An amazing place to visit! Excellent employees, beautiful property, and so many wonderful education programs!
Irvine Nature Center is an amazing place! The nature center is fun for children and adults. My daughter attends the preschool there and loves going to school. Even when she's not going to school we hike the trails and play on the natural playground. I wish there were more places like Irvine Nature Center!
When my children were young, our go-to place for an enriching and fun experience was always Irvine Nature Center. They never tired of the new things to do there! They learned so much about nature, animals, birds--always something different, and they learned about themselves in the context of the wildlife around them. The staff, volunteers, teachers, always cheerful and go out of their way to teach and guide. Now that they my children are grown, My husband and I enjoy the "adult" events at Irvine and I love giving back as a board member and contributor. Truly a place for all ages, it just feels good being there and knowing that my donations are going to preserve a glorious piece of nature and wildlife and to support their "Grade A" pre-school where children will learn the joys and the importance of nature. My hope in supporting Irvine is that future generations will continue to visit and be inspired to support and respect nature. I encourage others to explore nature at Irvine and contribute!
I was a neighbor of irvine and enjoyed its facilities immensely. I inquired with the then-Executive director on how I could help further and joined a volunteeer committee for a year before I was elected to serve on the Board. Irvine is inspiring- adults and children can enjoy the outdoors, "unplug", learn about nature and how to protect it. The pre-School and outdoor classrooms, native plant seminars and other activities engage the community both locally and even involve urban education. The Board is thoughtful and engaged, and make one feel it is good to be involved in both time and other resources with the organization. This is an easy endorsement.
My family and I have had very meaningful experiences at Irvine Nature Center. I feel good every time I make a donation to Irvine and know that my dollars are being used for excellent programs.
Over the past few years, I have been a volunteer, active participant and Board Member with Irvine Nature Center. It has been amazing to see the growth of the center with innovative, new programs and activities for families and single adults like myself. I particularly love going to their Pumpkins on the Green event -which is their annual fundraiser in the fall. They call it the "un-gala" because it is very laid back with lots of great food, good music and fun for all. I serve as an ambassador for Irvine all around the state--letting folks know about this well-respected, hidden gem that we have here in Baltimore County. If you want to learn more about bluebirds or simply walk along their many trails-I urge everyone to stop by and visit at least once. It will satisfy your soul and help a "great nonprofit" continue to flourish!
Over the last 25 years, I have been a volunteer, a donor, and a board member at the Irvine Nature Center. I started as a volunteer naturalist and was trained by the staff in the excellent training program at Irvine. The work of the center in environmental education is terrific. I feel that I can evaluate this work well because I have taught environmental policy classes to both college level and graduate students and because I have volunteered with several other environmental organizations. The staff at Irvine is not only very well trained and very knowledgeable but also excellent in providing a wonderful learning environment for the children and adults who attend our programs. They are kind and encouraging with all kinds of people. It is definitely a great place to volunteer because the volunteers as well as the program participants are all treated extremely well. The volunteers receive continuing education to increase their own expertise. I feel that the money I have donated over the years has been very well spent. There is a careful awareness that we must spend our money wisely and always in accord with our mission. I definitely give Irvine a 5 star rating.
Review from Guidestar