FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Alexa Lewis-Rosenfeld, San Diego River Park Foundation, alexa@sandiegoriver.org, 619-307-026
SAN DIEGO, CA, January 13, 2026 – The San Diego River Park Foundation and more than 200 volunteers are set to clean up the San Diego River Estuary on Saturday, January 17, 2026 from 6:30 am to noon. Volunteers will be in kayaks and on the shoreline to remove trash, e-waste, and recycling from this vital wildlife area. The San Diego River Estuary is a 330 acre critically important wildlife area with home to many sensitive wildlife species including endangered birds that nest there, like the Ridgway’s rail and the California least tern. Over 100 different species of birds use this area as a rest area along the Pacific Flyway during their yearly migrations between Alaska and Mexico.
With recent rain, trash has washed into the estuary, threatening its health and impacting wildlife. Access is normally restricted to boating because it is a protected wildlife area, but the San Diego River Park Foundation has received special permission to enter the water for just one morning at high tide for this event with the ambitious goal of removing all harmful trash from the estuary. The event is timed before bird breeding season starts.
“This event kicks off our year-long calendar of riverbed clean-ups, and it’s one of the most fun and most important ones!” said Sarah Hutmacher, SDRPF’s Chief Operating Officer. “Every piece of trash we remove today prevent harm to wildlife, both here in the estuary and out in the ocean. Today’s community members are making a really tangible impact to make this estuary more beautiful and to protect birds and animals.”
Last year, the San Diego River Park Foundation’s volunteers removed 221,330 pounds of trash from the Riverbed from Santee to the ocean, including an impressive 3,700 pounds of trash removed during the last kayak clean-up. The kayak portion of the event is at capacity, with some volunteers bringing their own kayaks and some borrowing kayaks brought by SDRPF, thanks to the generous support by Aqua Adventures Mission Bay.
SDRPF is grateful to County Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer’s office for providing a generous grant to support this event. In addition, the organization thanks the many partners, including the City of San Diego Park Rangers, City of San Diego Lifeguards and Firefighters, who make this unique event possible.
Event Highlights:
- Local politicians will be in attendance.
- A community-focused effort to protect wildlife and improve water quality
- Great visuals of volunteers in kayaks and along the shore.
Event Details:
- Date: Saturday, January 17th, 2026
- Time: 6:30 a.m. to noon
- Kayak Cleanup Shift 1: 7 am – 8:30 am. Shift is full. (Check-in at 6:30 am)
- Kayak Cleanup Shift 2: 9 am – 10:30 am. Shift is full. (Check-in at 8:30 am)
- Kayak Tour: 10:00 am – 11:30 am. Shift is full. (Check-in at 9:30 am)
- Shore Cleanup: 10 am – 12 pm. Spots still available.
- Location: Old Sea World Drive, just east of the W. Mission Bay Drive bridge
- Volunteer Registration:
- Shore Clean-up RSVP page
- Shore volunteers should bring reusable water bottle, sunscreen, hats, long pants and closed-toe shoes
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About the San Diego River Park Foundation:
The San Diego River Park Foundation’s mission is to engage and inspire people to reimagine the San Diego River as a natural, cultural and recreational treasure where nature thrives and everyone can enjoy a nature connection. The River Park Foundation is a non-profit, community-based organization founded in 2001.