SHIPLEY NATURE CENTER

It is not difficult to find Central Park in Huntington Beach, a 300-acre expanse of green that has become the city park system’s pride and joy. Nestled among its pathways twists and curves, however, is something more difficult to locate but a pleasure to happen upon--the Shipley Nature Center.

The center is filled with exhibits, facts and figures detailing nature’s part in local history. One exhibit includes the nests and models of some of the 200 species of birds found in Central Park. The park is known as one of the best bird-watching spots in Southern California.

The natural history of the city is detailed in other ways as well, ranging from baleen from the mouth of a whale to a much more recent addition--a sign pinned to the wall identifying a crack from last year’s Upland quake.

The center is primarily geared toward children. It is a hands-on place, with plenty of blinking lights, flip cards and other things designed to hold a child’s attention.

It is the live animals in the center that elicit the most response from children. Turtles and snakes are taken out of their enclosures so that the children can hold them and learn about them at the same time.

A small pond has been built in the middle of the center so children can see catfish up close. It used to be that they could then go and try their hand at catching fish at the two lakes in the park, but the lakes have been dry for the last three years because of the drought.

The center is named for Donald Shipley, former mayor of Huntington Beach. He is known in the city for his efforts to save open space, overseeing the city’s park system growth from just one park in the late 1950s to the 60 or so that dot the community today.

It was Shipley’s intention that residents would have the opportunity to take time out and go to a place where they could just enjoy nature. Central Park and the center named for him are just such places. Shipley Center hours: 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily; opens at 8:30 a.m. daily during the summer months. Address: Huntington Beach Central Park. To reach the center, enter the park through Central Park Drive off Edwards Street. Telephone: (714) 960-8847 Miscellaneous information: Guided tours through the center and a half-mile nature walk around the park can be arranged by calling the park naturalist at the number above.