Team Oakland 2025 Reflections

Student Poem

We pulled ivy from the wall,

its grip was strong, its vines were tall.

I watched it fall, a tangled art,

Still loving nature from afar

The green was pretty, wild and free

But not the safest friend to me

I’d itch and sneeze 

and swell and wheeze

A meadow war with every breeze

Now it's gone,

The ivy’s through

But I’d still wave at skies so blue

Admire the bloom, just not so near

With tissues, cream, and bug bite fear

—Hannah Jenkins, 10th Grader, Oakland Technical High School

The Summer we Freed the Watershed

This summer, the sun seemed to rise just for us. Beautiful, bright, steady, and stubborn. We were armed with gloves, typically the ones we used to clean up trash, clippers in which we used to free the trees. We took time in the forest where we saw how the ivy had wrapped its greedy vines around every tree and stone. To see the tree has no choice but to accept its fate in which it would typically come to the point of no longer being able to hold on to its weight. 

—Jessica Bowie, 10th Grader, Oakland Technical High School

Reporting on Creek Health

On July 17th, my YEP team and I were working with Elena from Friends of Sausal Creek to perform a water testing experiment at the Montclair Golf Course. Upon arrival of where Cobbledick and Palo Seco Creek intersect, creating Sausal Creek, I discovered what looked like an off-trail waterfall flowing into the creek. With much curiosity, I notified my team and Elena of this discovery. With uncertainty of where it could be coming from, we walked over, only to discover it was a broken pipe leaking soapsuds and toilet paper. Collectively, we took the initiative to capture this discovery through pictures and videos.

Elena reported the sewer leak to EBMUD, the City of Oakland, and the Regional Waterboard. We then evacuated the premises and decided to experiment with water testing devices at a safer site.

—Ka’niyah Richardson, 10th Grader, Oakland Technical High School

Reflections: Our Favorite Places in the Watershed

My favorite environment had to be the shoreline ecosystem at the estuary. That's because I was told valuable information— living in Oakland, I didn't know Oakland has its own beach. If I wanted to go to the beach it was always Alameda. Now knowing Oakland has a beach of its own I want to restore it - that’s what stuck with me for the longest time: “Oakland has a beach”. I will definitely visit with friends to maybe skip some rocks. 

—Yahya Ghulam, 11th Grader, Oakland High School

The hiking trip in Joaquin Miller was my favorite, because any form of exercise helps me greatly mentally because of how calming it is. The calm I feel when I do restoration or hiking is great because it wakes me up and makes me feel good. I definitely will be coming back to these spots in the future with friends because the fairy rings and everything to do with redwood trees is very cool overall. 

—Cristo Rey De La Salle High School Student, Class of 2025

In this program my favorite environment I have been in was Dimond park because it is so calm there. You just see people having a good time at the park having fun and chilling. What I learned stuck with me was learning about the watershed and how it works. I’m excited to go back to any of those sites to show my friends and family what I have done. 

—Anonymous Arise Student 

While being here I really enjoyed clearing the land of all the invasive species. I’ve explored a little more environmental science which has caught my eye and has grown into a passion. 

—Isaiah, 11th Grader, Oakland Tech