his project envisions a sustained, multi-faceted approach to engaging Springfield, MA residents in stewardship-related activities with two central goals: increasing awareness and sensitivity of residents to watershed-related issues and fostering a sense of place and citizen stewardship within the Connecticut River watershed.  Urban stream and forest restoration will occur specifically at the Abbey Brook area, which is adjacent to the Renaissance School.  Mentored by teachers and partners, Renaissance students will participate in the habitat restoration effort and engage in curricula that applies stream monitoring, invasive species management, and wetland restoration concepts at the field site.  Teachers will be supported through skill-based workshops led by field experts.  These studies will be further complimented through voluntary student participation in the summer restoration ecology program at Mt. Holyoke College and youth employment opportunities with the USFWS’s Youth Conservation Corps.  The community will be engaged in habitat restoration, site improvement and cleanups, and outreach at Abbey Brook, which has been degraded by storm-water runoff.