LONG-AWAITED SANTA YSABEL NATURE CENTER NOW OPEN
The one-of-its-kind Santa Ysabel Nature Center is open to the public after a decade of planning and a year’s worth of construction.
Located on the east side of state Route 79 just north of where the highway intersects with state Route 78 (sort of across the highway from the Julian Pie Company building), the 6,000square-foot, $9.5 million center celebrated a grand opening Dec. 14.
Nestled up against the hills near Volcan Mountain, with Englemann Oaks in the foreground and a terrific view of the Santa Ysabel Valley before it, the center will be open every day.
“It’s the very first attraction of its type in San Diego County; there is no other,” Supervisor Dianne Jacob said during the celebration, “and I think it will be not just a huge magnet for people who live here, but a huge tourist attraction also. Who doesn’t like to get out to nature and enjoy some peace and quiet and take a hike?”
The nature center sits within the 6,347-acre Santa Ysabel Preserve, which includes 20 miles of trails. A 2.5-mile loop trail is at the center, as is an amphitheater that is still under construction. The center also features “nature play” equipment made of trees and other natural objects.
The center also includes ranger offices, restrooms, a state-of-the-art community room big enough to hold parties of up to 99 people, a small service kitchen, a water refilling station for visitors, and an information desk.
Interactive educational displays with information about local history, habitat and wildlife can be found inside and out.
“It’s a 6,000-square-foot nature center, and it showcases our great outdoors,” Jacob said. “We’re sitting kind of right in between where the San Diego River and the San Dieguito River come together. It has a lot to offer — educational displays, interactive touch screens, Wi-fi, electric vehicle charging stations, an outdoor play area and an amphitheater built into the hillside.”
The center sits on an 84acre parcel of land donated to the county by the Nature Conservancy in 2010 for the purpose of building a nature center. The property has since been included in the preserve.
The building is also environmentally friendly. It earned a LEED Gold certification from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and uses 90 rooftop solar panels to earn a zero net energy rating, meaning the building will produce more electrical energy than it uses, according to the county.
Between Nov. 1 and March 31, the center is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday.
The hours will be extended between April 1 and Oct. 31. The center will be open from 10 a.m to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday through Sunday.
jharry.jones@sduniontribune.com