- By Jim Raymond and Russ Whitman -
As we wander north on the Carlsbad city trail that is the eastern boundary of La Costa Glen we will encounter La Costa Avenue and a view of the beautiful Batiquitos Lagoon. While really an estuary, it is a region of wetlands extending west to the Pacific Ocean.
In 1994 it was recognized that Batiquitos was in serious danger, closed to the ocean, silting up and becoming lifeless. This is the natural life cycle of an estuary. Silting has been aggravated by the railroad, Carlsbad Boulevard and Interstate 5 bridges that impede the tidal flow. The beauty of Batiquitos was resurrected by a large dredging project funded by the Port of Los Angeles and managed by the City of Carlsbad. The project, completed in 1997, successfully restored the estuary to a beautiful sanctuary for many kinds of birds, fish and plants, including safe breeding grounds for endangered species.
We can experience Batiquitos from a nature trail on the north side. The crushed granite trail is about two miles long and relatively level. It starts just east of I-5 at the end of Gabbiano Lane and goes most of the way to El Camino Real. The La Costa Glen Fitness Department conducts a bus trip to the trail from our clubhouses leaving at 8:00am each Tuesday morning and returning at about 9:30am. It can be a most wonderful experience in the beautiful weather of Southern California.
Like any urban wilderness area, Batiquitos needs to be protected and maintained. Evolution by nature and man is inevitable. We are all shepherds. The Batiquitos Lagoon Foundation has taken the responsibility to "preserve, protect, and enhance" the lagoon. Information on the Foundation can be obtained either on their website or at the Nature Center.