Left to right, Mark Matson a volunteer landscaping consultant, Executive Director of JRYMCA Michael Brunker, and Eric Bowlby Executive Director of San Diego Canyonlands survey Chollas Creek on the YMCA property.

The San Diego Foundation has funded San Diego Canyonlands (SDCL) to work with the Jackie Robinson YMCA (JRYMCA) to create a nature-based education and stewardship program on a section of Chollas Creek that flows through the YMCA property (near Imperial Avenue and I-805). We are connecting a variety of youth programs as well as community volunteers to restore natural habitats on this section of the creek and establish a "Nature Classroom" to serve a sustainable program that, if successful, can be exported to other YMCA locations.

We are using the site to bring our OutdoorExplore! after-school program to 150 students from King Chavez Elementary in partnership with San Diego Audubon Society and Natural History Museum.

Council Member Tony Young (center) poses with the Cesar Chavez Club from Monroe Clark Middle School at the September 25 Coastal Cleanup Day to help launch the JRYMCA/Chollas Creek project.

We are also working to provide learning and stewardship opportunities to 41 King Chavez Middle School students in an after-school program and integrate the program with development of high-tech media skills. These students may be enrolled in creating media and a documentary around the project itself as part of their service learning.

Middle and high school students throughout the Chollas Creek watershed will be given opportunities to earn their required community-service credits by helping with the project. King Chavez High School students will participate this winter and students from the nearby Lincoln High School will be invited/encouraged to earn their credits at this site.

September 25 at JRYMCA -Youth load weeds & trash into dumpsters.

There are 20 at-risk students enrolled in the “Sports Academy” program at the JRYMCA that will also have the opportunity to fulfill their community service requirements as well as complete some of their standard educational curriculum.

Students will know that they live in a watershed. Using GoogleEarth in the JRYMCA Tech Lab, we’ll show them where the JRYMCA is within the Chollas Creek watershed as waters flow down to San Diego Bay. Each event will include an inspirational talk about the important ecological needs that their work will serve including wildlife/species conservation and water-quality benefits.

Youth will play an important, pioneering role in establishing a sustainable “Nature Classroom” to support future nature-based programs at the JRYMCA.

This grant/project was made possible by the Ariel W. Coggeshall Fund; the Mary E. Hield and Robert R. Hield Endowment Fund; and the Environment Grants Program Fund of The San Diego Foundation.