The Shirley Dettloff Interpretative Center

The First Stop On Your Visit

The Shirley Dettloff Interpretive Center is the perfect place to begin your Shipley Nature Center adventure. Friendly docents are available to answer questions, share seasonal highlights, and help you make the most of your visit to the trails and native habitats.

Inside, you’ll discover a variety of engaging exhibits that bring local ecology and history to life. A beautifully refreshed diorama showcases the birds and animals you might spot along the trails—cleaned and brightened to enhance every detail. Along the walls, informative panels trace the story of Huntington Beach from the Ice Age to today, helping visitors understand the landscape’s dramatic transformation over time.

Don’t miss a visit to the Shipley Gift Shop, where you’ll find unique nature-inspired gifts, children’s animal finger puppets, garden and composting books, greeting cards, and field guides. A featured favorite is The Mystery of Blackbird Pond—a charming book about the creatures who live in and around Shipley’s very own Blackbird Pond.

Whether you're here for learning, exploring, or a thoughtful souvenir, the Interpretive Center offers a warm and enriching start to your journey through nature.

Who Was Shirley Dettloff?

Shirley Dettloff was a trailblazing environmentalist, four-time Huntington Beach City Council member, and former mayor whose passion for nature shaped the city’s landscape—and its future. After the Shipley Nature Center closed in 2002 due to budget cuts, Shirley rallied local residents, forming what became the nonprofit Friends of Shipley Nature Center. Through her leadership and tireless volunteerism, the center was restored and reopened, offering a sanctuary for native wildlife and a vital hub for environmental education. Her deep involvement was personal; as her husband Bob recalled, she would often say, “I’ve got to go down and open up Shipley,” demonstrating her day-to-day commitment to the center’s care.

Shirley’s environmental legacy extended far beyond Shipley. She was a founding member and longtime executive director of Amigos de Bolsa Chica, served on the California Coastal Commission, and co-led local volunteer efforts during the 1990 American Trader oil spill. In 2024, a year after her passing, the Shipley Interpretive Center was officially renamed in her honor. Today, the Shirley Dettloff Interpretive Center stands as a tribute to her life’s work—a place where her vision of conservation, education, and community continues to bloom.

Bird Detective Display

Characteristics, behavior, and appearance of native birds are the focus of the Bird Detective station. Working at this “hands on” station provides information and tips to guide inquiry and take a closer look. The concept of “citizen science” invites visitors to record their observations about the birds they see. By doing this, they contribute important information to a central database that is checked and analyzed by trained biologists.

Kid's Corner

Welcome to our Kids Corner! Immerse yourself in local ecology topics. Learn about the wonders of plants, wildlife and natural systems that are found all around us! Our “nature neighbors” play an important role in how our ecosystem functions. The more you learn, the more you will see how we are all interconnected!

We’ve designed this space to inspire curious minds, engage active bodies, and encourage exploration. Every month, we invite young naturalists to learn about a new topic. So be sure to visit each month to dive into a new theme!

By providing a space to READ, EXPLORE, and MOVE, we hope to INSPIRE the next generation of naturalists!

Read:

Read to enter new worlds! We supply our young naturalists with books*, posters, and other reading materials to expand your understanding of the plants, creatures, and natural systems at work around us.

*Books are provided in collaboration with Huntington Beach Public Library, Children’s Library.

Explore:

Explore nature through a new lens! We’ve created games, puzzles, and activities to promote hands-on learning. Use your critical thinking and problem-solving skills to reach new horizons.

Move:

Move and journey to new places! We’ve designed each MOVE activity to complement the EXPLORE section so you can make the mind-body connection!

Inspire:

How will you inspire change? Each month, we encourage our young naturalists to think about how you can be a steward of nature through a different lens.

Something that we can all consistently think about is the concept of RECIPROCITY.

Nothing in nature can exist alone – we are all interconnected, and we are all part of nature. How can you give back the same amount or more than what you take?

The Shirley Dettloff Interpretive Center