It has been 25 years since the founding of the Batiquitos Lagoon Foundation, with work done through

thousands of volunteer hours to restore a valuable habitat.

Tim Dillingham from California Department of Fish and Game indicates how valuable this resource is, “95 percent of coastal wetlands are lost.” The loss of the wetlands is the loss of incalculable species that are fish, fowl, insect, plant and microbial forms. The busy board and happy helpers unfailingly provide the necessary quiet restoration efforts that make a vibrant home for a  variety of life.

The biggest project was a 10-year effort led by the Port of Los Angeles and Batiquitos Lagoon Foundation to reconnect the marshlands with the ocean. The daily flushing of seawater into the lagoon had been cut off by development, leaving the area a stinking, and environmentally unsuitable place for anything less than the heartiest of species.

With grant money, land acquisition and volunteer efforts of sizable variety, the lagoon was reconnected, dredged and restored. Where there were only four or five varieties of fish, now there are more than sixty-five including rays, small sharks, anchovies and catfish. Where there were only a few ducks and herons, now there are colonies of terns nesting in cord grass on four sand islands. The one hundred and eighty-five species of birds sighted at Batiquitos Lagoon include egrets nesting in the trees, several variety of plovers and sandpipers pecking the mud flats, diving grebes and pelicans; loons, rails, and red-tail hawks.     

This variety of plants, fish, shellfish, birds, and insects (think “butterflies”) is reflected in the variety of tasks and volunteers that make the Lagoon a true community. The upcoming annual volunteer training, starting Feb. 21 for eight consecutive Saturday mornings, is not about making volunteers fit the needs of the board of directors. They are searching for people of a variety of talents, ages and backgrounds. That is because the varieties of people who arrive to appreciate this slower, highly specialized natural order come with a variety of talents, ages and backgrounds, says Don Rideout, Foundation secretary.

No one particular kind of volunteer is being sought. If you like to teach, there are children waiting to learn and curious visitors from around the world. If you like to write or create graphics, there are multi-media publications and grant proposals to submit. If you like to get a workout, there are invasive plants to remove and trash to collect.

If you like to count birds, explore plant life, or in any other way want to make a difference others will appreciate, contact Don Rideout for information and directions off the I-5. He can be reached at 760-942-7490. You can also register online at www.batiquitos foundation.org.