On the morning of April 27th, 2001, students, teachers, parents and community members came together to celebrate the outstanding achievement of students throughout Marin and Sonoma counties who have been actively working on the STRAW project.
Throughout the school year, Students and Teachers Restoring A Watershed has been diligently rehabilitating creeks from 9 different watersheds.
The STRAW project is a program of The Bay Institute and the Center for Ecoliteracy. The Bay Institute is dedicated to protecting and restoring ecosystems of the San Francisco Bay and Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The Center for Ecoliteracy is focused on sustainability and the protection of our Earth. With the help of many partners, volunteers, and schools, STRAW has created new life and promoted healthy and diverse ecosystems within the watersheds.
This annual Summit and Exhibition allowed the students to display their watershed projects in the form of presentations, models, videos, and artwork. The event commemorated the year’s accomplishments including riparian restoration, water monitoring, bird projects, and other studies.
Over 500 enthusiastic students from schools such as Brookside, Cascade Canyon, Lagunitas, La Tercera, Mill Valley Middle School, and Wade Thomas attended. The students showed impressive understanding of what they were doing as well as awareness of the reasons for their actions. “We tested how healthy the creek was. There weren’t any animals living there and we were trying to bring them back. We planted willows and wax myrtles. The willows will grow and shade the cattails so they don’t grow anymore,” explained two excited students.
The STRAW project exemplifies how students, teachers, and community members can play vital roles in protecting and preserving our aquatic ecosystems.