Purpose:
To support restoration and youth stewardship programs at Herons Head Park, a 24-acre restored wetland located at the base of the Hunters Point Power Plant. Heron's Head is a unique environment in that it is built on landfill, but is now a thriving marsh that is maintained primarily by youth. More than 1000 student volunteers serve as primary caretakers of the park each year. They help to plant native plant species, weed non-natives, and clean and maintain the wild areas of the park. Herons Head Park supports over 78 species of birds annually, and is an important rest stop for migratory birds along the Pacific Flyway.

The Heron Head Park (HHP) Program is an environmental / ecological science and land stewardship program aimed at the K-12 students of the Bayview / Hunter Point district. The HHP Program is an innovative experiential education program that engages student volunteers in park stewardship activities including:
          * Environmental Monitoring
          * Natural History
          * Plant and Wildlife Conservation, and
          * Park Maintenance

Literacy for Environmental Justice's responsibility to Heron's Head Park is to pursue the following goals:

1) to provide an experiential environmental and ecological science program to the students of San Francisco's Bayview/Hunter's Point and the San Francisco Unified School district;

2) to provide active monitoring of native animal and plant species, wetland biodiversity and health, and environmental health factors (water & soil testing);

3) to maintain and enhance the native plant populations of the park, and to create/maintain habitats for all Heron's Head Park (HHP) animal species; and

4) to provide a safe and healthy open space for the community of Bayview/Hunter's Point and San Francisco.

Primary Contact for the Project:
Ben Francisco, Park Naturalist
Heron's Head Park Program Coordinator
Phone: (415) 508-0575
E-mail: heronshead@lejyouth.org