Meet the ENC’s newest interns, Jennifer and Kitri! They will both be working under Hilary Mills, the Lead Naturalist and Horticulture Manager. Meet Jennifer! Jennifer is the new Groundskeeper and Compost Intern. During her time here, she will take care of the compost bins, as well as tend and learn about California native plants. Jennifer is a junior at the Orange County School of Arts, where she plays the violin in the orchestra conservatory. She loves all things nature, from plants to composting to the ocean. In college, she hopes to seek an environmental engineering degree. Meet Kitri! Kitri is the new Habitat Restoration and Groundskeeper Intern. Her role consists of learning about and working with ecosystem restoration and California native plants. Kitri attends the…

By Alexandria Raeann Choy, ENC Communications Intern Hello everyone! My name is Alex, and I am the new Communications Intern for the summer! I have just finished my first year at UCLA, where I am studying Geography and Environmental Studies. As I walked into the Environmental Nature Center this morning, I was not sure exactly what to expect. I had done an ample amount of poking around on the ENC website, but had yet to see all of the extensive grounds and educational programs. Following a tour of the beautiful (and environmentally-friendly!) buildings and a run-through of my intern duties, I had the opportunity to observe exactly what the ENC does best – educate. I saw hands-on, interactive learning combined with true passion for nature….

Butterflies are some of the most beautiful creatures on the planet and can be extremely useful when teaching about nature and science! Join ENC Horticulture manager Hilary Mills and ENC Butterfly Wrangler Leslie Helliwell to learn all about planting a butterfly garden and how to use it to teach science concepts to your students! Creating a garden for butterflies can help teach a million and one science concepts to kids, including metamorphosis (grade 2) and plant parts (grade 1). During this program teachers will hear about the many characteristics and needs of locally native host and nectar plants, and which butterflies (or birds!) are attracted to which plant. Throughout this fun filled afternoon you will also learn many entertaining and engaging, hands-on activities to teach children about science and…

I wanted to take a moment to introduce our Winter 2016 Interns! They are so impressive and enthusiastic, that I just needed to share. They’re going to help us A LOT, and I know that they will benefit so much from their “real world” experience here as well. My name is Aaysia Shelton, one of the new Communications Interns at the ENC. I am a senior at CSUF majoring in communications with an emphasis in public relations. I chose to apply to be an intern at ENC because I have a love for nature and being outdoors. I also thought it would be awesome to be able to use and enhance public relations skills around something I love. During my internship here at ENC I…