‘Birds of a Feather’ gala

San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy’s biennial gala, Birds of a Feather, was held on Aug. 17 at the Rancho Santa Fe Garden Club. Birds of a Feather is a garden-style gala that benefits environmental education in San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve. This year’s theme was Growing Future Stewards.

This evening featured natural and organic cuisine, live jazz and sophisticated swing by Randy Fontaine and the Swingers, and auction packages, all with the focus on educating children to become the next generation of conservationists through free guided nature walks and public programs.

As a biennial benefit for San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy’s environmental education program, the gala raises funds to build childhood connections with Southern California’s rare wetland environments.

The conservancy is “growing future stewards” by providing science-based field trips, free public walks, and co-produces, with county rangers, family weekends reaching more than 7,000 area students and visitors during the year. Many free field trips are offered to schools with demonstrated need, so that students can bond with nature. Online reservations for tickets, tables, and donations to education are now available: Visit www.sanelijo.org.

For photos online, visit www.delmartimes.net. Photos/Jon Clark