The Port Costa Conservation Society, The Bull Valley Agricultural Center, and The Field Semester are joining FORCES to restore the degraded Big Bull Valley Watershed and revive the historic Port Costa Schoolhouse. The result will be expanded community resources, a thriving ecosystem, and an innovative campus for Social Justice and stewardship education.

The Big Bull Valley Watershed: Only 40 minutes from downtown Oakland, nestled into the hills on the shore of the Carquinez Strait, Port Costa is at the confluence of urban spaces and the cultural, political, industrial, and ecological systems that support them. The town embodies California’s rich and complex history: once the biggest wheat port in the United States, Port Costa today is a one-road hideaway, home to about 200 residents. It sits in the midst of a coastal region dotted with oil refineries, yet the town is surrounded by more than 3,000 acres of open space. The educational opportunities for The Field Semester's students are almost overwhelming. Though notably unique and isolated in feeling, Port Costa is geographically accessible to many urban student populations—ensuring our ability to attract a diverse student body that will represent a broad range of environmental perspectives and experiences. Port Costa and its natural beauty will give students an inspiring, perspective-changing immersion in nature without seeming too distant or entirely disconnected from their home communities.

TFS students will live in cabins around the Bull Valley reservoir, learn and dine in the school building, and regenerate and maintain these structures and the surrounding land. The campus will showcase ecologically sound land stewardship and innovative sustainable agriculture, while also connecting students to the region’s rich and complex history. 

The site is located along an East Bay Regional Parks District trail, and Port Costa visitors will be able to view historical exhibits and period classrooms in the schoolhouse. Outside, they will find picnic areas alongside the creek, meandering paths and edible landscaping, natural play areas for children, and open space for dogs. The schoolhouse will continue to serve as a community center for the town. When The Field Semester is not in session, the Bull Valley Agricultural Center will use the cabins around the lake as a retreat center for people involved in regional sustainable agriculture. Together, the preserve, schoolhouse, and programming will demonstrate how innovative land stewardship can create ecologically restorative spaces that are well suited for recreation and learning, agriculturally productive, and of service to the local community.