Living Coast Discovery Center

src: blog.sandiego.org

The Living Coast Discovery Center is an environmental education center with marine animal, animal and bird exhibits located in the Sweetwater Marsh Unit of the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge in Chula Vista, California. Permanent displays at the Living Coast focus on native animals and plants found in Southern California and San Diego Bay.

Video Living Coast Discovery Center

Exhibits

The site consists of several large exhibit spaces:

Turtle Lagoon - Eastern Pacific green sea turtles
Discovery Center Galleria - includes seahorses, jellyfish, eels, sharks, lobsters, crabs, octopus, garibaldi, sea stars, snakes, lizards
Shark & Ray Experience & Sting Ray Touch pool - Leopard sharks, grey smooth-hound sharks, horn sharks, swell shark, shovelnose guitarfish, bat rays, round rays, diamond rays, crabs and fish, loggerhead sea turtle
Burrowing Owl Courtyard
Shorebird Aviary - light-footed clapper rail, snowy egret, black-crowned night heron, Black oystercatcher, red-breasted merganser, hooded merganser, and more)
Raptor Row - red-tailed hawk, red-shouldered hawk, Cooper's hawk, osprey, peregrine falcon, turkey vulture, barn owl, great horned owl, burrowing owl, American kestrel
Eagle Mesa - golden eagle, bald eagle
Native plant gardens & composting demonstration garden

The Living Coast runs a new seasonal exhibit each year, featuring animals from around the world, from late March/April through Labor Day.

There are 1.5 miles of trails from the Center in the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge out to the shore of San Diego Bay.

In addition to general public exhibits, the Living Coast hosts over 15,000 school children at their facility each year for educational field trips that focus on Science & Environmental programs.

Maps Living Coast Discovery Center

History

The Center was originally opened in 1987 as the 'Chula Vista Nature Center' that was owned and operated by the City of Chula Vista. In 2010 the organization transitioned over to an independent 501(c)3 non-profit and a new name.

src: blog.sandiego.org

Mission

The Living Coast Discovery Center inspires the care and exploration of the living Earth by connecting people with coastal animals, plants and habitats.

The mission of the Living Coast Discovery Center is to:

Partner in collaborative research and restoration of coastal wetlands and bays.
Provide student-focused education through STEAM: Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics.
Increase knowledge of coastal environments, climate change adaptation, and human coexistence with the natural resources of San Diego Bay."