Haunted Corn Maze: A Scary Good Time

October is a month notorious for people going out of their way to scare themselves silly. For those in search of fright filled nights, the Haunted Corn Maze at the Carlsbad Strawberry Company’s (CSC) Pumpkin Patch was happy to deliver. Tunnels filled with creepy dolls, towering cornstalks eerily blowing and scraping in the breeze, and monsters waiting around every corner to jump out when you least expect it kept patrons on their toes and clutching whoever they chose to brave the maze with. Every Friday and Saturday in October, as the sun set and the evening gave way to night, hundreds of people entered the corn maze with smiles on their faces and tittering nervous laughter.

By the time patrons made it to the exit, one was more likely to hear bone chilling screams as they sprinted back to the safety of the main pumpkin patch, a ghoul with a chainsaw close on their heels. None of this macabre merriment would have been possible without the dedicated volunteers who donated their hard work and free time to transforming into terrifying creatures and scaring the daring maze goers. We would like to thank them once again for their enthusiasm and commend them on a job very well done. Between our partnership with the CSC and our volunteer scarers, the Haunted Corn Maze functions as one of Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation’s premier fundraising events.

Proceeds received help us to continue the incredible work we do energizing the community through education and outreach to preserve the Agua Hedionda watershed as a safe space in nature … for all! As we exit Spooky season and enter into Giving season, we’ve packed up our spooks and haunts…for now. Next year as the nights begin to grow cooler, the leaves begin turning color and there’s a tinge of spookiness in the air, keep an eye out for our haunting antics again. Until then, we’ve got plenty of creepy crawlies available to visit year-round at the Discovery Center!

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Members Make It Happen On Saturday, October 17, members of the Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation gathered at the Discovery Campus for our Annual Members Meeting and the official ribbon cutting of Discovery Island. Thirty two voting memberships were represented as we ratified, re-elected and elected our Board of Directors, celebrated a year of impact, and looked ahead to what comes next for the lagoon and the people who love it. Thank you to Señor Grubby’s for providing the breakfast bar and to Peak Dentistry, our Campus Coffee Sponsor. Our 2026 Board of Directors Members voted on the following board members: Ratified: Laurie Gonzalez, Anne Master, Christina Nichols, Ray Pearson and Mike Stoliker Re-elected: Frank Ortega and Taylor Sais Newly elected: Jenna Dotson and Michael Metts We extended a heartfelt thank you to Julie Gibbs for her two years of leadership as Chairwoman. Julie continues on the board as our Immediate Past Chairwoman. We also welcomed our new executive slate: Chair: Frank Ortega (previously Vice Chair) Vice Chair: Michael Metts Treasurer: Steve Baker (returning) Secretary: Vinit Ahooja (returning) A Year of Impact and a Look Ahead Members reviewed our Annual Impact 2026 report , then turned to the future of our educational programs and our niche: exceptional environmental education. A few highlights: Accreditation: Our certification with the American Camp Association is in process. Little Agua Learners: We are assembling our licensing documents for the Little Agua Learners Licensed Preschool. City designation: We received a designation letter from the City of Carlsbad expanding our business classification from travel serving visitor commercial and gift shop to include education. Fire safety: We completed the fire inspection updates required for licensing. The David C. Copley Foundation: We were invited to apply for the foundation’s invitation only grant in January. Nordson: Big cheers to Nordson for supporting our Academy for Environmental Stewardship with $25,000, and for their partnership with us throughout the year. Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians: The Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians has made a three year commitment at the $5,000 Community Partnership level. California Climate Action Corps: AHLF is proud to be a host site for the California Climate Action Corps, a State of California program. We welcomed a new fellow for the year and look forward to welcoming a winter fellow in January. Thank you to the many community partners who make our work possible. Celebrating Our Board Rookie of the Year: Anne Master. Anne jumped in from day one. She has shown up to every event and took on the review and editing of our bylaws. The updated bylaws are now available on our website . Board Member of the Year: Frank Ortega. Frank volunteers twice a week on campus and on the trails, and no job is too dirty for him. One moment stands out: on one of the hottest days of the year, Frank helped carry a refrigerator up 17 flights of stairs. All in the name of service. Thank you, Frank! Discovery Island Is Officially Open The Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce joined us to cut the ribbon on Discovery Island, our newest exhibit space at the Discovery Campus. We were honored to receive a proclamation from Senator Catherine Blakespear’s office marking the occasion. Kent Zapata shared remarks as we officially announced the opening. Kent is supporting one of Discovery Island’s featured exhibits, Jennifer Muller’s Water Lab, with a pledge of $5,000 a year for two years. The Water Lab honors the memory of Jennifer Muller, whose passion for clean water and STEM education continues to inspire young engineers, scientists and environmental warriors. The Water Lab will be an interactive water station where visitors and students watch water move through different substrates. It will also host Watershed Wednesday talks as part of our Discover and Learn series. 

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