FOR A GOOD CAUSE -- Marcia O’Hern

Paul Clinton

Conducting nature trail tours reminds Marcia O’Hern of her days as an

elementary school teacher in New Jersey.

Although she leads tours less frequently nowadays -- only about once a

month -- O’Hern still finds time to volunteer at the Environmental Nature

Center in Newport Beach.

For more than a decade, O’Hern has been leading children through the

winding trails, dense woodlands and colorful flora of the center’s

preserve.

“I love working with children,” O’Hern said. “Their minds can absorb

so much.”

The privately supported preserve, tucked behind 16th Street near Newport Harbor High School, has offered a natural sanctuary for almost 30

years.

Robert House, a Newport Harbor biology teacher who retired in 1993,

founded the preserve in 1972. House rustled up funding from local groups,

including the Newport Beach Junior League, to develop the preserve and

build an interpretive center.

For his location, House chose a 2.5-acre, litter-laden gully next to

the high school. He recruited his own students to help him build the

preserve.

A network of walking trails wind through the property’s redwood

forest, fresh water marsh, desert and woodlands.

O’Hern said she was naturally drawn to the center to use it as a tool

for learning.

“The nature center is really a unique, special place,” O’Hern said. “I

love just being out with nature.”

Wandering through the trails, O’Hern said she has seen a trapdoor

spider, Harlequin beetle and even a red tail hawk.

It isn’t difficult for O’Hern to make time for her volunteering hobby.

The 55-year-old Lido Isle resident can work flexible hours in her day job

managing the real estate holdings of a private foundation.

Even when her schedule gets busy, she finds ways to make the time.

“You make it a priority,” O’Hern said. “For me, it just gives me back

so much.

O’Hern has also been spearheading the center’s efforts to open a gift

shop geared to science teachers. She expects it to open in June or July.