River Studios nature center opening celebrated after 15-year effort

Volunteers and local leaders gathered Friday for a special ribbon-cutting ceremony, 15 years in the making, celebrating the launch of River Studios.

The new nature learning center, in the heart of Mission Valley, is located within the developing Grant Park and spearheaded by the San Diego River Park Foundation (SDRPF).

The facility, with digital microscopes, aquariums and remote sensing tools, is aimed at sparking student interest in nature conservation. It also will house the foundation’s Cool River Education Program, which is expected to reach 10,000 students annually.

“This park, this studio, this area has been front and center in the vision for San Diego and our nation,” foundation board Chair Michael Schneider said.  “It’s an opportunity to bring the community together, celebrate our environment and get folks focused on what San Diego is all about, beyond our beaches.”

Once an abandoned sand mine, the 17-acre site was donated to the foundation by San Diego’s Grant family, launching the long effort to create an outdoor-focused STEM education facility.

The foundation recently reached its $13 million fundraising goal thanks to community efforts and private donations. This includes $500,000 in federal funding secured with the help of Democratic Rep. Sara Jacobs — a third-generation San Diegan.

Jacobs, who flew in from Washington D.C. to speak at the ceremony, said she believes the center will help ensure equal access to STEM education for students who lack easy access to San Diego’s “natural beauty.”

Aiming to serve the more than 70,000 students within 15 minutes of Grant Park, center officials said it will focus on nearby Title 1 schools to close opportunity gaps. 

Additionally, the foundation promised that over 80% of students will come from underserved communities, with all core programming offered at no cost.

“This studio will be an important bridge connecting students from underrepresented backgrounds to nature, providing hands-on STEM education and helping to create lifelong stewards of our environment,” Jacobs said.

The ceremony also saw appearances by San Diego councilmembers Raul Campillo amd Stephen Whitburn, who both helped streamline the permitting process and “cut through the red tape,” according to Schneider.

In his remarks to donors and volunteers, Campillo emphasized the center’s mission to reconnect children with nature — especially the San Diego River, which runs through the park and near the studio.

While calling Mission Valley a “special place,” he noted that the community may fall short if it focuses solely on jobs and housing without also inspiring young people to engage with the world around them.

“It also has to be about inspiring the future and reflecting upon the past,” Campillo said. “There’s no great civilization in the history of our world that hasn’t looked at a river and said ‘this is where our heart will be.’”

Looking ahead, the studio plans to add an arts component through a partnership with the San Diego River Artists Alliance, featuring work by local artists.

Student visits will begin as early as September, according to park foundation President and CEO Rob Hutsel.

“I know the kids are going to walk through this building, be inspired and understand that we will learn from our past and build a better future together,” Campillo said. 

“This is the turning point, the domino, that’s going to transform the region.”