August 14-20, 2009 - As the "Voices of Monarch Beach"

GETTING OUTThe Great OutdoorsNew Outdoor Education Center offers youth a look at Orange County history and heritageMBy Chris BashawDana Point Timesineshafts and ranch land mightbe a thing of the past in OrangeCounty, but a new center openingnext week will give the area’s youth ataste of what once was in the rolling hills ofSouthern California.The Irvine Outdoor Education Center,located in the City of Orange, presents newopportunities for Orange County youth toreconnect with their community’s historyand heritage. By providing kids with a vastarea to explore and learn about nature andhistory, the center also provides a realitycheck that Orange County wasn’t alwaysthe concrete jungle they see today.The center is located two miles northof the Oak and Sycamore grove within theIrvine Regional Park. Surrounded by hillsfull of wild grasses, plants and trees, theCenter is surprisingly very quiet and peacefulcompared to the hustle and bustle we’vebecome accustomed to in Orange County.Youngsters from organizations includingthe Boy Scouts of America and from thepublic at large in organized camps haveenjoyed the center this summer. It will officiallyopen to the public on August 22.In his welcoming address for the July 28dedication ceremony, Nathan Rosenberg,Chairman of the Board of Directors for theOrange County Council, drew attention tothis aspect.“It is unthinkable that this site is in themiddle of Orange County and not out in thewild,” he said.But don’t be fooled into thinking theCenter is a craftily feigned wilderness createdby the likes of Disney’s Imagineers.The area is teeming with native wildlifelike Mule deer, Cooper’s hawks, bobcats,mountain lions, and various varieties ofinsects and reptiles.“As a girl from Illinois, the thought ofseeing a mountain lion or any other big catexcites me,” director of outdoor educationChristine Kirk said. She reassured thatthere are methods to ensure that studentswill always be safe and hopefully “gain anappreciation for native wildlife.”With a cost of $33 million and an areaof 210 acres, the center serves to teachurban and suburban youth about OrangeCounty’s history and wildlife, and howto conserve their communities’ natural,aesthetic appeals.Each of the eight districts in the OrangeCounty Council Boy Scouts of America wasencouraged to raise $100,000 to help fundthe facility. The El Camino Real District,which includes the cities of San Juan Capistrano,Dana Point and San Clemente, wasthe first district to meet the goal.In recognition of the district’s efforts,a trail leading to a hilltop flying a “Don’tTread On Me” flag was named “El CaminoReal.”The center’s educational programs aretaught by individuals with college backgroundsin science, social science, history,and language arts. Everything taught atthe Center is in agreement with California’seducation requirements and criteria, butby being virtually secluded from urbanhubs, it offers a perspective unchallengedby the conventional classroom. In addition,Photo by Chris Bashawa hands-on technique is employed to boostkids’ learning and understanding.“Hands-on education is absolutely thebest. You can see pictures in a textbook,but if you do what you learn, you willremember it,” said Joyce Easton, a Scouterfor 26 years with the Boy Scouts of Americain the El Camino Real District. She is alsoa retired teacher who developed and rana hands-on science program for a CUSDelementary“Hands-oneducation isabsolutelythe best.You can seepictures ina textbook,but if youdo what youlearn, you willremember it.”—Joyce Eastonschool in theearly 80’s.Scout leaderfrom Troop 787and Dana Pointresident JerroldBuggert saidhis troop hasused the facilityto train adultsin outdoor skillslike cookingand settingup tents, butdescribes thecenter’s youthprograms as “across betweenthe traditionalclassroom and the outdoors.”Three main areas, which focus onastronomy, ranching and mining, providekids with knowledge about OrangeCounty’s history and culture.The astronomy camp covers basicastronomy and Orange County’s involvementin the aerospace industry. Telescopesaimed at heavenly bodies like Jupiter andthe use of lasers contribute to a more fullunderstanding of our solar system.The ranch camp discusses OrangeCounty’s long history with agriculture andthe obstacles that Native Americans, SpanishSettlers, and ranchers had to overcometo cultivate the land. Kids will be able tosee rows of orange and other citrus trees,which aren’t as much of a prevalent sightas in the past, despite being the County’snamesake.The Astronomy Camp• Features high-powered telescopes thatallow kids to view the night sky.