About Us
Advancing Conservation through Science, Research, and Education
The Institute for Conservation Research and Education (ICRE) advances conservation through research, education, and community involvement, helping protect biodiversity and the natural places wildlife depends on.
Who We Are
The Institute for Conservation Research and Education (ICRE) is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization based in Orange County, California. We support environmental research and conservation through education, science-based research, and community involvement.
Our work is rooted in the belief that understanding ecosystems is essential to protecting them. By connecting research with education and hands-on conservation, ICRE supports wildlife, habitats, and the communities that depend on healthy natural systems.
Why We Exist
Southern California is a global biodiversity hotspot, featuring a diverse range of plant and animal species. Many species are severely threatened by human activities and are classified as endangered or at risk. To ensure the survival of what remains in communities like ours, we need to understand these species by researching their needs and conserving their habitat. Suitable natural habitat for these species is declining worldwide. For this reason, ICRE focuses largely on wildlife conservation and habitat restoration. ICRE seeks to fulfill these goals not only through research, but also through community involvement, outreach, and education.
Our Story
ICRE was founded in 2011 by Barry Nerhus. Barry partnered with one of his own influential Huntington Beach High School biology teachers and organized a field trip for current high school students to Yosemite National Park. The goal of the trip was to let students spend time in nature and experience ecological field research in practice. Field trips like this one evolved into the ICRE’s Ecological Field Studies Program, where students develop and conduct their own field research projects over the course of a school year and present their results as a scientific poster. ICRE has continued Barry’s Master’s Thesis research with southwestern pond turtles as well as other threatened and endangered Californian wildlife species. Globally, ICRE has partnered with international conservation organizations such as Tortugueros de Las Playitas to conserve Mexican sea turtles and support locally created community-based habitat restoration programs here in Orange County, California.
