By Jose Jasso Jr., Canyonlands Outreach Coordaintor
There was a small foxtail in our boot. Itching at us. Although we were running volunteer events consistently and a full-time restoration crew, we knew there were community members absent from these groups. Just out of reach. And that they could benefit from this work in more ways than one. With help from the Youth Community Access Grant, San Diego Foundation, Lucky Duck and other key partners, Canyonlands developed two programs that would allow individuals from populations less likely considered in the environmental field, to get their chance and gauge for themselves whether it was for them.
If you’ve attended events in the past two years, you may have noticed a group of talented, capable and motivated high school students joining the outreach and field teams every Saturday, pulling weeds alongside volunteers, both gaining knowledge and sharing it when they can. These students are with our Canyon Connections Internship for Hoover High School in City Heights. Your help and participation in the Nature Challenge & Hike-a-thon fundraiser will allow us to continue this program in the next school year, to the Class of ‘28, to neighboring schools and beyond.
Oftentimes, Canyonlands staff members encounter City Heights residents and students that do not know about the people who work to keep the canyons clear. Community members may not have been exposed to the pockets of green space close to them to utilize, care for, and form a connection with. Instead, they opt for nature visits on the weekend where the whole family piles into a car and drives some distance for a more well-known nature space.
“The idea of working in nature appealed to me as I've always enjoyed hiking, running, and fishing outdoors” (Frank, CCI Intern, Hoover High).
For these high schoolers, this internship is something that can peak their interest in the environmental field while also enticing them to spend more time in green spaces they may not have known existed. This program allows these local high school students to become the new generation of stewards while also bringing interest to the canyons, as they now have a direct tie to the green spaces in their community. This program also provides financial support for these students so that they don’t have to skip out on time in nature, allowing them an income to help their financial literacy, support their families, or even to start a college fund.
“CCI not only helps to restore the ecological damage caused by humans but also provides low-income students with an opportunity to explore a scientific field while earning a paycheck” (Frank, CCI Senior, Hoover High).
The beauty of a program like the Canyon Connections Internship is proving to the students involved that they can find their spaces to enjoy and take care of, while also getting paid to do so. We can acknowledge that this experience may be their first step into the environmental field, but we hope it will not be their last. Our wish is that they gain some comfort of being in nature, caring for nature, and perhaps be something that they may study in the future while also building interest in their local neighborhood and school.
While we reach the high school interns with an opportunity to plant a seed for their future endeavors, we also take into consideration community members who are slightly outside of that window and may be struggling to find where their career lies. For those individuals we have the Environmental Career Opportunities (ECO) program , where we give an opportunity for residents who have found themselves in extenuating circumstances to try their hand in the environmental field while also building up some work experience. For some of these participants, the stipends from our workforce development program can be the helping hand they need for their next step, or as a way to navigate their way into the environmental field.
“I definitely am falling in love with this job. I’m in such gorgeous places and am in disbelief I’m getting paid” (Ben, ECO Alumni).
Alumni from ECO have found themselves working for environmental organizations, including Recon, Nature Collective and Canyonlands, with ECO being just the right boost to lift them from their situation.
The Canyon Connections Internship and Environmental Career Opportunities initiatives are meant for those who don’t usually get to connect with nature due to life’s situations. Canyonlands believes that everybody deserves the chance to form their own connection to nature and become stewards of the land, but not have to skip out on these experiences due to financial circumstances. Now we are asking you to help in continuing these programs by participating in our Canyonlands Nature Challenge. Spend time in the canyons like our interns and apprentices, learning about our flora, connecting to our fauna, and having great explorative moments in our canyons. Join us in pulling weeds and planting metaphorical seeds for the future generation of environmental stewards.
“fostering education and ongoing community involvement in stewardship and advocacy…”
(San Diego Canyonlands Mission Statement)