TESTIMONIALS
GINNY GREGUREK
Protect & Preserve Giving Day
September 1st, 2021
It’s important for us to understand our relationship to the environment. Being in nature also improves our health. OCHabitats offers a variety of ways to engage in these activities through local hikes, educational programs, and restoration projects. OCHabitats outings are open to everyone and all are welcome. You can support OC Habitats' community-based work by donating on Giving Day on September 1st. Do it for the sea stars!
MATT YURKO
Protect & Preserve Giving Day
September 1st, 2021
I'm proud to support OC Habitats on this Protect and Preserve Giving Day because OC Habitats has given so much to Project Grow! During the pandemic shutdown, we lost our program's most valuable resource: our volunteers! The initial quarantine and shutdown deeply impacted our long-running community-based habitat restoration programs. Just because we couldn't host our usual programming didn't mean that the ecological restoration projects would pause for us. There were still invasive plants to pull and native species to plant. OC Habitats came to the rescue! Stacey and her crew found ways to organize groups of volunteers and help keep our projects on track throughout the last year and a half. I'm very grateful to Stacey, her staff, and all the OC Habitats volunteers who joined us during the pandemic (and who continue to help!) to make sure that covid-19 didn't stop the great restoration work being done at the Upper Newport Bay. Please join me in helping OC Habitats continue their great work by donating this Giving Day!
BIANCA BORJA
Student Liaison & Volunteer (2018 - Present)
I've been with OC Habitats for over three years now and I've enjoyed every minute of it. I am passionate about the environment and conservation, and OC Habitats was a perfect way for me to get involved in something that can make a difference. For me, education has been one of my favorite areas to get involved with. I was part of the first team that created and presented our educational field trip and was involved in many after, and I thoroughly enjoyed being able to teach Orange County children about the environment and inspire them to want to make a difference as well. Our team found new and innovative ways to make teaching fun, and seeing so many students enjoying their educational field trips was very rewarding. Each and every person can make a difference in our world, and OC Habitats makes that possible!
MELISSA KING
Secretary & Volunteer (2019 - Present)
I love being a part of the OCH family! I learn something new every time I attend one of our educational programs, especially the guided hikes and Coffee & Conversation virtual presentations. It also feels good contributing to our habitat restoration and coastal habitat monitoring programs. Orange County has so many diverse and wonderful habitats; in my opinion, their preservation is paramount as we hand them over to future generations. Through OC Habitats, I truly feel like I am making a difference in our community, whether it's through volunteering, education, community outreach, or donating.
GINA THOMPSON
Volunteer & Past OCH Intern (2019 - Present)
I was a volunteer with OC Habitats for several years before beginning a year-long internship. I assisted with education programs and conducted several of our Coffee & Conservations where I presented to the public about various environmental topics. These C&Cs gave me an opportunity to learn and grow as well as bring knowledge to my community in a fun and engaging way. OC Habitat’s goal to educate people of all ages about environmental issues is admirable and beneficial for everyone involved. That, along with all their other wonderful programs, makes OC Habitats a great cause to support and one I’m proud to be a part of.
MICHAELA COATS
Volunteer, Past OCH Intern & Staff
(2020 - Present)
My experience with OC Habitats as first an intern and then a staff member proved itself to be fundamental in my growth as a student, professional, and member of the community. While I benefited so much from my relationship with the organization, I also saw first hand how the community (both human and environmental) benefited from the work being done. From educating students and the public to restoring our local wetlands, it has been inspiring to watch the positive impacts being made over time and a joy to get to know the passionate people pursuing the organization's mission.
KEVIN BARTELHEIM
Volunteer & Past OCH Intern (2021 - Present)
Over the past six months of my time as an intern at OC Habitats, I have seen just how much impact a small and relatively new environmental non-profit can truly have. I’ve personally had a hand in and witnessed how much progress people can make through our various restoration sites as the local plants thrive and grow. Not only that but I have witnessed the genuine smiles of the public as I taught them about our tide pools, Marine Protected Areas, and about the native plants of Orange County only for them to return next week with friends eager to learn. I was able to help spark a love and passion for environmentalism through our Girl Scout Education programs and finding myself blown away by how much they got their community involved with their environmental projects. At every turn I have been surprised at the impact this non-profit has been making while truly understanding just how important and impactful environmental education is for us to move forward in life. This all has been accomplished with a small yet incredibly passionate team which makes me wonder just how much more OC Habitats could accomplish with further support and funding. I truly believe that this organization will increase its reach and impact while making full use of any gracious donations.
KEVIN BOLLMAN
Volunteer & Past OCH Intern (2020 - Present)
The OC Habitats internship program gave me the experience I needed for a great career after college. I had the opportunity to hone my skills and apply everything I learned in the classroom within a real working environment. As a public relations major, I developed marketing materials, planned a fundraising campaign, wrote multiple grants, managed social media accounts, and more. All of this was key to landing a great job just a few months after graduation. If you are looking for a great organization and cause, I highly recommend OCH as an excellent place to intern and volunteer!
DEVON OWHILER
GIVING TUESDAY POST
December 3rd, 2019
Its #givingtuesday and today I want to highlight a wonderful organization that I am proud to be a part of. @ochabitats is a nonprofit that aids in the conservation of local habitats and species through surveying wildlife, as well as education and outreach.
If you are considering donating to a good cause on Giving Tuesday, please consider OC Habitats.
Photo and Written by Devon Owhiler
DEUTSCHE BANK
Restoration at William Harding Nature Trail
December 1st, 2019
Ever wonder how the home of America cinema got its name? We can thank that to a little shrub called the Toyon. Toyon was mistaken for a bush called Christmas Holly. Ahem, Hollywood. Toyon, a native plant of western California is growing all over Hollywood and Irvine Regional Park in the city of Orange. A small team of Deutsche Bank employees participated in the OC Habitats restoration at William Harding nature trail on December 1st, 2019.
Sunday morning. 8am, team DB was there. Along with 20 volunteers and 2 park rangers, we pulled weeds, dug holes, and cleaned up the trail. The work was hard, but very satisfying. The trail looked magnificent! The park rangers told us about the holly story and about wild mustard greens growing in the area, an invasive plant that terrorizes the ecosystem. The rangers were very knowledgeable and shared lots of information with us.
Thank you Alice for putting together this great event! It was fun to learn about Hollywood and to learn I have been eating invasive weeds otherwise known as mustard weed.
photos and written by Sammi Mckoy
SHEEN SIDHU
GIVING TUESDAY POST
December 3rd, 2019
It's that time of the year again and I'm so glad to be a part of something bigger than myself. This year I chose OC Habitats.
Photo and Written by Sheen Sidhu
HOLLY K. (Mom of Dezmond and Dyson) - OCTOBER 2018
I absolutely loved the class, as did my boys. They struggle with attention, with age and personality, but the staff was so incredibly engaging and patient. I am so grateful for the content and the passion of the teachers, as well as how much they seem to care and engage with the kids in a dialogue that’s super conducive to learning as well as just being such a memorable experience. It went so well. I hope this works as I was sent the PDF and filled it out on my iPhone.
Thank you!
TREVOR STOCKING
OCH Habitat Monitor and Grant Researcher (2018 - 2020)
OC Habitats is an amazing non-profit organization that gave me the experience and knowledge I needed to move forward with my career in biology. This organization does what it takes to help interns/volunteers learn the skills they need to reach their goals. Between the habitat monitoring, education, and outreach programs, those that are involved are dedicated and care about the work they do. The founder, Stacey, is truly an inspiration and the reason for all the reverence this organization receives.