Students Showcase Grape Day Park Restoration Projects

Since July of last year, local high school students have been exploring the Escondido Creek watershed and learning about our Grape Day Park creek restoration project as part of our Conservation Fellowship program. Each of the Fellows were paired with a Conservancy staff member and mentored as they developed their own research projects associated with the Escondido Creek watershed and the concrete flood control channel. Last week, the students displayed their projects at National Night Out. Community members, local organizations, city councilmembers, and even they Mayor of Escondido stopped by our booth to admire the work of these students. 

The Grape Day Park creek restoration study has been ongoing since 2018. With the help of hydrologists, engineers, biologists, and economists, we have proposed a draft restoration design that will benefit the creek, our community, local businesses, and wildlife. High school students living in Escondido and/or near the concrete channel served as Conservation Fellows to gain an understanding of creek restoration opportunities, experience outdoor adventures, and explore possible career paths. The projects ranged from water quality, benefits of urban nature, preventing gentrification, and alternatives to single-use plastics. While some of the Fellows are leaving soon for college, others will continue working with us as we solidify plans for the Grape Day Park restoration.