Environmental Nature Center

The Environmental Nature Center, known simply to thousands of visiting students through the years as "The ENC", is 3.5 acres of what was once a litter-filled gully behind Newport Harbor High School. Today, it is a fascinating combination of 14 California native plant communities (ranging from a desert, to an oak woodland, to a fresh water marsh, to a redwood forest), wildlife habitats and walking trails. For over 30 years, the ENC has been shaped and caressed into a landscape for learning, a sanctuary from life's pressures and a place of preservation and instruction. Serving over 13,000 students and thousands of visitors annually, the ENC is recognized as a leader in education providing opportunities for increasing our community's knowledge, understanding and appreciation of the natural world.