San Elijo Lagoon Nature Center

CARDIFF BY THE SEA--Local leaders and community members celebrated the opening of the new state-of-the-art, eco-friendly San Elijo Nature Center Saturday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The two-story nature center offers interactive displays and high-tech exhibits allowing visitors to experience the countys watershed firsthand and learn about the lagoons ecosystem. The $5.6 million center is made out of recycled materials and features irrigated roof plants, solar panels and recycled water.##M:[More]##

This is the day Ive been waiting for literally 22 years, said Vice Chairwoman Pam Slater-Price, County Board of Supervisors District 3, about the nature center project. Slater-Price began her crusade to save the lagoon in1987 after the city of Encinitas was incorporated. After I was elected in 1988 to the [Encinitas] city council that became my top priority, she said. Unfortunately, the project was temporarily put on hold after the county ran out of money.

The center is located next to the San Elijo Lagoon, one of Californias last remaining coastal wetlands and home to more than 700 species of plants and animals.

We are ecstatic at the San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy to be able to have a new center that we can run educational programs to teach people about the environment, said Doug Gibson, executive director of San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy. We are losing peoples interests in the environment. This building will allow us an opportunity to expand what we are already currently do.

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