The Wilderness Program
The Wilderness Program takes a group of 6 to 8 people, ages of 18-25, with no prior backpacking experience, on an introductory, but immersive, trip into the backcountry. The goal is to provide a great wilderness experience and a pathway to stewardship and employment in natural resource management.
Empowerment
The most underrepresented demographic in natural resource management is people of color and the LGBTQIA2S+ community. This program increases the diversity in the parks and forest services and creates lifelong stewards of the environment. These groups cannot be expected to have an investment in the National Parks if they haven't experienced the parks firsthand. The Wilderness Program is a step in solving the problem because it is aimed at creating future stewards of the environment derived from an underrepresented group.
About the Trip
The CCCF Wilderness Program is offering introductory backpacking trips for the 2024 season. This program was launched in 2016 as Women in the Wilderness and was managed in part for several years by the Eastern Sierra Conservation Corps http://www.easternsierracc.org/ . The program now includes affinity hikes for Women of Color and LGBTQIA2S+ individuals.
Each hike is a 9-day experience that includes an orientation, debriefing, and 5 days of backpacking. Hikes are led by experts with years of backpacking and conservation experience. No prior backpacking experience is required and there is no cost to participants. Transportation costs will be reimbursed and all necessary gear will be available to borrow. In addition to backpacking, participants will spend 1-2 days of the hike living and working with a trail crew. At the end of the hike, participants who are interested in pursuing careers in conservation or outdoor recreation will be connected with relevant resources and contacts.
For more information on what to expect on a hike, visit our Instagram and Facebook!
If you have any questions, please email anne@cccfoundation.net