• Teaches kids how to interpret theirastronomical observations.• Teaches kids about the solar system,space travel, and weather.The Ranch Camp• Features a grove with more than 30varieties of citrus-bearing trees.• Agricultural practices and the culturesof Native Americans, Spanish Settlers, andWestern Ranchers are discussed.• Kids will learn about the interactionsbetween humans and their environment.The Mining Camp• Features a working replica of an 1800’smineshaft where kids can safely excavateminerals and geodes.• Kids will learn about geology, platetectonics, and general Earth Science.• The complex interactions of living andnon-living things underground, and how theyaffect humans are discussed.A simulated 1800’s mine, which has beenawarded the 2009 Tilt-Up Achievementaward by the Tilt-Up Concrete Association,is the mining camp’s main feature. Inside,students will learn about geology and miningby being able to crack open geodes andexcavate minerals.Other contributing elements to thecenter’s appeal include archery and BB gunranges, a Challenging Outdoor PersonalExperience (COPE) course, aquatics center,nature center and an amphitheatre. Ofcourse, it wouldn’t be run by the Boy Scoutsof America if it didn’t have miles of hikingtrails and camping areas.Campmaster Corps volunteer Teresa Tanner,who is also the advancement chair forSan Juan Capistrano’s Troop 724, acknowledgedthere are various Southern Californiavenues that provide amusement for children,but said “Only the Outdoor Education Centeris able to bring California’s history to life.”She emphasized that kids can experiencewhat it was like to be a miner or go to anobservatory without having to travel thewhole state.Her son was thrilled with the center andat one time asked, “Mom, who are the goodpeople who built this place?” She said hegot his answer when the sponsors wererecognized.Although some donors wish to remainanonymous, others like the San ClementebasedSouth Orange County Gem andMineral Society publically contributed to thecause.The society donated 500 lbs. of minerals,fossils, and rocks to the center’s miningcamp, which teaches kids about geology andmining. “We’ve been around since 1962 andour purpose is to stimulate interest in Earthscience,” said director Kirk Kegel, who isalso a father of two boys involved with DanaPoint’s Sea Scouts.The Outdoor Education Center is open toall youth groups and organizations like theYMCA, Boys and Girls Club, Big Brothersand Big Sisters, but invites schools andchurch groups to visit as well.“Our staff saw the facility and was veryimpressed with it,” said James Littlejohn,executive director for the Boys and GirlsClub of San Juan Capistrano, “we plan onvisiting it soon.”The area that is now the Irvine RegionalPark and Outdoor Education Center was primarilypopulated by Native Americans untilthe Spanish arrived in 1769. Later, the YorbaLinda family took possession and used thevicinity for two separate ranches, which werebought by James Irvine in 1866.In 1897, James Irvine II donated 160 acresof the property to the County of Orange tocreate the first County Regional Park. Thedonation was officially renamed “IrvinePark” in 1929.When the Spanish-American War brokeout in the summer of 1898, the NationalGuard used the land for training exercisesand did so again in 1917 when the UnitedStates joined the Allies during World War I.In 1935 James Irvine II leased 30 acres tothe Orange County Council for a Boy Scoutcamp. “Camp Irvine” was used for camporees,training, Courts of Honor and otherevents. However, this was short lived as theArmy took over the entire area during WorldWar II. It was renamed “Camp Rathke” afteran Orange County soldier who lost his lifeduring a training exercise. After the war, theBoy Scouts renewed their lease and hosted asummer camp for a few years before finallyreturning the land to the Irvine Company.Today the area has again been set aside,but this time to create a facility that is opento all youth groups and schools, to help kidsexperience and gain appreciation for OrangeCounty’s rich heritage and wildlife. DPON THE WEB: www.outdooreducationcenter.org.www.danapointtimes.com August 14–20, 2009 • Dana Point Times • Page 17