Join us For River Days at the River Mouth

The Friends of the San Diego River Mouth will change their normal event schedule for May and will be continuing the care and maintenance of the this rare habitat area. As part of the San Diego River Park Foundation's sixth annual San Diego River Days, our event will take place on May 16th from 9am-noon. For more info or to join us, please contact Richard at 619.297.7380 or via email at richard@sandiegoriver.org.
For more info on the 30 events of River Days visit www.sdriverdays.org

Welcome to the Friends of the San Diego River Mouth Blog!!!

The San Diego River Mouth is one of the most dynamic areas of the San Diego River. It is where the river finally completes its 52 mile journey to the Pacific Ocean. It is home to a wide variety of native plants and animals; and provides nesting areas for migratory birds. It gives us a glimpse of what San Diego looked like 100 years ago in spite of being in the heart of the city. For this reason, it is essential that the San Diego River Mouth is protected and preserved.
The preservation of the San Diego River Mouth was initiated by a dedicated group of volunteers known as the Friends of the San Diego River Mouth. Additional support had been provided by Aquatic Adventures that used clean-up efforts and restoration projects as a means of exposing children to environmental stewardship. More recently, the San Diego River Park Foundation has stepped in to ensure the continued protection and preservation of the river mouth.
The San Diego River mouth is made up of three distinct zones; the dunes, marsh, and inter-tidal zones. The dune zone provides a picture of what Ocean Beach, Mission Beach, and Pacific Beach looked like 100 years ago. They provide shelter for native animals. The dunes transition into the marsh which provides nesting grounds for migratory birds and other endangered native animals. The inter-tidal zone contains fish nurseries, which in turn provides food for the many birds that call the river mouth home.
While there is an abundance of life and activity at the river mouth, there are major threats that exist, as well. The San Diego River Mouth is down stream from the developments and freeways of Mission Valley. It is next to the inlet for Mission Bay, one of the busiest recreational waterways in the country. In spite of these imminent threats to the river mouth, the hard work of the Friends of the San Diego River Mouth; Aquatic Adventures; and the San Diego River Park Foundation has helped to reduce the impact of these threats.
The protection and preservation of the San Diego River Mouth is an ongoing effort. These efforts require continued monitoring, clean-ups, and restoration projects that preserve the natural beauty of the river mouth and preserve it for future generations. If you would like to help, please contact the San Diego River Park Foundation. Please visit our website at http://www.sandiegoriver.org/, email info@sandiegoriver.org, pr call (619)297-7380.

San Diego River Park Foundation Kicks-Off Its Stewardship of the San Diego River Mouth

On March 28th the San Diego River Park Foundation kicked-off its stewardship of the San Diego River Mouth with its first clean-up event. The San Diego River Park Foundation and the Friends of the San Diego River Mouth were joined by over 40 volunteers on the beautiful spring morning. The event was a huge success with the hard work of the volunteers resulting in nearly 70 trash bags full of weeds, non-native invasive plants, trash, and debris being removed.


The great effort of the volunteers certainly helped to restore and preserve the natural beauty of the river mouth. Volunteers worked to maintain the trails crisscrossing through the sand dunes and marsh area. The bulk of the trash bags were filled with weeds and non-native invasive species that were removed from the dunes and the native plant demonstration garden. Volunteers also helped to remove the trash and debris that was left by the many visitors to the area.


One aspect of the San Diego River Mouth that makes it a unique location along the river is its accessibility. This proves to be both a blessing and bane for restoration and preservation efforts at the river mouth.

The accessibility allows people to witness what Ocean Beach, Mission Beach, and Pacific Beach looked like over a hundred years ago. It gives them access to the last natural dune habitat in San Diego and protected habitat for endangered birds. The river mouth’s location also means that it is vulnerable the nearby beachgoers and bike-trail users.

While the volunteers on the 28th made a significant contribution to the restoration and protection of the San Diego River Mouth, there is still much work to be done. Only through continued, ongoing, efforts will we ensure that the natural beauty of this unique area is preserved.
If you would like to lend a hand or learn more about the San Diego River Mouth, please contact Richard@sandigoriver.org, or call 619.297.7380. You can also learn more about the San Diego River and the work being done by the San Diego River Park Foundation by visiting http://www.sandiegoriver.org/.