When I was a kid, there was nothing better than exploring the local creek. There were tadpoles and crawdads, water skimmers and a few small fish. It was called Spout Spring Branch (Fayetteville, Arkansas), but we just called it “the branch.” The creek was quiet, profusely vegetated and mysterious, and our parents told us never to play in the branch. That made it even more alluring, and we were drawn to it incessantly. One day, we found a duffel bag full of rifles and shotguns hidden under some overhanging grass on the edge of the creek. It turned out they had been stolen from the local gun shop. We got a $2.00 reward as I recall (That doesn’t seem like much, but inflation since 1950 has been 800%), and our picture was in the local paper. It was obviously a slow news day. When my brothers and I all came down with typhoid fever, we were told, of course, that we had caught it playing in the branch.

Well, creeks are still the greatest places to play, and (safe) opportunities abound right here in Richmond, California.

Creek Seekers

Creeks & your estuary! This year the San Francisco Estuary Project and River of Words will award 10 Creek Seeker Prizes* to students in: Oakland, Emeryville, Berkeley, Albany, El Cerrito, San Pablo, El Sobrante, Richmond, Hercules, Crockett, Port Costa, Pinole, Rodeo, or Martinez.

Students from these cities who enter the 2009 River of Words Contest will automatically be entered in the Creek Seekers Contest as well. Some of the creeks that run through these communities include Rodeo, Refugio, Rheem, Garrity, San Pablo, Derby, Potter, San Antonio, Blackberry, Sausal, East, Harwood, Arroyo Viejo, Alhambra, Wildcat, Codornices, Schoolhouse, Strawberry, Temescal, Baxter, Marin, Cerrito, Lion, Peralta, Courtland, and Seminary. Which one runs closest to your school or home?

Invite Students to Submit Poetry & Art to —The Creek Seekers: Exploring East Bay Creeks A Special Prize Category of the 14th Annual River of Words Environmental Poetry & Art Contest

DEADLINE: FEBRUARY 15, 2009 Win $100* a train trip, and learn about

Click here Creek Seekers Poster

Upcoming Events

Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service was a huge success! Read more about all that we accomplished and check out photos here.

From Wasteland to Wetland: Two Urban Restoration Success Stories

Where: Point Richmond Community Center, 139 Washington Ave
When: Thursday, February 19, 2009, 6:00 - 7:30pm

Industrial uses have for decades dominated our eastern shoreline and kept out local residents. Come hear two Bay Area success stories about how grassroots-led restoration can change the tides.

Crissy Field
Presentation by the National Park Service
The restoration project engaged the community in creating this world-class waterfront park from a former 100-acre contaminated military grounds, raising $34 million in private funds.

Heron's Head Park
Presentation by Literacy for Environmental Justice
Built on a former landfill, youth and community members maintain the restoration project annually. This thriving 24-acre marsh along the Pacific Flyway welcomes over 78 bird species.

For more information, contact Juliana Gonzalez at (510) 665-3597 or email juliana@thewatershedproject.org

Free After-School Riparian Lab

Every Wednesday, March 4 - May 27 at Booker T. Anderson Community Center
Every Thursday, March 5 - May 28 at Davis Park Community Center
3:30pm - 4:30pm
Free!

Fun and learning come together in this 12-part program, where students learn about their local creek. Our well-trained and caring staff members use educational games and activities to teach kids of all ages about creek and watershed dynamics, riparian habitat, human impact on the environment, and the importance of stewardship and outreach.

Riparian Lab Video!  For more information about our after-school riparian lab, contact Becky Lithander at (510) 665-3482 or email becky@thewatershedproject.org.