Cabrillo National Monument - Your Dollars At Work (U.S. National Park Service)

Your Dollars Make a Big Difference

Did you know that when you come to Cabrillo National Monument, 80% of your entrance fee stays right here to fund projects to improve visitor use and enjoyment, education, safety, and preservation of the park?

We've done a lot with your entrance fees - take a look at some recent and upcoming projects that show your dollars at work.

Old Point Loma Lighthouse and Assistant Keepers Quarters

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The grounds surrounding the Old Point Loma Lighthouse were rehabilitated, including the removal of non-native species and planting natives such as buckwheat, prickly pear cactus, and encelia. The project enables the area to look more like what it did back in the 1880s, when the lighthouse was in its heyday.

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A new copper roof was installed on the comfort station that stands just to the west of the Old Point Loma Lighthouse, to replace the original copper roof installed in 1935 by the Work Projects Administration (WPA).

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For visitor safety, a call box was installed at the head of the tidepool trail to enable visitors to summon assistance in case of emergency.

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"On the Edge of Land and Sea," a new tidepool film, was developed and produced and is now shown daily in the Auditorium. The film is an outstanding introduction to the rocky intertidal zone of Cabrillo National Monument, regarded as the best protected tidepool area on the southern California coast.

Entrance Station at Cabrillo National Monument

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To enable a more safe and efficient operation, a new Entrance Station was constructed. Here, you can pay entrance fees and purchase park passes, such as the Golden Age Passport and National Park Pass.

Concrete walkway to Radio Station exhibit building.

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Deteriorating concrete walks were replaced from the entrance sign to Ocean View Parking Area, through the myoporum grove on up to the Radio Station Exhibit Building, shown here.

Exhibit Room at Cabrillo National Monument

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Modifications were made to the old exhibit room in the Visitor Center complex, to prepare it for improved educational and interactive exhibits. The new exhibit room more effectively tells the story of "Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo and the Age of Exploration."

Solar panels on lower Maintenance building at Cabrillo National Monument

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To cut energy costs and save utility dollars, solar panels were installed on the roof of the Lower Maintenance Building. The panels produce 15 kW of electricity, enough to power both the Lower Maintenance Building and the adjacent Museum Storage Building.

Museum Storage Facility at Cabrillo National Monument

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One of the park's many responsibilities is caring for the historic and cultural objects entrusted to our care. This new Museum Storage Building, with climate-controlled and pest-free storage rooms and plenty of office and and work space, enables us to preserve and store these objects in the best manner possible.

Whale Overlook at Cabrillo National Monument

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The park’s existing Whale Overlook was built in the 1950s and was among the first interpretive facilities on the West Coast dedicated to watching the annual migration of the Pacific gray whales. Its presence established Cabrillo National Monument as the premier location for land-based whale watching in Southern California. Visitors from around the U.S. and the world vacation in San Diego during the winter months, and over 300,000 people come to the park between December and February to watch migrating whales.

The years have taken a toll on the Whale Overlook, however, and it’s time for the existing inadequate and deteriorating structure to be replaced. The new Whale Overlook will include sheltered viewing spaces from which to watch the whale migration and offshore activities. It will also provide improved access for disabled visitors, an area for rangers to conduct programs for school groups and adult visitors, and replace interpretive exhibits.

A major portion (87%) of the $1.3 million project will be funded through entrance fees collected here at the park. We thank you for your support of Cabrillo National Monument, and for making visitor enhancements such as the new Whale Overlook a reality.

For a look at conceptual drawings of the new Whale Overlook, click here (pdf).

Patrol car at Cabrillo National Monument

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Coming soon - A new home for Cabrillo National Monument's Resource Management and Visitor Protection (RM&VP) Division. Currently, the RM&VP Division provides first aid, handles law enforcement incidents, and issues special use permits out of two undersized offices. The new Visitor Contact Station will be constructed adjacent to the Administration Building and will provide much-needed office, work, and training space for these Rangers who ensure visitor safety and resource protection.