Five years ago, a group of concerned citizens and professional educators dreamed of restoring the section of Alhambra Creek that ran through the Martinez Adult School Campus. Over the years, the creek had been modified in order to increase capacity because of a long history of local flooding. However, this group envisioned a new creek that was more sustainable and one that would provide a myriad of environmental education opportunities. The task seemed nearly insurmountable because the creek was plagued by fallen chain-link fences, overrun by a host of invasive species and used as a convenient dumping site. In response, several community leaders, educators and visionaries decided to take action and founded the Alhambra Creek Restoration and Environmental Education Collaborative (ACREEC).

First the group worked with several organizations to secure funding. After pursuing many avenues, they were able to secure a $197,000 grant from the Department of Natural Resources, $70,000 from the Coastal Conservancy, $30,000 from the National Fish and Wildlife Fund, $8,500 from Contra Costa Fish and Wildlife and $80,000 from several local industries. Once funding was secured, the group began to develop a master plan for the restoration of the creek. Students from the Briones School of Independent Study decided to get involved immediately. They met with professional consultants and began to formulate a plan for an interpretive trail, developed an environmental mural, and learned everything they could about the San Francisco Bay Watershed and the ecology of Alhambra Creek.

In the second year the Environmental Studies Academy (ESA) was officially founded for "at risk" students attending the Briones School of Independent Study. Students were involved with the program three days a week for four hours a day. The students participated in GPS monitoring, designed an interpretive trail, built a shade house for native plant propagation and developed a nature totem. They also built bird boxes, installed an irrigation system, removed several exotics and planted hundreds of native plants along the newly created riparian slope.

This year the program at ESA was formally designed as a comprehensive, alternative learning experience for "at risk" high school students in the Martinez Unified School District. The curriculum utilizes the strategies and practices of Place-Based Education which integrates Ecological Service Learning into the core curriculum. Recently, the ACREEC and ESA have adopted Sky Ranch. Recently, The Muir Heritage Land Trust (www.muirheritagelandtrust.org) a member of ACREEC, has worked very hard to acquire a property known as Sky Ranch. This parcel is situated along the headwaters of Alhambra Creek and will be preserved as a permanent open space. ESA students serve as stewards of the property and have been working to control soil erosion and have planted nearly 900 native plants. Additionally, they are maintaining the irrigation system, constructing an educational kiosk and are currently designing an outdoor classroom alongside their creek restoration project on their campus.

"Conservation International (CI) supports the Alhambra Creek Restoration and Environmental Education Collaborative (ACREEC) in its work to empower local students and other stakeholders to restore and protect critical habitats in their community. ACREEC is a creative and energetic program that involves youth in the planning and implementation of habitat restoration as well as community mobilization and environmental education. Centered in the California Floristic Province, one of the 34 most threatened "Hotspots" of biodiversity in the world, this group is not only restoring habitat for endangered and native species, but also reinvigorating their community and their lives."