| Siskiyou Mountain Club
Long live the backwoods trails |
Contact, Gabriel Howe, Executive Director
Gabe@siskiyoumountainclub.org 541-708-2056 |
15 DECEMBER 2021
For Immediate Release: Siskiyou Mountain Club to expand Corps Program, hiring for multiple positions. Learn more and apply at siskiyoumountainclub.org/hiring2022/
FISH HOOK TRAIL, OR. — Trevor Meyer stares across a massive swath of backcountry that goes on for as far as the eye can see, a chainsaw balanced over his shoulder. The smell of two-stroke exhaust is thick as Meyer and his work partner, Nick Hodges, work from dawn to dusk along the Fish Hook Peak Trail in Oregon’s Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest.
They both started as SMC Wilderness Corps interns in 2016 and 2017, then promoted their way into the organization’s highest ranks. They’ve got less than 50 years of life between them, but their legacies are already written in the federal lands where they’ve rebuilt much of Southwest Oregon’s trail infrastructure.
“These young Americans have had a landscape-scale impact,” says their supervisor, the Club’s executive director, Gabriel Howe. “They reversed the trend of losing trails. They’re backwoods heroes. ”
Some 42 interns have made it through the nonprofit organization’s Wilderness Corps Program, an eight-week crash course working on the Club’s most demanding trail assignments deep in the backwoods of Southwest Oregon and Northwest California. Corps members also participate in an enrichment and educational element of the program, building industry credentials and a certificate of federally-recognized Corps service.
The Club aims to create an immersive experience that inspires personal growth and professional development. Terms start May 1, June 6, and June 29. Interns receive a $1,200 monthly stipend and up to a $1,000 bonus after completing the program.
Corps interns do not need prior experience or a high-school diploma. “But they need grit and they’ve got to want it,” says Howe, who is also hiring for other field positions. “We look for people like Meyer and Hodges. People who value service and aren’t afraid of hard work.”
Some interns may extend their service or in some cases, like Meyer and Hodges, promote within the organization. Learn more and apply at siskiyoumountainclub.org/hiring2022/.
“It’s nice looking back and to know you made a difference,” says Meyer. “And it’s hard work.”
We are an equal opportunity employer. All aspects of employment including the decision to hire, promote, discipline, or discharge, will be based on merit, competence, performance, and business needs. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, marital status, age, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, pregnancy, genetic information, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, or any other status protected under federal, state, or local law.
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