Forestry Internship Program

Geographic Scope: Sonoma and Marin Counties, California

Program Type: Educational internship (not a grant/funding opportunity for external applicants)

Focus Areas:

• Forest health, resilience, and biodiversity
• Habitat management training
• Forestry policy and practices
• Forestry science
• Environmental communications
• Climate change adaptation
• Soil health and regenerative agriculture
• Ecosystem restoration
• Water quality testing
• Wildlife conservation

Eligibility:

• High school students ages 16-18
• Located in Sonoma and Marin Counties

Program Components:

• Academic and vocational training
• Classroom instruction with expert presenters
• Field trips to ecological sites (Point Reyes National Seashore, restoration sites)
• Hands-on habitat management work
• Real-world projects including habitat management planning
• Environmental communications projects (blogs, social media, videos)
• Career panel with environmental professionals

Partner Organizations:

• Marin County Office of Education's School to Career Partnership
• University of California, Berkeley

Key Instructors:

• Catriona Glazebrook (Executive Director, 30+ years habitat management experience)
• Walker Laughlin (Program & Development Manager)

Guest Presenters Include:

• Dr. James Powell (Geologist, NSF member, climate change research)
• Diana Beresford-Kroeger (Internationally recognized botanist)
• Jared Holmes (Conservation Biologist, Selah Bamberger Ranch Preserve)
• Dr. Ray Ward (Founder, Ward Laboratories, soil science)

Topics Covered:

• Climate change trends and impacts
• Natural resource management
• Landscape plan design
• Water, soil, and ecosystem health testing
• Innovative ecosystem design
• Environmental communications tools
• Peer-reviewed research analysis
• Green careers in environmental field

Application/Registration Process

Registration: Available online via registration link

Program Timeline: Summer-based program with classroom instruction, field trips, hands-on work, and culminating career panel

Program Culmination: Career panel (August 9 historically) featuring environmental scientists, activists, and green industry leaders, broadcast on Zoom to international audience

Deliverables/Projects:

• Participation in habitat management work (water quality testing, tree fertilization, site restoration)
• Contribution to 700-acre habitat management plan
• Environmental communications projects (blog posts, social media content, short videos)
• Real-world ecosystem restoration data collection

Note: This is an educational internship program rather than a grant funding opportunity. Students do not receive monetary awards but gain training, experience, and education.