School will be out for summer before we know it and it’s time to think about summer camp. Look no further than your own back yard – the Irvine Ranch Water District San Joaquin Marsh. Sea and Sage Audubon and the Discovery Science Center are gearing up to once again present their unique summer camps at the Marsh.

Sea and Sage has provided summer nature camps at the Marsh for more than 20 years. The first offering is Fledgling Camp for the younger set – seven and eight year-olds. This camp takes place June 23-27, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Campers will learn observational skills on daily bird nature walks, where they will learn to keep a birding journal. Games, learning songs and doing crafts will keep campers busy.

Marsh Bird Camp sessions are June 23-27 and July 7-11, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Campers will explore all aspects of Marsh bird life, enjoy daily nature walks, see live hawks and owls from a rehabilitator, paint a birdbath, keep a nature journal, do crafts and much more.

Birds, Bugs and Blossoms Camp is July 14-18, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., for campers 11 years and older. This camp will cover birds, bugs, and native plants of the neighborhood. Campers will take daily walks, an off-site field trip, enjoy craft activities, learn bird should and participate in a scavenger hunt.

Visit the Sea and Sage Audubon website for information on how to register for camp.

The summer camp partnership between IRWD and the Discovery Science Center is entering its fifth year. Camp offerings are for children ages five through 10.

Summer Smiles camp is geared toward the adventurous five and six-year-olds. Camps will investigate the world of frogs, bats, butterflies and crabs. They will use magnifiers to get an up-close look at butterfly wings, concoct ooey, gooey slime, make a bat box, and grind their own colorful sand. The young explores will learn the purpose of the Marsh’s natural filtration ponds during nature hikes in this scenic setting. The dates for this camp are July 7-11, July 21-25 and August 18-22, 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Project Discovery is for youngsters aged seven to 10. Campers will enjoy a series of challenge-based activities, such as testing different models for flight, dropping an egg without breaking it and constructing a catapult. They will get to test their creations in a fun and friendly camp-wide competition. Campers will investigate the secrets of the solar system and take a close look at our planet. Dates for this camp are June 30-July 4, July 14-18, July 28-August 1, August 11-15, 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Information about Discovery Science Center summer camps is available on their website.

For the past three years, UC Irvine has implemented the student housing initiative aimed at planting trees throughout the vast housing complexes dotted around the campus. Irvine Ranch Water District and the Shadetree Partnership have collaborated to provide a variety of trees from the Shadetree nursery to the effort.

“We have had volunteers plant 700 trees provided by the partnership,” said Matt Deines, who works with UCI’s environmental planners and is a member of the Shadetree board. “The goal is to plant trees near the paths for the ecological effects, provide bird habitat, create an urban treescape and improve air quality.”

On Earth Day, student volunteers gathered to plant 90 trees at the UCI Palo Verde Student Housing complex. Many of the students were from Prof. Peter Bowler’s classes on sustainability.

“We have gone to the UCI arboretum and to the San Joaquin wetlands with our class,” said student Elise Jackson.

Dave Asman, landscape contracts administrator for IRWD and Shadetree representative, gathered with students and instructed them how to plant the strawberry trees, California peppers, Canary Island pines, Chinese flame trees, crape myrtles, Chinese Pistache, Brisbane Box and coast live oaks. Then the students took over.

The California friendly trees were selected from Shadetree’s vast inventory. Shadetree’s nursery is located at UCI and monthly nursery events take place. Participating in the UCI planting was Steve Reed, a volunteer manager of the Shadetree Nursery. He estimated that he and volunteer John Boone have logged in 2,000 hours at Shadetree since they became involved a few years ago.

“There is always a lot of work to do,” Reed said. “We need volunteers to rake, plant, weed and prune. Every day is Earth Day at Shadetree Partnership.”

Check out Shadetree’s website for information on future plantings, or nursery events.

Are you interested in cutting down on water use in your garden by installing native plants? Would you even recognize a native plant if you saw one? Join the California Native Plant Society of Orange County on a one-day, self-guided tour of gardens featuring all or mostly native plants all over Orange County.

The date of this year’s garden tour is May 3, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. This is a great opportunity to visit 19 gardens that are not open for viewing. These gardens’ unique designs not only save water, they also attract native birds and butterflies – and are living proof that California native plants can be successfully integrated into the home landscape. Designers who specialize in using native plants will be present in some gardens.

There is no cost for the tour, but registration with the Native Plant Society is required. You can also check out the IRWD website for tips on saving money on outdoor water use.

Today marks the official date of Earth Day, but this coming weekend, many Earth Day events are taking place. As stewards of the environment, Irvine Ranch Water District will participate in Earth Day at the Back Bay 2014 on Saturday, April 26.

The event will be held at the Peter and Mary Muth Interpretive Center at 2301 University Drive, Newport Beach, from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.

There is no charge to participate in the fun. Stop by the IRWD activity and make a water conservation keychain.

This event, in its 24^th year, is fun for the entire family. IRWD will have an activity at the annual Earth Day at the Bay event on Saturday, April 20 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Peter and Mary Muth Interpretive Center. There is no charge to participate in the fun.

Enjoy environmental exhibits, face painting, nature scavenger hunts, opportunity drawings, live music and more. Bring a refillable water bottle. Food will be available from a variety of food trucks.

Information about IRWD’s environmental programs is available on our website.