Happy Halloween! Today I am dressed in the scariest costume I could think of – an invasive non-native plant! I am a Tamarisk tree, but there are approximately 1,800 non-native plants that grow in the wild in the state. Tamarisk is especially bad because it drinks A LOT of water, and deposits salts on the surface of the soil. Deposits of salt-encrusted Tamarisk needles keep other plants from growing. Tamarisk (or Saltcedar) has been blamed for increasing flooding and fire frequency! Non-native plants reduce biodiversity, and reduce habitat available to native animals like birds and butterflies. They alter natural landscapes, and increase the frequency and intensity of fires. Non-native plants also contribute to species endangerment. 42% of the nation’s endangered and threatened species have declined as a…
Archives
ENC Provides Professional Development for Local Educators
The Environmental Nature Center (ENC) invites all educators to the Excellent Educator Series, a monthly event at which educators learn new hands-on ways to educate children about science and nature. The Excellent Educator Series consists of three workshops. Attendees will learn exciting ways to broaden their teaching abilities. Each workshop is $10. After finishing the Excellent Educator Series, the attendee will receive a certificate and ENC t-shirt. More information at encenter.org. The Project WILD Aquatic workshop is Saturday October 26, from 10 am-3: 30 pm. It will focus on wildlife conservation and the responsibilities humans have for caring for the environment. Sama Wareh, the ENC’s Community Outreach Coordinator, will host the seminar and all attendees will receive a Project WILD Aquatic K-12 Curriculum and an…
Spend some time in Nature this School Year!
Now is a great time to schedule a 2013-2014 field trip or Traveling Naturalist program; our prices will go up ever so slightly in the Fall, but if you schedule your program to occur in September or October 2013 we will give you our 2012-2013 prices. Bring your students to the ENC to visit the butterfly house (seasonal). Or travel back in time to learn about California history in our 3rd grade Tongva Trail or our 4th grade Native American Adventure program. Or tour the ENC’s green building and learn about energy conservation. For more details on field trip programs at the ENC visit our website. Traveling Naturalist programs bring our educators to YOUR classroom (they travel in our Electric Vehicle, powered for free by…
Summertime at the ENC
This week is the end of the fourth Summer Nature Camp session – Science Safari, with three more fun-filled sessions to go! Next week is Mad Science, where campers will explore different science fields – from zoology to astronomy – and participate in hands-on experiments. The following week, starting August 5th, will be the Earth Heroes session, where kids will learn how they can protect the animals, water, plants, and soil; and will become their own environmental super heroes! The last Summer Nature Camp session is Outdoor Adventure, where campers will discover that adventure exists everywhere in the great outdoors, and will take a trip to the Ocean Institute’s Sea Camp. Visit our website for more info on these camps. The ENC is hosting a…
How to find a Job in the Environmental Field
I am frequently asked one question by students of all ages – from grade school to college. “How do I find a job in the environmental field?” My answer has always been basically the same. Learn about what you love and what you are interested in, and work really hard. Environmental organizations and companies need employees with the same skills as any other. They need great writers, and people who are good at doing math. They need folks who are educated in marketing and PR, HR and accounting. But early this morning, as I lay in bed anxious to get up to do the work I am passionate about, I realized there is advice missing from the response I usually give. Here are seven ways…
Bo’s Travels in China
In Taoism the object of spiritual practice is to become one with the Tao — to harmonize one’s will with nature in order to achieve ‘effortless action’. When I stepped off the plane in Beijing, I had no clue what the Tao was, nor was I too keen on being a follower. I left for China with an itinerary provided by Earth Charter Communities Network but I hadn’t really looked at it too closely. I knew I was to speak at a couple of universities in Beijing, I knew I had a bicycle date with a teacher named Mrs. Dong, and I knew The Nature Conservancy wanted to learn from my experience in, of all places, a Giant Panda preserve. I knew I had important…
The Value of a Field Trip
Big yellow school buses are a common sight at The Environmental Nature Center from late September through mid June. They bring groups of children for science and social science field trips. Just the phrase “field trip” makes most students excited about a day outside of school. However, a day out of the classroom does not equal a day without learning. “Field trips provide students with a window to the real world that they don’t get in the classroom, and they can help students understand real-world applications of seemingly abstract topics in math and science,” says Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers. Several research studies have shown that students retain more knowledge through the type of experience-based learning that field trips provide when…
Spring Break Camp
Spring Break Camp at the Environmental Nature Center Educational outdoor fun for campers in K – 6th grade April 7 – 10, 2014 Camp: 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM. Fee: $175 After Camp: 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM. Fee: $80 10% discount for members! Register HERE. Each day, campers (divided into small groups by age) will rotate between three fabulous Camp Teachers, where they will participate in exciting, age appropriate hands-on activities. Questions? Call 949-645-8489 ext. 103 Withdrawal: Any time up to 2 weeks before the start of a session: $25 processing fee, balance refunded. 1-2 weeks notice: 50% refund. Less than 1 week notice: NO REFUND. This year’s themes: Mad Science Campers will spend each day exploring a different aspect of the amazing world…