Batiquitos Lagoon is a salt marsh wildlife preserve with several trails.
The Foundation that is associated with the Preserve issued a newsletter in 2010 (
visit link) which provided the following information about the orienteering course:
"Eagle Scout Candidate Thomas Greene Installs Orienteering Course
Eagle Scout Candidate Thomas Greene from Boy Scout Troop 750 in Carls- bad recently completed his project to installed an orienteering course along the north shore of Batiquitos Lagoon. The objective is to provide hands-on public education in the art of navigating in the field using both magnetic and global positioning system (GPS) methods.
Course material was provided by a grant from REI, with design help by San Diego County’s Orienteering Club. The club is also going to be providing color maps and instruction materials for use by the public.
The course actually consists of three separate courses as indicated in the three maps above. The idea is that those using the course are given a map and in- structions that leads them to various course markers. A typical marker is de- picted at the right. The color on the top indicates which of the three courses is being used. When a person navigates to a marker, they will be asked to write down what symbol they find. They may also be asked to take and re- cord a bearing on an object nearby or in the distance. Once all the stations have been completed, the person will then return to our Nature Center, where the answers will be checked. Some prize may be awarded based on the score.
The REI grant allowed Thomas to purchase 24 magnetic compasses and 8 hand-held GPS units. The BLF plans to offer formal GPS courses in partner- ship with REI’s Outdoor School at our Nature Center in the future.
People who want to use the course will first visit our Nature Center to get
appropriate course materials and check out a magnetic compass or GPS unit.
The plan is to ask the person to sign-in and leave a drivers license or some other security deposit, which will be returned when they are finished and their answers checked.
While the course has been installed, the BLF is still in the process of getting the maps and instructions together and reproduced, the magnetic compasses and GPS units marked for security purposes, and our Nature Center hosts trained in the process. We expect to have the course up and running sometime this fall. Local Boy Scout troops are planning to use our course for various scouting activities including their Orienteering Merit Badge and outdoor navigation skill and advance requirements.
Thomas Greene turns 18 shortly and is now on his way to the U.S. Naval Academy, where he is participating in Plebe Summer. Following this, he will immediately begin his first year. Thomas’s father is a Navy Captain, a helicopter pilot, and is serving on active duty stationed in San Diego as a program manager. Thomas’ Eagle Scout Court of Honor has not been scheduled, but is expected to be sometime in the December 2010 timeframe.
A formal course dedication is expected this fall or winter, hopefully at a time when Thomas and his family can join us. More information on our course will be provided when we’re ready to go operational."
Another Foundation newsletter from March 2015 provides another photo of a marker and the Eagle Scout Cody Macleod who posted it. See (
visit link)