Young people invited to apply for 2023 Youth Crew with Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship
Lauren Westmoreland
[email protected]
Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship (SBTS) invites local young people to apply for a summer of fun building trails and fostering connections with the natural world in the beautiful Lost Sierra, with an application deadline of Friday, April 7.
SBTS’s Youth Crew Program is not only nationally recognized and award-winning, but also provides local youth ages 15-18 with ‘holistic outdoor employment and education experience in a safe and inclusive environment.’ The program promotes community pride, sustainable outdoor recreation practices, and the development of lifelong backcountry and trail building skills. One exciting aspect of this program is the opportunity for participants to earn ORL credits at Feather River College, along with certifications through training and application of trail building skills.
Crew members will be out working and camping in the Plumas, Tahoe, and Lassen National Forests on weekdays (Monday-Friday) and will return home for the weekends. While in the field, they will be responsible for cooking, working, and living in an intentional community. Throughout the program there will be a focus on fostering a connection between the youth crew and the public lands in their backyard.
Youth Trail Crew members are supervised by adult leaders who are familiar with the work area, are experts in trail restoration, and are well-versed in backcountry safety, and will consist of 10-11 youth and three to four professional adult leaders total. While working and living together, the crew Youth will experience life in tents, cook their own meals, and practice Leave No Trace camping. Food and transportation are provided.
This program has been around for a while, but this year, there is a new focus on providing an enhanced educational side of the program, meant to connect the youth with the world around them through lessons on resource conservation, local employment opportunities, and more.
The 2023 Youth Crew will have two different four-week “hitches” available for application, according to SBTS Program Manager Kyle Stone. The first will run from Monday, June 19 to Friday, July 14, and the second will run from Monday, July 17 to Friday, August 11. Crew members may be employed for one or both hitches.
For more information, visit https://sierratrails.org/student-trail-crew/. Applications are due by Friday, April 7 and there will be a mandatory Student/Parent Orientation on Saturday, May 13.
