Look what’s happening at ENC in March

The Environmental Nature Center (ENC) is offering a variety of events in March. Check out these upcoming happenings.

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On Teachers Night Out: Earth Science join other instructors to crowd-source ideas for making lessons more hands-on and more fun

–Teachers Night Out: Earth Science on Thursday, March 23 from 4-7 p.m. Earth science has so many fun avenues of exploration – from lessons on erosion and rock types, to modeling tectonic plate movement, to building and testing structures that are resistant to earthquakes. Join other instructors to crowd-source ideas for making earth science lessons more hands-on and more fun. Afterwards you’ll enjoy a light meal together and share some wine by the campfire before breaking out the marshmallows and skewers to make some s’mores! Cost: ENC members, $9; Non-members, $10 and Title 1 teachers are free. Register for teacher’s night out here.

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Museum Docent Volunteer Training takes place on March 4

–Museum Docent Volunteer Training on Friday, March 24 from 3-4:30 p.m. ENC is seeking new Museum Docent Volunteers to staff the front desk, answer phones, greet visitors and provide basic information about the ENC. Training includes an overview of frequently asked questions, a description of the building’s sustainability features, and a brief narrative of the ENC’s history and current programs. Docents will view a one-hour presentation, tour the building and grounds, and learn the phone system. Register here for docent volunteer training.

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Take a Native Plant Uses Walk with herbalist William Broen

–Native Plant Uses Walk on Saturday, March 25 from 10-11:30 a.m. Join this Native Plant Uses Walk with herbalist William Broen, who will discuss traditional and modern uses of plants as well as how a plant’s survival tactics affect how they are used by us, how we can tell a lot about plants through our senses, plant folklore and other related topics. William’s walks are informative, interactive, accessible, fun and understandable. He is always happy to share his knowledge of botanical medicine with interested people. Cost: ENC members, $9; Non-members, $9. Register here for the native plant uses walk.

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Native plants support local pollinators, birds and other wildlife

–Native Plant Sale on Saturday, March 25 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Native plants support local pollinators, birds and other wildlife. They are suited to the SoCal climate, so they need less water than most traditional landscape plants and no fertilizer. California is a biodiversity hot spot, with many species found nowhere else in the world. Urban sprawl has destroyed much of our habitat, making plant communities some of the world’s most depleted. Create habitat in your own yard and native plants are beautiful. Cost: Register here for the native plant sale and to see the list of plants for sale.

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Conserve water in your home with rain barrels

–Rain Barrel Sale on Saturday, March 25 from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Conserve water in your home. Buy and install a rain barrel. Cost: $20 per barrel is donated to the Environmental Nature Center. Pre-purchase your barrel(s) here.

Environmental Nature Center is located at 1601 E. 16th St., Newport Beach. For more information, visit www.encenter.org.