Construction begins at Napa River Ecology Center
Future center will put American Canyon ‘on the map’
Construction at the Napa River Ecology Center is officially underway. Ground breaking was celebrated in a joyful ceremony on Wednesday, marking a milestone in American Canyon’s effort to boost environmental education and create a new community hub for locals and visitors alike.
Dozens gathered in the shade of what will be the main eco center building, snapping photos while U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, gave remarks along with city officials and American Canyon Community and Parks Foundation members.
“It’s going to put American Canyon even more on the map,” said Mayor Pierre Washington after the ceremony.
“It’s emotional,” said Joy Hilton, education program director for the American Canyon Community and Parks Foundation. “[We’ve] been working on this for a long time.”
On Thursday, Hilton and other foundation staff will relocate their offices to a temporary trailer while crews build an elevator shaft into the main building.
“It’s starting!” said Hilton. The American Canyon Community and Parks Foundation, the nonprofit organization behind the $9 million project at 205 Wetlands Edge, plans to open the center in about a year.
Wednesday’s festivities included the presentation of an oversized check for $2 million in federal funding that Rep. Thompson obtained earlier this year for the center. Receiving the check was Janelle Sellick, executive director of the foundation. The congressman noted in his remarks that with 98 percent of California wetlands gone, to enjoy such a rich wetlands area in Napa County is a privilege.
The future center has no brand new construction. It occupies the city’s former corporation yard, anchored in a renovated 5,000-square-foot building constructed in 1989. The nonprofit leases the site for $1 per year under a long-term lease with the city.
Keeping the existing building is a part “of the whole ethos of this project,” Sellick said. “We’re reusing what we can on the site.”
American Canyon Vice Mayor Mark Joseph praised the foundation’s creativity and Thompson’s efforts. The city also supported the project, he added, noting that the venue belongs to the city.
“It will be an incredible facility, and it will certainly draw a lot of people to come to our community,” Joseph said.
The 3-acre site’s features include walking paths, teaching gardens, nature-based playground, indoor/outdoor classroom, a wildlife viewing deck, a pollinator garden and educational pavilions that serve as outdoor classrooms.
Sellick on Tuesday said she was ecstatic about the pending ground-breaking.
“This project has been several years in the making, and there are so many community partners and leaders and supporters that have been a part of making it happen. So, it’s really exciting to get shovels in the ground, and we look forward to opening to the public in 2027,” Sellick said.
Sellick said the American Canyon Community and Parks Foundation wants to make sure the community was involved in the creation of the center.
“We envision this as a place that has something for everyone. And so, we want that community to feel like they’re a part of bringing it to life.”
The foundation, which now operates on a $700,000 annual budget, has been creating nature-based programs for a decade. Supervisor Belia Ramos helped obtain the foundation’s non-profit status. Ramos and Sellick were members of the local MOMS club.
Early projects included the installation of a drinking fountain and outdoor exercise equipment at Wetlands Edge Park’s trailhead, along with park benches and picnic tables for the city’s trails and parks. During the pandemic, the foundation distributed free nature-based activity kits to children in front of the library and created online educational classes.
“The foundation as a whole is deeply rooted in the community,” Sellick said.
The need for a home base became apparent over the years as the American Canyon Community and Parks Foundation grew. It now serves 4,000 children and adults a year.
The organization expects to quadruple the number of people served when the center opens. Its budget is anticipated to be $1 million a year.
Sellick noted that active older adults have recently become interested in attending events where they can have a glass of wine, socialize and learn.
The American Canyon Community and Parks Foundation now employs three full-time employees – Sellick, Andrea Long, community program director, and Patricia Oro, operations director, and two part-time employees.
The center’s construction is about 95% funded. The American Canyon Community and Parks Foundation continues to raise money – about $300,000 – by selling ceramic tiles for a 14-by-8-foot tall mosaic mural to be displayed at the center. The mural by Vallejo artists Rachel Rodi and Guy Fuerte features the Napa River, tule grass and the wetlands.
The Napa River Ecology Center has been five years in the making.
Seed funding for the center came in 2021 with $105,000 at the Napa Valley Ruins and Gardens at the industrial ruins of the Standard Portland Cement Company at Watson Ranch, Sellick recalled. The annual fundraiser continues to draw hundreds of supporters.
The seed funding raised in 2021 allowed the nonprofit to hire an architect and launch technical studies and a project design.
Eventually, their support included large donations and grants. In 2024, Rep. Thompson secured $800,000, and he secured another $2.5 million in 2025. However, Republican lawmakers never passed this appropriation bill.
In February, Thompson announced he took $2 million for the Ecological Center through the House’s Appropriations Committee.
Other large grants include $2.8 million from the State Coastal Conservancy; $1 million from the city of American Canyon; $1.6 million from the California Wildlife Conservation Board; $100,000 from the Gasser Foundation; and about $430,000 in pledges.
In the meantime, the mosaic mural fundraiser continues. To donate, check https://www.acparks.org/napa-river-ecology-center/mosaic-mural/.
