wonder and respect for the natural world that will persist for years
to come. This is a critical time when environmental education will
make or break us as a society. People need places like Shipley to
learn about nature, relax, and enjoy one of the last little natural
places left in Huntington Beach.
LORI WHALEN
Huntington Beach
The city should not cut funding to the Shipley Nature Center. The
nature center is one of the very few natural areas left in a city
that seems hell bent on filling each and every open space and lot
with some hotel, shopping mall or apartment complex. These businesses
are needed for a city to be successful, but people need a place to
unwind and relax too. Drive across Huntington Beach sometime and try
to find the open spaces, there's not much open space left. The nature
center is a gem that, once it's gone, we'll never get it back and our
children and their children will miss out on something very special.
Please maintain the Shipley Nature Center and it's staff.
STEVE ENGEL
Huntington Beach
The Shipley Nature Center is a valuable learning tool for many
local schools as well as beautiful natural environment that is home
to many forms of wildlife. Closing it would be tragic for our city.
Many local citizens are dedicated to making it an even greater
asset to Huntington Beach including the Tree Society and Friends of
the Nature Center, who were planning on restoring the center to a
richer wildlife habitat and improved visitors facilities. Please
don't let this valuable resource close. Unlike Florida, we don't have
a lot of swampland in California.
CATHERINE CALDERA
Huntington Beach
I think the closing the Shipley Nature Center would be a big
mistake and a tragic loss for the city. The nature center is one of
the city's jewels. I've taken my children there when they were young
and we've always had a wonderful time with it. It's still a joy to
this day, even though my children are now in their 20s. After all the
years it's been open it would be tragic to back off it now.
GARY DROEGER
Huntington Beach
I've been a resident of Huntington Beach for 32 years. For 24
years I've been taking my preschoolers to the Shipley Nature Center
to listen to Ranger Dave explain the wonders of all the flora and the
fauna surrounding us. His enthusiasm creates an excitement in the
children that the most expensive high-tech toy fails to do. Our
children are surrounded by a really high-tech computer oriented
world, but this nature-filled experience for the children is as
