Stormwater Pollution Prevention Events
July 2025
We all play a part in preventing stormwater pollution. Here are some ways to get involved in July and help protect our local waterways! All events are free unless otherwise indicated.
Ongoing beach and community cleanups help protect the County’s waterways from stormwater pollution and can help preserve water quality for years to come. The County thanks the following beach and community cleanup event partners for their ongoing support in preventing stormwater pollution: I Love A Clean San Diego (ILACSD), Surfrider Foundation San Diego, San Diego Coastkeeper, The San Diego River Park Foundation, Think Blue San Diego, Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve (TRNERR), San Diego Canyonlands, San Dieguito River Park, Friends of Ruffin Canyon, Friends of Rose Creek, Friends of Famosa Slough, Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation, California State Parks Foundation, City of San Diego, City of Chula Vista, City of La Mesa, ASCENDtials, San Diego Bird Alliance, Preserve Calavera, Keep America Beautiful, and Paddle for Peace.
May 1 through July 4, 2025 – Keep America Beautiful Great American Cleanup – Learn more or pledge.
July 1
July 5
-
9am to 12pm – Annual ‘Morning After Mess’ Cleanup Events – Various locations and sponsors. Learn more or register.
-
9am to 12pm – Friends of Ruffin Canyon Ruffin Canyon Cleanup. Learn more.
-
9am to 12pm – The San Diego River Park Foundation Community Clean-up at the Estuary. Learn more or sign up.
-
8 am to 10:30am – San Diego Canyonlands Stewardship Saturday, Swan Canyon. Learn more or sign up.
July 6
July 8
July 10
-
9am to 11am – Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation Trail Cleanup Event - Garfield Street Trailhead. Learn more or sign up.
July 11
July 12
-
8:30am to 12:30pm – California State Parks Foundation Cuyamaca Rancho State Park Cleanup. Learn more or sign up.
-
9am to 11am – Friends of Rose Creek Native Plant Garden Work Party. Learn more or RSVP.
-
9am to 12pm – Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation Trail Cleanup Event - Garfield Street Trailhead. Learn more or sign up.
-
9am to 12pm – Friends of Famosa Slough Work Party. Learn more.
-
8am to 10:30am – San Diego Canyonlands Stewardship Saturday, Manzanita Canyon. Learn more or sign up.
July 13
July 15
July 16
-
8am to 12pm – The San Diego River Park Foundation Preserve Stewards at Eagle Peak Ranch. Learn more or sign up.
July 18
July 19
July 20
July 22
July 25
July 26
July 27
July 29
Monthly/Ongoing or On Your Own Stormwater Pollution Prevention Events:
-
Tuesdays and Fridays, 8am to 11am – The San Diego River Park Foundation River Assessment Field Teams (RAFT). Learn more or sign up.
-
Tuesdays and Fridays, 9am to 12pm – San Dieguito River Park Dust Devils Habitat and Trail Restoration Events – Inland and Coastal Trails. Learn more.
-
Wednesdays and Saturdays, 8am to 11am – The San Diego River Park Foundation River Rescue Cleanups. Learn more or sign up.
-
San Diego Surfrider Foundation Ongoing Solo Cleanups. Learn more.
-
Coastkeeper San Diego Six Cleanup Challenge, Flexible Dates/Times. Learn more and see the list of challenge sites.
-
ILACSD Adopt-A-Beach/Adopt-A Canyon Program, Flexible Dates/Flexible Times – Adopt a beach or canyon and lead independent cleanups on your schedule. Learn more and adopt a location.
California Native Plant Society (CNPS) – The following events will be offered in July.
-
San Diego Chapter of CNPS Show Garden – San Diego County Fair – June 11 through July 6, 11am to 10pm, Wednesdays through Sundays ($$ Fee - Fair Admission) – The San Diego Chapter of the CNPS is showcasing its Paws, Wings and Wild Things display garden to demonstrate how thoughtful design with native plants can create outdoor spaces safe for pets, welcoming to wildlife, and enjoyable for people. Visitors will find pet-friendly design features, shaded seating, habitat-rich planting, and creative ideas for sharing space — from soft dog runs and cat zones to bird habitat and water features. Learn more.
-
Botany 2025 – Botany without Barriers – Palm Springs – July 26 through July 30 – This annual meeting of six leading professional botanical societies brings together a diverse mix of researchers, professors, educators, government employees and motivated graduate and undergraduate students, all focused on what’s new in the botanical sciences. Learn more.
