Carrying the Light: Remembering Cindy and Bob Moore’s Enduring Legacy

Protecting nature is an act of community and love.

Looking back at our history, certain names are woven into the very soil, waters, and trails of the San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve. Among the most cherished are Cindy and Bob Moore. Following the recent passing of Cindy last month and Bob nearly a decade ago, we find ourselves reflecting on the extraordinary footprint this devoted couple left on the place we call home.

Cindy and Bob were the heartbeat of our volunteer community. In 2011, as they approached their 50th wedding anniversary, they looked back on nearly a quarter-century of joint service to San Elijo Lagoon. From the quiet grit of patrolling trails and picking up trash to building our very first donor database and outreach displays, they took on no task too small or too ambitious.

Cindy, with her background in youth leadership, brought vibrant energy and warmth. She had a unique gift for connecting with children, lighting up their eyes with nature songs and gentle enthusiasm. Bob, a retired engineer, brought precision and patience to his service. Visitors often found him standing along the trails with his spotting scope, eager to help passersby spot a hidden shorebird or view the landscape through a new lens.

“I so very much enjoy being with kids… seeing their eyes light up, and witnessing them experience an ‘aha’ moment in nature,” Cindy once shared.

Bob echoed that sentiment, noting the joy in “helping people look differently at the reserve… showing them something they might not have noticed on their own.”

Their tireless dedication sprang from a genuine love for both the land and the community that rallied around it. They reflected that the volunteers were among the most kind people they had ever worked with, a spirit that Cindy and Bob embodied every day.

Though both Bob and Cindy have now passed, their legacy lives on in every restored acre of the reserve, in every child who experiences a spark of wonder on our trails, and in the continued mission of Nature Collective. They showed us that protecting nature is not just an act of conservation, but an act of community and love.

As we look toward the future of the reserve, we carry their inspiration with us, forever grateful for the many years, talents, and warmth they shared with all of us.