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School Yard - Wet and Wild Education

Each spring since 1995 the freshwater marsh at Big Break in Oakley has been invaded by hordes of small creatures sporting brightly colored plumage and emitting shrill cries. They are not exotic birds or bugs; they're first graders from Vintage Parkway Elementary School participating in the school's Wet 'N Wild program, which teaches students and their families about the Delta and the marsh.

"For a few weeks we pretty much eat, drink and breathe the wetlands," says teacher Nancy Huffaker, who heads the program this year. Through activities that include collecting plant and animal specimens, monitoring animal tracks and debris, and writing stories about the Delta, students learn about the water cycle, water quality, and marsh wildlife. In past years students have stenciled storm drains, conducted marsh clean-ups and created a book entitled Down the Drain about the effects of stormwater pollution.

Two Vintage Parkway teachers launched the Wet 'N Wild program after attending an October 1994 Kids in Creeks workshop. Kids in Creeks' sponsor, the Contra Costa Clean Water Program, provided funding through its Teacher Action Grants program, which awards grants of up to $1,500 for innovative classroom-based environmental awareness and restoration projects. The grants are administered by the Aquatic Outreach Institute (formerly the S.F. Estuary Institute's Education Program), which also runs Kids in Creeks.

More than 700 teachers have participated in Kids in Creeks workshops since the program was launched in 1992. The workshops, which use local urban creeks to teach watershed protection, are offered on a county-wide basis and provide teachers with resources specific to their counties.

Antioch High School science teacher Jim Hybarger has received several Teacher Action Grants, as well as funding from the City of Antioch and DuPont Chemical, for his 10th grade science curriculum incorporating restoration, monitoring and other West Antioch Creek activities. In 1996, Hybarger's students replaced non native vegetation at the creek with native California big leaf maples and valley oaks. This spring, Hybarger and his students are planting a demonstration vegetable garden which will use integrated pest management techniques. "I'm hoping that we'll be able to show the vegetables at the county fair in July," he says.

Contact: Kathy Kramer (510) 231-9507

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