2014 marks the Dunes Center’s fifteenth year of serving the Central Coast with high quality nature education programming. What started as an idea in the minds of concerned citizens has blossomed into a successful organization that provides educational opportunities to thousands of people each year. The Dunes Center is proof that your ideas can make a huge impact in the community!

In order to celebrate 15 years of service, the Dunes Center hosted a food and beverage pairing event. The event was made possible by donations from local sponsors, including Mike Multari, Jerry Stumbo, Diane Tortolano, Doug Jenzen, Dr.  Randy Johnson, Dylan Roddick, San Marcos Creek Vineyard, El Tapitio Mexican Restaurant, Miner’s Hardware, and Apio, Inc., as well as the assistance of volunteers.

At the event, a slideshow of photos from throughout the years and a guest speech from previous Board President, Sharon Kayser, encouraged guests to reminisce on old times. In the last 15 years, the Dunes Center has had many major accomplishments, including the successful implementation of classroom environmental science programs, educational community hikes, and an informative visitor center and natural history museum.

The Dunes Center also had big announcements for the future of the organization. As many know, funds have recently been raised to excavate the sphinx body from the buried set of the Ten Commandments, in hopes of uniting the body to the sphinx head that is currently on display in the museum.  To add to this excitement, the Dunes Center announced new exhibit plans. Each room displayed a poster of its future design, where guests were given the opportunity to vote with their dollar on their favorite plan.

The public voted the new Dunes Story exhibit as their favorite. This interactive exhibit will highlight fascinating facts about how the formation of dunes, their dimensions, geologic information about sand, the role of plants in dune formation, and the layers of dunes. We are all very excited to make this plan a reality. By updating the museum’s exhibits, we hope to provide more visitors and classrooms with an interactive way to learn about the natural wonders of the dunes ecosystem.

After 15 years, the Dunes Center continues to search for ways to expand services to the public. With your support, along with the support of volunteers, members, sponsors, and the community, we look forward to the many opportunities and experiences these programs will offer.