Families and nature enthusiasts visited a 12-acre wildlife sanctuary in Orange County on Saturday for an early Earth Day celebration.

It was one of many events hosted around the region; beach cleanups were held along the coast and several educational events focused on conservation, preservation and protecting local habitats.

At the Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary, the Environmental Nature Center worked with the surroundings, highlighting the plants, birds and insects in a day themed around pollinators.

For the ENC, just about every day is Earth Day, spokesperson Lori Whalen said, so it typically participates in other organizations’ events, but this year decided to host its own celebration. It was also an opportunity to introduce more people to the sanctuary.

The Newport Beach-based ENC acquired the sanctuary in Modjeska Canyon in 2021 from Cal State Fullerton and reopened it to the community in September 2022.

The 12-acre sanctuary is open to the public on weekends, offering a natural history museum, gift shop, picnic area and trails. Santiago Creek meanders through a portion of the property, offering an attractive habitat for birds and animals and an observation deck has long been popular with bird watchers, Whalen said.

Newly restored is the historical house, which ENC officials decided to renovate after an old photo was found showing its original architectural details before a fire burned down the building. When it was rebuilt, the quaint details were left off and the building was mainly just cinderblock, Whalen said.

Now the home will be available to rent for small weddings and events and will let the ENC hold more programs for the community, she said. Last month it had its first, an evening about living with cougars, which she said was well attended by the residents of the surrounding canyon communities who are no strangers to living with the large cats.

“The location is so connected to the history of the canyon,” Whalen said of the restored house of Benjamin and Dorothy May Tucker, who built the second home on what was once part of Helena Modjeska’s secluded estate. Whalen said how nice it is to have the residence looking authentic again.

In 1929, Benjamin Tucker, an avid birder, opened his porch to fellow bird watchers and in 1939 it was dubbed a bird preserve by the Audubon Society. Tucker donated the property after the fire to the society. It was transferred to CSUF in 1969 and served as a research location.

The ENC was founded in 1972, its 3-acre nature center an oasis in the middle of a Newport Beach neighborhood. There are 15 ecosystems represented in the flora and fauna that visitors can experience walking its trails. The Newport Beach center also keeps a full calendar of nature classes, gardening events and more.

The Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary hosts school field trips, scouts outings and is registering now for summer camps.

For hours and more information on both locations, go to encenter.org.