Students Helping to Restore Unique Biomes (SHRUB) was a unique program that combined environmental education, community service learning, and getting kids back to nature through restoration of the natural landscape. SHRUB looked to serve nature-deprived children from underserved, inner-city public schools in Los Angeles County in the 4th through 7th grades. This program was first made possible by a grant from the Boeing Company and the first classes participated at Headwaters Corner in September 2009.
The SHRUB program had two-student teams adopt a plot of land in a designated area they care for through the seven months of the program. In their plot, they plant either seeds and/or small native plants and remove any non-native plants that may grow. They learned to observe the natural elements as they tracked the progress of the plants they nourished including wind direction, air temperature, cloud cover, and soil moisture. Students participated in hands-on sessions on geology, flora and fauna, insects, soils, plant adaptation, impacts of invasive species on native plants, animals, the water cycle, and the scientific method.