30 years of exploring

Deirdre Newman

It’s one of the few places where you can take a stroll from a

desert environment through a redwood grove to a valley grassland

area. And it’s right here in Newport Beach.

The Environmental Nature Center, nestled between 15th and 16th

avenues, is celebrating its 30th anniversary of educating children

and providing a natural refuge from the asphalt jungle.

From its humble beginnings as a gully next to Newport Harbor High

School, the center has grown into a comprehensive resource featuring

native plant communities, wildlife habitats, walking trails and a

discovery center.

“The progress has been phenomenal since it first started,” said

Norman Loats, who helped persuade the Newport-Mesa Unified School

District board to approve the center 30 years ago and now sits on its

board.

The center was founded in 1972 by a group of Newport Harbor High

School teachers who wanted to take advantage of the underused land

and turn it into an outdoor classroom. Nothing could be built there

because of an easement from the drainage gully.

It was originally designed with 12 California habitats and has

since grown to 14. Newport Harbor High students helped start the

center, turning over the soil and doing the initial plantings.

As soon as the center was established, its popularity among

students mushroomed. Over the last year, more than 13,000

participated in various activities during school, after school and

over the summer, said Bo Glover, executive director.

As it did in the beginning, the center still relies on the

nurturing of volunteers to keep it thriving. The 30-year mark is

especially significant as early center volunteers can reap the fruits

of their labor, Glover said.

“Some people who planted these trees are now bringing their

children back to show them what they’ve done,” Glover said.

Eagle Scout projects are one of the biggest contributors to the

center. Since 1986, they have assisted with the trail work and built

such equipment as picnic tables, water fountains and benches for a

small amphitheater.

One of the recent Eagle Scout projects is expanding the desert

landscape, which also benefits from the expertise of Martin Colver, a

city park’s employee.

Colver said his father recently checked out the center, was

disappointed by the sparse desert landscape and volunteered his son’s

services. So Colver set to work, weeding out the nonnative brush and

bringing in more appropriate scrub. On Monday morning, he dug up the

landscape while 5,000-pound rocks were installed.

“It’s great,” Colver said. “This will be a really good addition.”

Like most things at the center, the desert is a work in progress.

And that’s exactly how it should be at a place that reflects the

ever-changing world of nature, Glover said.

“Visitors can always see something new,” Glover said.

For students, the summer nature camps instill an appreciation of

the natural environment and bolster the science training they receive

in school, camp director Helen de la Maza said.

“In some elementary schools, science doesn’t achieve the emphasis

it should,” de la Maza said. “So they can come here and receive

really strong science.”

The center is embarking on a new capital campaign -- dubbed “Raise

the Roof” -- to fund a permanent building on site. The offices,

discovery center and small gift shop are now in temporary buildings

that were brought in when the school district left and moved to its

new headquarters on Bear Street.

As the city around it continues to be developed, the center

remains an oasis of nature, constantly revealing the wonders of the

great outdoors to new generations.

“The significance of places like this is in bringing in the

leaders of tomorrow and instilling the importance of natural settings

and open space,” Glover said.

* DEIRDRE NEWMAN covers education. She may be reached at (949)

574-4221 or by e-mail at deirdre.newman@latimes.com.