“There are only opportunities here” — Learning Science on the Job with the California Conservation Corps

Rallied by the motto — “Hard work. Low pay. Miserable conditions… and more!” — young men and women in the California Conservation Corps are busy building trails, clearing fire-ravaged forests, and restoring habitats along creeks, wetlands and beaches. In the process, they make learning science an everyday part of their job.

Habitat Health Check — Members of the California Conservation Corps, in cooperation with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), identify and count endangered species as they conduct a fisheries survey in a waterway in Northern California. Photo by Hannah Traverse, CCC Corps Network.

When 19-year-old Melina Di Stefano signed up for the California Conservation Corps, she had no idea she’d be helping to save the state’s official amphibian, the threatened Red-Legged Frog.

For young men and women like Ms. Di Stefano, serving in the California Conservation Corps means more than just building trails in the backcountry, clearing streams of invasive species, or fighting some of the worst fires in California history.

Corps members learn hands-on about environmental sustainability, habitat restoration and environmental stewardship as they work in some of the most ecologically threatened areas in California.

And whether working on trails or clearing dead trees, the CCC weaves in science with the same hard work and can-do spirit.

Stewards of the Watersheds —Corps members use a seine to sample fish species as part of a watershed restoration project near Tomales Bay in Marin County. Projects like this provide Corps members with immersive learning experiences. They take samples and collect data from the field in endangered habitats, measure pollution levels and monitor impacts from invasive species —critical efforts in an era of climate change. (Photo by California Conservation Corps)

Illustrious History — Modeled on Success

Inspired by president Roosevelt’s New Deal programs, Governor Jerry Brown founded the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1976. It is the oldest and largest conservation program in the nation. In recognition of its ecological prowess, the CCC was awarded a United Nations Environmental Programme Medal in 1985.

Conservation in the High Country — The Corps’ popular Backcountry Trails Program selects individuals from diverse backgrounds to spend 5 months in the Sierra Nevada high country and Trinity Alps. There are many opportunities for Corps members to apply basic scientific knowledge learned in the classroom. They build and maintain trails, clear fire-damaged forests, identify and remove invasive species and mitigate habitat loss in sensitive ecological areas. (Photo by CCC.)

Hard Work — Diverse Backgrounds

Recruits are selected from every corner of the state and must undergo rigorous physical conditioning during an intensive orientation before their field service begins.

Housed in residential centers throughout California, such as Fortuna (Humboldt County), Ukiah (Mendocino), Butte County and Tahoe, Corps members serve on the front lines of firefighting, flood mitigation, emergency response (including earthquakes and oil spills), and natural resource conservation.

Trails maintenance is a particularly big focus. And trail-building often takes Corps members to remote locations where awareness of sensitive habitat is paramount. In the Sierra high country, for example, Corps members are building trails around Yosemite National Park.

Hard Work, Grit, and Learning —Corps members learn to use native materials when building trails, like this granite in Yosemite National Park. Corps members apply basic skills and learn new ones through fieldwork as well as classroom settings. Corps members consider principles of hydrology when they evaluate trail design to increase runoff and reduce erosion. (Photo courtesy of Yosemite Conservancy and National Park Service)

Reducing Fire Risk — Identifying Flora and Fauna —To clear dry fuel from overgrown vegetation, Corps members are trained to identify species commonly found in the field, both invasive and native to California. (Photo by CCC)

Learning Starts in the Classroom, Continues in the Field

At the beginning of their one-year commitment to the Corps, new recruits receive basic science instruction, an integral component of the Corps’ Conservation Awareness Curriculum. Corps members must learn to identify common species of plants, animals and trees, understand basic hydrology, and learn the fundamentals of ecosystems and habitat restoration.

They extend that foundation in the field through varied environmental projects, in partnership with organizations like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, US Forest Service, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, as well as several federal, state, local and privately-funded environmental initiatives.

If desired, Corps members can even obtain their high school diploma at the Corps’ own charter school. The CCC also partners with community colleges so Corps members can supplement their work experience with college classes.

Fighting Fires and Restoring Habitats — Corps members assume dual roles: fighting fires, then later returning to restore fire-scarred areas by planting drought-tolerant and native species of plants and trees. In the photo above, Corps members are seen in action battling the Nuns Fire in Sonoma County (photo by CCC).

Learning Forest Ecology — Even when removing dead trees after a fire, as show above in Sonoma County, Corps member must consider the health and well-being of the surrounding forest ecosystem. (Photo by Christopher Chung, the Press Democrat)

As climate change continues to impact California —with rising temperatures, more severe droughts, longer fire seasons, elevated sea levels and more extreme weather events —the California Conservation Corps will continue to serve on the front lines.

Responding to Environmental Crises — A Corps member deploys an oil containment boom in response to the 2007 Cosco Busan oil spill in San Francisco Bay. The CCC is a vital resource to respond to natural and ecological disasters. (Photo by CCC)

Research and Resources — Learning Science in the CCC

“Hard work. Low pay. Miserable conditions… and more!”

“For the Frogs: Salmon habitat restoration as a boon to threatened frog populations,” by Beth Pratt-Bergstrom, National Wildlife Federation, January 5, 2015

Video: California Conservation Corps Member Advocates for Red-Legged Frogs, by John Griffith, December 13, 2015

“California is Preparing for Extreme Weather. It’s Time to Plant Some Trees,” by Henry Fountain, New York Times, July 15, 2017

“The planting, much of which is done by young workers with the state-run California Conservation Corps, is done with all the precision of modern agriculture. A field about to be restored looks much like any cropland, with furrows and markings where the various young plants are to be placed, all determined ahead of time.”

“State allots $1.4 million for Novato wetlands restoration,” by Will Houston, Marin Independent-Journal, May 15, 2020

“From invasive plant removal to monitoring, the program will also work to train about 36 Conservation Corps North Bay members, 12 Americorps National Civilian Community Corps members, students and community volunteers, many of whom come from underserved communities, in ecological restoration skills and environmental stewardship.”

Living and Learning in the Corps

Website: California Conservation Corps — Targeted Conservation Programs — a detailed summary of CCC environmental and science related programs, including Backcountry Trails Program, Energy Corps (which retrofits older buildings with energy efficient lighting and electrical components, which helps reduce CO2 by reducing energy consumption), Forest Health, International Work Exchange Programs, the Veterans Corps Fisheries Program, and the Watershed Stewards Program.

Video: “CCC Backcountry: Living Off The Grid,” by California Conservation Corps Backcountry Trails Program, April 26, 2018

Video: “Women in the Wilderness ”— a joint venture with Eastern Sierra Conservation Corps and CCC, by Eastern Sierra Conservation Corps, May 22, 2017

“The Women in the Wilderness Program takes groups of women into the backcountry for an educational and immersive trip, free of cost. Through the teaching of on the ground backpacking skills paired with an introduction to trail maintenance, we provide a personal and meaningful wilderness experience.”

How to Join the CCC

The CCC recruits young men and women from diverse backgrounds, who are California residents, age 18 to 25. The CCC also recruits military veterans who are California residents, age 25 to 29.

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