CUESTA INLET CLEANUP
Cuesta Inlet is private property and has been enjoyed by many for years. The owner has been very generous and allowed people to recreate there.
Historically, boaters have been able to enjoy Cuesta inlet because of the generosity of the property owner. Use of the property was with the permission of the owner as an accommodation to the community. Because over recent years there has been an increasing amount of litter, derelict boats and trailers and animal waste left on the land, a joint effort was launched to clean up the inlet.
As a partner in the California Coastal Cleanup Day, Celebrate Los Osos worked with the property owners, San Luis Obispo County Code Enforcement and Sheriff's Departments, California Fish and Game, Morro Bay Estuary Program, Los Osos Community Services District, Grizzly Youth Academy, Outside Now (private school in SLO), Arroyo Grande High School students and Baywood Navy to clean up Cuesta inlet.
2010
On May 4, 2010, all boats were inventoried and an official notice from the County's Enforcement Division and a flyer from Celebrate Los Osos was placed in a waterproof plastic bag and taped to each of the 287 boats and trailers located at Cuesta Inlet. Four signs were posted around the site to notify local residents, walkers and boat owners about licensing, identifying, securing boats and removing trailers and derelict boats.
A massive cleanup was held on Saturday, September 25 with over 125 volunteers — our community at work. Boats failing to comply with the owner’s regulations, and all trailers, were moved to an impound area along Doris Avenue for 30 days pursuant to SLO County code 8.24. Boats and trailers remaining in the impound area will be declared abandoned and will be auctioned to the highest bidders. Proceeds from the auction will go toward raising and disposing of the sunken boat and disposing of the derelicts. Thank you -- to all the great volunteers, who helped clean up Cuesta Inlet!!! We made a difference!
As part of the California Coastal cleanup 125 volunteers pushed, pulled, carried, floated, dragged, totted, towed and otherwise deposited about 4000 pounds of junk in a rolloff and nearly 18,000 pounds of boats and trailers were moved to an impound area. See Photos
Judy Carroll, a Celebrate Los Osos volunteer, has produced a wonderful short video about the Cuesta Inlet boat cleanup. It shows the inlet before and after and how incredibly successful the effort was. Check it out.
2011
The final phase of the Cuesta Inlet cleanup was completed on September 15 and 17, 2011. On the 15th a small sailboat, that had been sitting sunk in the channel for about five years, was floated and brought to shore by volunteer divers under the supervision of Chuck Rawlinson of Depth Perceptions of San Luis Obispo. The boat was floated using six salvage pillows and then the hull was pumped to remove water and sludge. It was then pulled to shore.
On Saturday, the 17th, the sailboat and all the other unclaimed boats were crushed by equipment and crew provided by Al’s Septic Pumping Service. The sailboat’s salvageable material was collected for recycling and the remaining debris was then loaded into rolloffs for removal to a landfill. See Photos
Thank you -- to all the great volunteers who helped clean up Cuesta Inlet! We made a difference!
2015
On a beatiful Saturday, Sept 19th, 15 Celebrate Los Osos volunteers, along with a platoon of 21 Grizzly Academy cadets and their Sergeant, inspected all 221 boats at Cuesta Inlet. Each boat was inspected for name and contact information. Those boats requiring a CF number and registration, plus contact information, were also re-inspected for proper licensing. The mix of boats included 74 canoes, 101 kayaks, 29 sailboats, and three boards.
Three times during 2015, notices have been placed on all out of compliance boats, requesting boat owners to license and place contact information on their vessels. Today there were still 73 boats either without contact information or with information placed on the vessel with fast-fading black marking pen.
On the previous Thursday, late fternoon, eight boats were without current registration. These eight boats were scheduled to be removed today. Fortunately five of the boat owners placed current stickers on the boats and only three boats were removed, including a old wooden dinghy with a hole in it.
Volunteers and Cadets also cleaned up the area by picking up broken chairs, beer bottles, trash, and bits of lumber.
Again, thanks to all the volunteers and the Grizzly Academy for another cleanup. See Photos