Results of San Elijo Lagoon Cleanup

San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy thanks 125 volunteers who helped to protect our waterways, beaches, and ocean on September 20, 2014. Volunteers for San Elijo Lagoon participated in the 30th annual Coastal Cleanup Day and collected:

• 611 pounds of trash
• 99 pounds of recyclables
• 12 cubic yards of invasive iceplant to protect native coastal sage scrub habitat bordering the reserve

Targeted sites this day were along Manchester Avenue, a busy road adjacent to the lagoon. Removing debris before it has a chance to enter local waterways is a key step in protecting sensitive native habitat.

Most unusual? A water softener tank. A $1 bill. Sod from someone’s yard tossed into the lagoon…

Most often found? Cigarette butts. Two teens, in under two hours, collected 1,300 butts.

We are extremely grateful to all the groups who made this event possible: I Love A Clean San Diego, Sony, Teen Volunteers In Action, Solana Beach Presbyterian Church, San Diego County Parks and Recreation, MiraCosta College, and Lagoon Platoon Volunteers. A special thanks to Sony for donating lunch and Einstein Bros Bagels for donating breakfast. Visit the conservancy’s Facebook page to see pictures.

Lagoon Platoon is the community habitat restoration program by San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy. The next monthly volunteer event will be October 18. Sign up today to reserve your spot!