Efforts made by California State University, Fresno students and volunteers with the nonprofit group RiverTree to help restore the San Joaquin River have paid off in the form of a $29,143 grant from the Fresno Regional Foundation to continue their work.
Unlike other political science students, those enrolled in Dr. Mark Somma’s Environmental Politics and Policy class are doing more than sitting in a classroom and taking tests – they are leaving their traditional classroom setting for the banks of the San Joaquin River, where they have dedicated themselves to restoring the Central Valley icon.
“The students here have gone far above and beyond anything that I imagined to help restore the river and build relationships with community groups, local agencies and local schools,” Somma said. “Their work now stretches into environmental service and research activities that stretch across the Central Valley.”