Boot Camp is Underway for Rose Creek Duck Derby

Hundreds of plastic duckies are training hard for the upcoming Rose Creek Duck Derby presented by Think Blue San Diego. It will take place as part of the inaugural Rose Creek Fest in San Diego’s Mission Bay Park on Saturday, February 9, 2013 from 10:30 AM to 3:30 PM at Campland on the Bay, 2211 Pacific Beach Drive.

Ducks in Training

Brought to you by San Diego EarthWorks (the producers of the San Diego Earth Day Fair) with their partners Friends of Rose Creek and Campland on the Bay, this free event will feature live music and entertainment, barbeque, art, activities and interactive displays.

Getting Psyched

San Diego City Council President Pro Tem Sherri Lightner will help kick off the Derby. “This is a great event that helps highlight the beauty and importance of Rose Creek,” said Lightner. “It provides a fun way to raise awareness that our actions upstream impact not only the creek, but also all the way down to Mission Bay and beyond.”


“The Rose Creek Duck Derby is going to be an exciting event for people of all ages, and we’re delighted to have San Diego City Council President Pro Tem Lightner be a part of it,” said Carolyn Chase, president of San Diego EarthWorks. The duckies are currently in training at various locations throughout Campland, and you can see photos of them hard at work on the Facebook pages for Campland and the Rose Creek Watershed.

Going Over the Game Plan

You can donate $5 to San Diego Earthworks’ projects in Rose Creek to adopt your very own plastic ducky to compete in the Derby. Or, you can boost your odds by adopting a “Quack Pack” of six for $25. “You can even ‘duckorate’ your contender before the race to help boost your ducky’s confidence,” suggested Chase. The Duck Adoption Table will be open from 10:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and you’re welcome to bring your ducky home after the competition to celebrate his or her achievements.

At 2:30 p.m., participants and onlookers will gather along the shore of Campland’s beach on Mission Bay where Rose Creek flows into the bay after its 16-mile journey from University City. The ducks will be escorted into a 75-foot long raceway. They will anxiously await the starting whistle, signaled by Council President Lightner. Winners will receive prize packages from Campland on the Bay valued at $750 (grand prize) and $400 (second and third place). The fourth place runner-up will receive an assortment of prizes from Think Blue San Diego.

The Rose Creek Duck Derby is presented by Think Blue San Diego. “Think Blue’s ‘Fowl Water’ commercial featuring rubber duckies as storm water pollution was a hit when it first aired almost a decade ago,” said Bill Harris, Supervising public information officer. Since then, the yellow ducky has been a symbol of Think Blue, reminding people that storm water pollution is not just rubber duckies; it is trash, oil, cigarette butts, and pet waste flowing untreated to the ocean. Harris emphasized: “This type of pollution is preventable if we all do our part”. The “Fowl Water” commercial can be viewed at www.sandiego.gov/thinkblue.

In addition to the Duck Derby, Rose Creek Fest has many other fun activities for all ages to celebrate and learn about the creek. Special features include: Love Your Wetlands Day marsh cleanup, CreekWalk led by Friends of Rose Creek, a community mural-painting project, bird-watching with San Diego Audubon Society, an environmental magic show with Dr. Wilderness, bird-of-prey demonstrations by The Raptor Institute, and activities for all ages provided by Ocean Discovery Institute, local high school students studying the creek, and other community partners.

Mark your calendar today for this free, family-friendly event. You can learn more about the event, the marsh cleanup and volunteer opportunities at www.rosecreekfest.org.

San Diego EarthWorks wishes to thank the following event sponsors: Think Blue San Diego, Recon Environmental, Land Conservation Brokerage, and Pacific Beach Town Council.