Environmental Stewardship Grant – Empowering Youth in Forestry & Natural Resources
A Case Study
The Challenge
Forestry, wildfire mitigation, and natural resource management are at the heart of Northern California’s future. Yet in rural counties like Trinity, Siskiyou, and Modoc, young people often lack access to these career pathways. Employers need skilled workers, while students need meaningful, paid opportunities to learn, earn certifications, and see a future in their own communities.
The Partnership
Through the North State Together “Educating Future Environmental Stewards” initiative, SiskiyouWorks collaborated with Trinity Together, Advancing Modoc, Humboldt County partners, local school districts, tribal organizations (Karuk Tribe, Quartz Valley Indian Reservation, Pit River Tribe, Fort Bidwell Indian Tribe), and industry leaders including the U.S. Forest Service, CalFire, Lomakatsi Restoration Project, and Mid Klamath Watershed Council.
This collaboration united educators, tribes, employers, and nonprofits across four counties to design programs that blend Indigenous knowledge, academic learning, and hands-on fieldwork.
The Program
The Environmental Stewardship Grant funded a series of events and opportunities that gave students exposure to both cultural and technical knowledge. Highlights included:
Curriculum Development: Updated and expanded coursework in forestry, wildfire resilience, climate adaptation, and Indigenous land stewardship.
Field Trips & Hands-On Experiences: Visits to McCloud River Preserve, Modoc National Forest, tribal lands, Clear Creek tributary, and the Weaverville Community Forest.
Educator Training: Professional development workshops equipping teachers with tools to integrate sustainability, fire science, and Indigenous ecological knowledge into classrooms.
Career Events & Outreach: Participation in career fairs, Tribal Youth Leadership programs, and CTE Days to recruit and engage students.
Work-Based Learning & Stipends: Paid internships with tribes, forestry organizations, fire councils, and conservation agencies.
Certifications & Technical Training: Industry-recognized credentials in Wildland Firefighting, GIS and mapping, watershed restoration, and sustainable agriculture.
The Results
Regional Reach: Students across Trinity, Siskiyou, Modoc, and Humboldt Counties gained access to programs that had never been available at this scale.
Hands-On Impact: Youth engaged directly in forestry, fire management, agriculture, and conservation projects, learning both technical skills and cultural stewardship practices.
Workforce Readiness: Students left with industry credentials, paid experience, and confidence to pursue forestry, fire, and conservation careers.
Educator Capacity: Teachers gained new curriculum, tools, and training to sustain environmental education in their schools.
Community Collaboration: Stronger partnerships among counties, tribes, agencies, and nonprofits created a model for scaling similar programs across the North State.
Events & Activities
The Environmental Stewardship Grant supported a wide range of student-focused events and experiences, including:
Fall CTE Business & Industry Student and Industry Day
Spring Siskiyou Sustainability-Themed County CTE Day
COS Summer Wildland Fire Camp
Modoc/Trinity/Siskiyou Stewardship & Conservation Event
Big Foot Trail Alliance Field Experience
Beavers Trail Restoration Project
GIS & Cartography Training
NorCal Forestry Challenge
Sierra Cascade Forest Products & Logging Conference
These events gave students the chance to explore careers, gain hands-on experience, and connect with employers and mentors across forestry, fire, and natural resources.
Why It Matters
This grant wasn’t just one event—it was a movement across multiple counties, showing that when education, tribal knowledge, and industry align, students thrive. The Environmental Stewardship Grant sparked new pathways for rural youth, built local capacity for long-term workforce development, and strengthened communities facing the challenges of wildfire, climate change, and economic uncertainty.
SiskiyouWorks is proud to have been part of this cross-county effort. If your school, organization, or business wants to be part of creating opportunities like these, we’d love to partner with you.