University of California Cooperative Extension’s (UCCE) Integrated Pest Management (IPM) – Urban & Community Webinar Series – Wild World of Wasps! – July 17, 12pm to 1pm – Learn about different behaviors of wasps and some of their roles in the ecosystem. Learn more or register.
Landscape and Water-Savings Webinars – A series of landscape and water-savings webinars will be offered in July. Dates and times vary. All events will be virtual unless otherwise noted. Hosted by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. See calendar and learn more or register.
-
Keeping Rain in the Garden – Learn how to design your yard using watershed-wise landscaping, including criteria and considerations when selecting rain capture methods such as swales, berms, cisterns, and integrating hardscapes.
-
Water Budgeting in Times of Drought – Every drop counts and managing our water resources is the key to a thriving, sustainable Watershed Wise landscape. Conservation and proper land stewardship must always be at the forefront of our thinking and practices as we transition or maintain our gardens. This course will help you navigate irrigation restrictions and give you helpful tools to sell water management in a variety of situations.
-
Take Back the Turf PHASE ONE Update – Second Lunch and Learn – Learn about the progress of Phase One of the Take Back the Turf Strategy – a watershed-wise alternative to the “non-functional turf” monoculture of ornamental green grass. 20 minutes will be devoted to the update with a 25 minute Q&A session. This is the second update on the project.
Additional topics hosted by other regional water agencies include:
-
Firescaping Reduce the Vulnerability – In a time of drought and high heat, learn strategies to make your home less vulnerable to fires. Topics include determining key points of vulnerability; understand soil moisture balance; planning a fire-resistant landscape; and landscape maintenance practices for fire protection.
-
Wonderful World of Succulents – Colorful, architectural, and drought tolerant succulents make a great choice for Southern California gardens. Learn where and how to use succulents in the landscape; soil and watering requirements; how to propagate or divide succulents; and maintenance strategies.
-
Gardening in Shade and Other Landscape Challenges – One of the more challenging landscape situations is designing for a dry shade garden, especially if you want color. Learn how to create your own cool retreat by bringing in color and interest. Also how to work near trees, on hillsides and learn about irrigation considerations.
Solana Center for Environmental Innovation Waste Reduction Events – Free E-Business Waste Pickup – July 16 – A free monthly e-waste pick-up service is being offered to businesses in San Diego County. Register by Friday, July 11th for the Wednesday, July 16th pickup. Urban Corps will contact you to confirm pick-up. Offered in partnership with Urban Corps. Learn more or sign up.
The Living Coast Discovery Center – The following composting events will be offered in July.
-
6 de julio, de 11:30am a 12pm – Taller de Compostaje Bilingüe / Bilingual Composting Workshop (Dual-language event in English and Spanish) – Aprenda los conceptos básicos sobre cómo comenzar su propia pila de compostaje y convertir los desechos de alimentos en tierra rica en nutrients. Asista a estos talleres in situ, gratis con la entrada. También se encuentran disponibles talleres de video pregrabados. Patrocinado por la Ciudad de Chula Vista. Obtenga más información o regístrese.
-
July 13 and 20, 11:30am to 12:30pm – Sunday Compost Workshops – Learn the basics on how to start your own compost pile by attending these on-site workshops. Pre-recorded Compost Workshop videos are also available. Sponsored by the City of Chula Vista. Learn more or sign up for the July 13th, and 20th workshops.
-
July 27, 11:30am to 12:30pm – Vermicomposting Workshop – Learn how to build and care for your own worm bin. Learn more or register.
Zero Waste San Diego San Diego Fix-It Clinics – Learn how to reduce waste by fixing things instead of throwing items away. Bring broken or non-working items for assessment, disassembly, and possible repair. Workspace, specialty tools, and guidance to help you take apart and troubleshoot your item will be provided. Clinics hosted by Zero Waste San Diego with the help of many other zero waste partners.
Alta Vista Botanical Garden – Kids in the Garden Classes – July 12, 10am to 12pm – ($5 fee, includes entry to the Garden) – Kids and their families are invited to attend Saturday classes featuring hands-on activities, conservation lessons, and tours of the gardens. Topics vary by month with July’s theme being Bugs & Butterflies. Learn more or pre-register with Farmer Jones at farmerjonesavbg@gmail.com.
Nature Collective – San Elijo Lagoon Discovery Tour – July 5, 10am to 11:30am – Get a guided tour of the salt marsh, mudflats and native plants of the San Elijo Lagoon. Learn more or reserve your spot.
Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve (TRNERR) – Junior Rangers Program Ongoing Kids’ Educational Event – Saturdays 11am to 12pm – Kids ages 8 through 12 are invited to take part in discovering the rich heritage preserved in parks. They will participate in hands-on activities and can earn awards such as pins, certificates, and patches as they progress through the program! Learn more by clicking on the July 5th , 12th, 19th or 26th dates.
Buena Vista Audubon – 2025 Summer Camp -- July 14 through 18, 9am-12pm Join the Buena Vista Audubon for exciting outdoor adventures, nature exploration, and hands-on activities. Kids ages 6 to 10 will have the chance to learn about local wildlife, hike nature trails, and participate in fun games. Learn more.
Center for Watershed Protection – 2025 Webcast Series: Webcast 6 – Managing PFAS in Stormwater: Strategies and Solutions– July 16, 1pm EDT ($159 fee non-member) – This presentation will provide a road map of steps to take before deciding on a specific course of action and technology to be employed for PFAS management. We will explore the various commercialized technologies, and their pros and cons. We will then delve deeper into the various media that may be employed for PFAS management, the relative media costs under different conditions, and disposal options. This will allow a stakeholder to build a PFAS treatment system effectively, economically, and safely, while remaining compliant with these new regulations. Note the time on the website is posted as Eastern Time. Scroll to webcast 6 to learn more or register.
Escondido Creek Conservancy – Conservation Conversation: A Special Home For A Special Turtle! – July 17, 6pm to 7pm – Join us for July's Conservation Conversation to learn about Escondido Creek's native freshwater turtle, and the ways we can protect them. Learn more by scrolling to the July 17 event or by signing up.
Batiquitos Lagoon Foundation – The following events will be offered in July.
-
July 19, 10am – Speaker Series – The Mysterious Oarfish – Guest Speaker Ben Frable, Collection Manager of the Marine Vertebrate Collection at Scripps Institution, explains the phenomenon of these deep-sea fish, known in Japanese folklore, washing up on the beaches of California. Learn more.
-
July 19, 10am to 11:30am – Docent-Led Lagoon Walks – Summertime in the Wetlands – As changes in the ecosystems play out across the seasons, subtle changes are happening in the lagoon as well. Come for a 90-minute docent-led nature walk to learn about the birds and other species native to the special body of water. Learn more.
-
July 26, 10am – Speaker Series – When Humans & Wildlife Conflict – What do you do when a bear invites itself into your campground or a coyote attacks your leashed dog? Join us for a special presentation by Wildlife Biologist and Human-Wildlife Conflict Specialist - Ian Keith. Learn more.
Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation – The following programs will be offered in July.
-
Daily program Monday through Friday, 7:30am to 5:30pm – Preschool Playdates Outdoor Program ($$ fees vary) – All children ages 3 to 5 are invited to join the daily program for nature-themed lessons and activities. Each day will include environmental education and literacy, a craft made from recycled materials, outdoor play, and more. You can register for individual days or the entire week. Early release options are available at 1pm, 3pm, and 4pm. Topics vary by month with the July topic being Coastal Caretakers. Learn more or register.
-
Saturdays through August, 9am to 10:30am – Summer Kids Club ($$ member fees vary) – This ‘members only’ program for kids in kindergarten through 5th grade is designed to nurture a deep appreciation for the wonders of nature, complete with engaging crafts to bring home. Each Saturday will highlight a different aspect of science, nature, or animals with the July topics being Chatting with Chickens (7/12), Space Rocks! (7/19), and Rabbit Roundup (7/26). Learn more to register and sign up to be a member.
The Living Coast Discovery Center – Sweetwater Safari Hike Series – Saturdays, 11:30am to 12pm – Join the Center every Saturday to explore the Sweetwater Marsh Trail on the San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Here you will learn about the history of the Marsh, salt marsh ecosystem, plants, and wildlife thriving in this protected space. Learn more or sign up for the July 5th (bilingual), 12th, 19th, and 26th hikes.
El Living Coast Discovery Center – Caminata Safari de Sweetwater Bilingüe – Los sábados de 11:30am a 12:30pm – ¡Acompáñenos todos los sábados a explorar el sendero de la marisma de Sweetwater en el refugio silvestre nacional de la bahía de San Diego! Aprenderemos sobre la historia de la marisma de Sweetwater, el ecosistema de la marisma salada, y las plantas y vida silvestre que prospera en este espacio protegido. Mochilas con actividades divertidas, incluyendo lupas y binoculares, serán disponibles para que las familias participantes lo usen mientras estén en la caminata. Obtenga más información o regístrese.
|
