28th: BLF Volunteer orientation for people inter-

ested in joining the all-volunteer BLF family. A gen-

eral overview of the Batiquitos Lagoon Ecological Re-

serve (BLER) and Marine Protected Area (MPA), its

resources, and the many volunteer opportunities avail-

able will be presented. Take home reference material

will be provided. 12 Noon – 1:30 P.M.

October 2013

Wed, Oct 2nd: Docent Corps Meeting. 3 P.M, BLF Nature

Center. Everyone welcome to attend.

Sat, Oct 5th: Weed-whacking/trail Maintenance. 9 A.M. - 12

noon. Volunteers meet at BLF Nature Center.

Sat & Sun, October 5th & October 6th, 2013: Eighth Annual

Kayak Batiquitos Lagoon Clean-up Event. First launch-

ing at 7:30 A.M. each day at the La Costa Avenue / I-5

Park and Ride. More information to come!

Fri, Oct 11th: Bird Count. 7:30 A.M. All are welcome; bring

binoculars. Meet at the Gabbiano Lane trailhead.

Tue, Oct 15th: BLF Board Meeting. 4:30 P.M., the BLF Na-

ture Center.

Sat, Oct 19th: Weed-whacking/trail Maintenance. 9 A.M. - 12

noon. Volunteers meet at BLF Nature Center.

Sat, Oct 26th: BLF Volunteer orientation for people inter-

ested in joining the all-volunteer BLF family. A gen-

eral overview of the Batiquitos Lagoon Ecological Re-

serve (BLER) and Marine Protected Area (MPA), its

resources, and the many volunteer opportunities avail-

able will be presented. Take home reference material

will be provided. 12 Noon – 1:30 P.M.

10

Eighth Annual Kayak Batiquitos Lagoon 2013 Cleanup

Event Please plan to join us and support the Foundation and help keep this North San Diego County healthy

and pristine for all of to enjoy! We expect to open online registration in August through our website,

www.batquitosfoundation.org. Due to other commitments, staff availability, and scheduling conflicts

with our event dates, Hobie Cat had to cancel support-

ing our event this year. They have supported the BLF

for seven years and we look forward to their possibly

rejoining us in 2014. We are working on getting one or

more organizations to fill our needs for Saturday, Octo-

ber 5th. Our event is still on!

Last year some families were disappointed our mini-

mum age requirement was 16 and above. This year, we

plan to reduce the age minimum to at least 10 years of

age, and perhaps even lower. We want to make our an-

nual event more family-friendly! Whatever the final

minimum age limit is, we will still require a parent or

guardian to be present in the kayak. As in the past, eve-

ryone on the lagoon MUST wear an approved Personal

Flotation Device (PFD) for their safety. Thanks again

to REI, friends and other organizations, we will be of-

fering single and tandem kayaks for use. Those who

have their own kayaks may again register and use them

during our launchings. We will provide transportation

assistance for getting kayaks to the launch site.

The registration fee will again be $50 per person and

goes towards supporting the BLF’s operations, pro-

grams, projects and other activities. This fee is consid-

ered a donation to us and is tax deductible.

Anyone who is interested in volunteering to help with our event should send an email to

kayakeventvolunteer@batiquitosfoundation.org or call our Nature Center at (760) 931-0800 and

someone will get back to you.

If you own one or more kayaks and would be interested in letting us use them during our event, we

would be most appreciative! This will enable us to offer more kayaks per launching. If interested in

providing kayaks, please send an email to kayakeventvolunteer@batiquitosfoundation.org or call our

Nature Center at (760) 931-0800 and we will work out the details with you.

This is our 30th year as a foundation preserving, protecting, and enhancing Batiquitos Lagoon Eco-

logical Reserve and supporting our community. Please help us make our key fundraiser again a suc-

cess!

11

12

Membership

Membership in Batiquitos Lagoon

Foundation is a great way to support our ef-

forts to maintain and improve this beautiful

natural resource.

Annual memberships are available in the

following categories:

Student/Senior Citizen $15

Individual $20

Family $30

Sponsor $60

Patron $160

Business Assoc $250

Sustaining $500

Join & pay via bank debit or major credit

card through our website

www.batiquitosfoundation.org Memberships and donations are tax deducti-

ble.

REMINDER TO MEMBERS: Check the expiration date at the top of your mailing label to find out when you need to renew your membership.

NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE

PAID ENCINITAS, CA PERMIT #471

CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

Batiquitos Lagoon Foundation P.O. Box 130491 Carlsbad, CA 92013-0491

The Batiquitos Lagoon Foundation was established on January 7,

1983 as a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation, dedicated to preserving,

protecting, and enhancing the Batiquitos Lagoon Ecological Re-

serve and its associated watershed, riparian, coastal sage and up-

land habitats.

NATURE CENTER HOURS

Monday—Friday: 9:00 am to 12:30 pm

Saturday & Sunday: 9:00 am to 3:00 pm

For information:

Visit our Website: www.batiquitosfoundation.org

Call: (760) 931-0800

Email: info@batiquitosfoundation.org