The Environmental Nature Center was such an amazing organization to be a part of over the summer. Being an intern helped me in so many ways professionally. For one my ability to communicate in a professional setting was strengthened by working closely with the camp staff. I was also able to gain so much experience working with children. Which helped me obtain employment at a local school. There I will continue to use the work habits that I learned from this internship. I am so grateful to have had this wonderful opportunity and for the different skills that came from it!! Thank you ENC!!! – Aubriana Lopez This summer I worked as an administrative intern for the Environmental Nature Center. I really enjoyed working in this…
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Wetlands are Wonderful!
Wetlands are areas where water is present at or near the surface of the ground. They are also entirely covered by water for at least part of the year. There are two main types of wetlands: coastal wetlands and inland wetlands. Coastal wetlands are near the ocean while inlands wetlands are normally near rivers or lakes. Wetlands are in many environments and are on every continent except Antarctica. They vary in size and can be found along coasts and inland. Some wetlands are full of trees while some are grasslands or are full of spongy mosses. Wetlands are important for many reasons. They provide habitat for many endangered plants and animals, and improve water quality. In addition they can store carbon and help reduce the…
A therapeutic respite in a chaotic world
My name is Jane Celeste Taylor and I am a highschool student at St. Margaret’s Episcopal school. I am in the second semester of my junior year and volunteered as a Horticulture intern. Interning for the ENC as a Horticulture Intern these past couple months has been pretty therapeutic amidst the current world events and chaos. I really enjoyed being able to get out into nature and help keep the amazing institution that is the Environmental Nature Center in Newport Coast healthy and beautiful. My tasks at the center usually included landscaping, planting, watering and trimming the various plants. I also had the opportunity to research and catalogue collected seeds for possible future planting. My favorite times during the internships were simply being alone in…
An ENC Intern with a Promising Future!
My name is Rebecca Guzman, and I am currently an animal care intern at the Environmental Nature Center. I decided to volunteer here because it was the perfect opportunity to get myself involved with what I love: animals and nature. Aside from working with animals, I also get to meet people who have similar interests as I do. Being around others who enjoy nature has strengthened my desire to pursue a career in helping animals. I just graduated from high school this year, and I plan to study veterinary technology at Platt College Anaheim. After I earn my degree, I hope to become a registered veterinary technician so that I can help animals in need. I am so grateful for the experience that I have…
Another Successful ENC Intern Story. Thank you and farewell, Matthew!
My name is Matthew Kaiser, and I am a student at UCI. I have interned at the Environmental Nature Center in Newport Beach for the past school year. I joined the ENC to meet new people and gain some work experience. During my time there, I learned so much more than I ever expected, and I have developed some great relationships. At first, it was a bit difficult to balance a new internship with all of my school work and the demands of being part of the growing team. However, I quickly got into a routine and really started to enjoy my time as an animal care intern. I have always loved caring for animals, which is why the animal care internship was such a…
Interning at the ENC: A rewarding experience
by Brittney Gonzalez, ENC Communications Intern Interning at the ENC was one of my most rewarding experiences, in many significant ways. First and foremost, I am soo extremely grateful for the ENC giving me a chance to rock at being their communications intern. I had been searching for a place to intern that aligned with my personal beliefs (preserving the environment) but that also had great culture. As soon as I met Lori Whalen, Assistant Director, also known as my mentor, I knew this would be the perfect place to gain more experience and meet amazing people. After interning for a few weeks, I learned about the tremendous amount of involvement the ENC has with the local community. From spring and fall faires, to parenting…
Hands-on Experience with Nature
I had an amazing time as an intern at the ENC! Not only were the staff incredibly kind and fun to work with, but it also allowed me to build skills that I could bring to future professions. I currently work in a research lab at UC Irvine studying malaria-resistant mosquitoes, and what made my application stand out was my experience as an Animal Care intern. During my internship, I was able to start my own projects such as developing an animal care manual or researching ways to improve the habitats. My internship experience showed my current supervisor that in additional to animal care experience, I had other transferable work skills such as the ability to think critically and work independently. I really enjoyed my…
Hands-on… more than a couple words in our mission
As an animal care intern, I was responsible for tending to the needs of various animals at the ENC. The hands-on experience prepared me for the number of fieldwork studies I conducted through past and current semesters. I am so grateful for the many opportunities that allowed me to grow out of my comfort zone, and find passion in conservation education. Currently I am graduating from California State University, Fullerton with a B.S in biological science, and can’t wait to bring my skills from the ENC to future endeavors. The ENC impacts the lives of children and adults from throughout Orange County. Over 28,000 visited last year to study the environment, gain respect for nature, and learn ecological responsibility and sustainable practices. The ENC would…
Service Learning Success!
The ENC is a priceless opportunity for learning and hands on experience. As an animal care intern I was able to not only care for many of Californias wonderful natural wildlife, but I was able to help educate any visitors as well. Whether that was through helping young children get to have a close up encounter with many of the ENC’s wonderful reptiles, or through explaining the importance of these animals and that many are misunderstood and provide no threat (such as snakes, which many are scared of) but they actually help maintain and protect our ecosystems. Without the ENC I would never had the ability to have had such a wonderful opportunity. I had volunteered at many rescues and shelters in the past, and…
Dedicating my life to help all creatures great and small
Hi, my name is Sabrina Pham. I have been volunteering at Environmental Nature Center since Spring of 2017. As a volunteer, I have earned a reputation for providing the best care and documenting the care for the mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and arthropods. Volunteering at the ENC has given me great understanding of how important it is to provide quality education through hands-on experience with nature, how all natural things interact, and how to be able to provide optimum care for educational animals. After graduating at CSUF in May 2018, I began working at a Skilled Nursing Pharmacy as an IV technician. I gained experience in the pharmaceutical industry and learned to provide excellent care for the patients in skilled nursing facilities. The privilege to be able to volunteer…
My Experience as an ENC Animal Care Intern
I had the greatest experience volunteering throughout my Senior year of high school as an Animal Care Intern at the Environmental Nature Center. I had the pleasure of working with happy and motivated people that sustain a great environment for our Animal Ambassadors in order to educate children, and even adults, about them and the habitat their wild brothers and sisters depend on to survive. Besides feeding the animals and cleaning out their enclosures and habitats, I learned how to properly take care of them by making sure everything was in order, from their diet to how they behaved. I am working towards becoming a Registered Nurse. I have found that working with animals is similar to working with humans because we require careful attention…
Welcome Brittney, our new Communications Intern!
Hello everyone, I’m the new communications intern at the Environmental Resource Center and I’m very excited to meet everyone involved in this community. I’m a recent graduate of the University of Arizona, and I am looking forward to gaining insight and experience in the field of communications and marketing. I’ve had a passion for writing since I was in fourth grade, when I would spend my weekends reading books or writing poems in between school and sports. My family thought I would become an author when I grew up, but I decided to major in Psychology and Minor in Marketing during undergrad. I am still finding my way in life, and have decided to rekindle my hobby of reading/ writing and combine it with other…