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Connecting the community to habitat restoration through service learning and native plant education.
Back to Natives assists in the recovery of Orange County’s
biodiversity through the restoration of open spaces, and the
development of habitat gardens. Our environmental education
programs educate students and community members about the
importance of native plants and biodiversity.

The BTN Staff (from left to right): Brian, Alex, Matt and Reginald. |
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Through our efforts we
increase public understanding and appreciation of our
quickly diminishing resources, and as a result, inspire
the public to use wilderness resources wisely and
respectfully, and to assist in the effort to protect our
wild land areas. Back to Natives
works to create public awareness of the rich
environmental resources the County and the State have to
offer, and the need to preserve them for generations to
come. |
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"To encourage and actively participate in the restoration
and conservation of Orange County and California wildlands,
through education and restoration programs featuring native
plants and biodiversity as a centralizing theme."
To that end, Back to Natives serves the growing
number of land managers in need of restoration services by
facilitating dialogue with the community, promoting awareness of
and public support for restoration and restorative management;
and, of course, bringing about the recovery of damaged
ecosystems through ecological restoration!
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- Restore open space (private and publicly held land) with
appropriate plant species, while reaching out to the
community through restoration-based education programs and
volunteer opportunities.
- Coordinate with land managers to provide
service-learning programs using curriculum aligned with the
California state science and social science standards.
- Assist land managers with the recruitment, training and
retaining of volunteers to assist with the task of
restoration and education at their sites.
- Promote native plant gardening to local schools and
public facilities.
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Upcoming Board Meeting! |
Board meetings are held
once each quarter in January, April, July and October.
All are welcome to attend!
Meetings are open to the public. To attend a meeting,
you may RSVP to
info @ backtonatives.org or call
949-509-4787, to be sure we have
adequate space to accommodate all attendees.
Location:
BTN Office RSVP for directions.
RSVP to
info@backtonatives.org
as soon as possible. |
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| Past Board Members |
2010-2011
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Erik Roberts, President
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Dennis Litton, Vice President
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Carol Roberts, Secretary
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Naomi L Gruenthal, Treasurer
-
Lori Whalen, M.A., B.S. Director/Director of Education
-
Reginald Durant, B.A., Director of
Restoration/Executive Director
Honorary Board of Directors
- Sandy DeSimone, Ph.D.
- Stephen Barker, Ph.D.*
2009-2010
- Edgar Becerra, President
- Dennis Litton, Vice President
- Sandy DeSimone, Secretary
- John Bellendir., Treasurer
- Robert Carreon, Director, Past-President
- Stephen Barker, Ph.D.*, Director
- Delilah Snell, Director
- Lori Whalen, M.A., B.S. Director/Director of Education
- Reginald Durant, B.A., Director of
Restoration/Executive Director
2008-2009
- Robert Carreon, President
- Sandy DeSimone, Secretary
- John Bellendir, Treasurer
- Stephen Barker, Ph.D.*, Director
- Delilah Snell, Director
- Robert Carreon, Director
- Lori Whalen, M.A., B.S. Director/Director of Education
- Reginald Durant, B.A., Director of
Restoration/Executive Director
2007-2008
- Patricia (Trish) Smith, President
- Sandy DeSimone, Secretary
- John Bellendir, Treasurer
- Stephen Barker, Ph.D.*, Director
- Delilah Snell, Director
- Robert Carreon, Director
- Lori Whalen, M.A., B.S. Director/Director of Education
- Reginald Durant, B.A., Director of
Restoration/Executive Director
2006-2007 Founding Board
- Patricia (Trish) Smith, President
- Lori Whalen, M.A., B.S., Secretary/Director of Education
- Reginald Durant, B.A., Director of
Restoration/Executive Director/Treasurer
- Stephen Barker, Ph.D.*, Director
*Nephew
of Aldo Leopold, the father of wildlife management and the U.S.
wilderness system. |
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Office Staff:
949-509-4787
Design Team/Maintenance Team
- Brian Maddock brian(@)backtonatives.org
- Matt Finch matt(@)backtonatives.org
- Alex Koutzoukis alex(@)backtonatives.org
Design Intern
- Cindy Arnold cindy(@)backtonatives.org
Restoration Interns
Accounting Intern
Propagation Intern
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2011-2012 Board of Directors
- Erik Roberts, President
- John Kaiser, Ph.D., Retired University Professor and Aeronautical Engineer, Vice President
- Carol Roberts, Secretary
- Naomi L Gruenthal, Treasurer
- Lori Whalen, M.A., B.S. Director/Director of Education
- Reginald Durant, B.A., Director of
Restoration/Executive Director
Honorary Board of Directors
- Sandy DeSimone, Ph.D.
- Stephen Barker, Ph.D.*
*Nephew
of
Aldo Leopold, the father of wildlife management and the U.S.
wilderness system. |
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Advisory Council Members
- Bob Allen, Consultant
- Jas Batra
- John Bellendir
- Nancy Blackbrun, School Teacher
- Scott Breeden, Software Programmer
- Deborah Brin, Geneticist, Environmental Educator
- Debra Clarke, Wilderness/Trails Manager, District Volunteer Coordinator, Cleveland NF, Trabuco Ranger District
- Peter Collisson, Attorney at Law
- Frank Colver, Retired Engineer
- Judith M. Gielow, Retired
- Robin Keber, Biologist, Avian Specialist
- Colleen Kirtland, (Grants)
- Mary Pax Lenney, Ph.D., ArcGIS Specialist, College Professor
- Niles Mackrell, Website Development
- Bob Miller, Electrical Engineer
- Tricia Nichols
- Karen OBrien
- Rainbow Pharoan, Educator
- Silvia Pule, Elementary Principal
- David Reule, MBA, B.A. Tax Partner KMJ Corbin
- David Taylor, B.A., B.C.E., Entomologist
- Jean Watt, Non-profit Management and Leadership
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