Environmental Nature Center

Specialties

The ENC strives to provide quality education through hands-​on experience with nature. The ENC inspires all generations to protect the natural world by serving as our community’s foremost authority on ecological responsibility, sustainable practices and environmental education. We respect each person who comes to the Center and strive to impart in return respect for our natural environment. We accept personal responsibility to be good stewards of our resources, accountable to our membership and actively promote our educational mission. We maintain our commitment to the environment and the work necessary to convey our educational message. We are consistent and honest by making certain our actions match our words.

History

Established in 1972.

In 1972, soil excavated from the construction of an Olympic-​size swimming pool at Newport Harbor High School was dumped near a gully that ran behind the adjacent Newport-​Mesa Unified School District administrative offices, on land deemed otherwise useless. But that is not how a group of dedicated and determined science teachers and student volunteers saw it. They formed this soil into a landscape on which they created a living nature laboratory. From that beginning, students from throughout the community were invited to share its treasures, help maintain it, nurture it and learn from its resources.

The ENC is a place where all ages can walk, pause to smell the scents, observe birds, watch the seasons change and discover nature first hand. As we consider the future of the ENC and look back at it’s recent history we must not neglect the necessary maintenance of the native plant life. Priority should always be given to the esthetics and the original philosophy of a natural plant communit