About
STRAW (Students and Teachers Restoring A Watershed) offers integrated watershed science education that includes in-class lessons, field studies for students, and native gardening. The program includes hands-on, professional habitat restoration work, with students and teachers involved in site selection, climate-smart project design, volunteer education and training, implementation, maintenance, monitoring, and reporting. It also offers professional development for teachers connected to these watershed and habitat restoration projects.
• Ages: 5–18 years old
• Price: hands-on, professional habitat restoration opportunities that are free of charge to participants
STRAW was founded by a 4th grade class in 1992 and continues as a collaborative network spanning 15 California counties. Each year it engages approximately 4,000 K–12 students, teachers, and young adults through classroom and field programs aligned with science standards. Teachers are provided annual training events and given resources and technical support to integrate watershed science into their classrooms year-round. The program develops partnerships among students, teachers, county planners, habitat managers, ranchers, businesses, and scientists to work on shared goals related to water quality, carbon sequestration, community involvement, and habitat creation. With its community-centered restoration model, STRAW has provided in-class lessons and field studies for students, as well as professional development for teachers, over multiple decades.
Point Blue’s scientific research informs STRAW’s climate-smart restoration practices, and students implement cutting-edge restoration projects that have been shown to increase ecosystem health and resilience. With each restoration, STRAW involves local community members, especially children, in work that heals damaged landscapes, generates cleaner water, sequesters carbon, and revitalizes wildlife habitats. The program also offers resources for native gardening in English and Spanish. Through the Community College Conservation Internship (CCCI), a training program for Black, Indigenous, and other people of color, and through an apprenticeship program, STRAW works to broaden the conservation field and support the next generation of conservation leaders. In a recent season, with support from the Marin Resource Conservation District, STRAW worked with more than 400 students to restore a riparian corridor at Blue Marble Acres.
Point Blue offers educational field trips connected to STRAW where participants can observe scientists safely band and release songbirds. Drop-in visits are welcome at the Palomarin Field Station in Bolinas, CA for groups of seven or fewer between sunrise and noon most days. The STRAW leadership team includes Laurette Rogers, STRAW Program Founder and Ambassador; Diana Humple, Senior Avian Ecologist and Banding Coordinator; and Melissa Pitkin, Chief of Staff. One testimonial from Steve Herman, PhD and professor at Evergreen State College, describes Point Blue as a leading champion of science-driven conservation and notes that students he has sent there since 1974 have benefited uniquely from their experiences, and he has called the organization “my finishing school.” The program’s mission statement is: “With an educator’s mindset, we provide learning experiences that prepare people of all ages to tackle the greatest environmental challenges of our time.”
Last updated May 8, 2026.
• Ages: 5–18 years old
• Price: hands-on, professional habitat restoration opportunities that are free of charge to participants
STRAW was founded by a 4th grade class in 1992 and continues as a collaborative network spanning 15 California counties. Each year it engages approximately 4,000 K–12 students, teachers, and young adults through classroom and field programs aligned with science standards. Teachers are provided annual training events and given resources and technical support to integrate watershed science into their classrooms year-round. The program develops partnerships among students, teachers, county planners, habitat managers, ranchers, businesses, and scientists to work on shared goals related to water quality, carbon sequestration, community involvement, and habitat creation. With its community-centered restoration model, STRAW has provided in-class lessons and field studies for students, as well as professional development for teachers, over multiple decades.
Point Blue’s scientific research informs STRAW’s climate-smart restoration practices, and students implement cutting-edge restoration projects that have been shown to increase ecosystem health and resilience. With each restoration, STRAW involves local community members, especially children, in work that heals damaged landscapes, generates cleaner water, sequesters carbon, and revitalizes wildlife habitats. The program also offers resources for native gardening in English and Spanish. Through the Community College Conservation Internship (CCCI), a training program for Black, Indigenous, and other people of color, and through an apprenticeship program, STRAW works to broaden the conservation field and support the next generation of conservation leaders. In a recent season, with support from the Marin Resource Conservation District, STRAW worked with more than 400 students to restore a riparian corridor at Blue Marble Acres.
Point Blue offers educational field trips connected to STRAW where participants can observe scientists safely band and release songbirds. Drop-in visits are welcome at the Palomarin Field Station in Bolinas, CA for groups of seven or fewer between sunrise and noon most days. The STRAW leadership team includes Laurette Rogers, STRAW Program Founder and Ambassador; Diana Humple, Senior Avian Ecologist and Banding Coordinator; and Melissa Pitkin, Chief of Staff. One testimonial from Steve Herman, PhD and professor at Evergreen State College, describes Point Blue as a leading champion of science-driven conservation and notes that students he has sent there since 1974 have benefited uniquely from their experiences, and he has called the organization “my finishing school.” The program’s mission statement is: “With an educator’s mindset, we provide learning experiences that prepare people of all ages to tackle the greatest environmental challenges of our time.”
Last updated May 8, 2026.
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