The exhibits designed for the Center are outdoors near the lobby entrance, inside the building in the lobby area, and upstairs in the multipurpose rooms. The purpose of the exhibits is to provide users of the building with educational information about the Santa Barbara Channel, the Channel Islands themselves, the unique wildlife and marine life in this area, the protections in place for these species, and the historic use of this area by native populations (primarily Chumash), shippers, and others.

The exhibits will include information on climate change and the effects of changing populations over time. The first network of marine reserves designated in California in 2003, off the northern Channel Islands, will also be covered.