By Virginia Pritchard Virginia started working at the Sierra Institute in the Fall of 2020 as a Collaborative Forestry Management Apprentice and will be working on West Lassen Headwaters Infrastructure Assessment and Watershed Improvement Project. She graduated from Oregon State University in 2016 with a dual B.S. in Environmental Science and Microbiology with a Chemistry […]
P-CREW reunion at Marin Headlands
During the summer, P-CREW crew members spend five weeks in the wilderness, working 8-hour days doing physical labor, backpacking, and living in close proximity with 11 other teenagers and two crew leaders. For many, it is their first time having a “real” job, camping, or going an extended period of time without access to the […]
Sweet Subtleties of Summer
Today we are at the East side of Jewel Lake. It is fairly cold and windy today but we are building a camp fire. It is nice to hear the wind through the trees and the birds chirping. I tried to go fishing this morning but the fish weren’t biting.. Other than that, it feels […]
The Life of Cariboots
I am part of the trail maintenance crew at P-CREW. Our crew, The Cariboots, is split into two groups: trail maintenance, and cross-cut. The trail maintenance group does brush and tread work, which involves removing manzanita brush and redefining trails. A day in P-CREW look like this; going to the cash (the place we hid […]
Nature’s Embrace
Throughout my time at P-CREW, I’ve discovered the beauty of nature. At home, I’m a stay in-doors type of person over the weekends and during breaks. During that time, you can expect to see me just in front of my computer gaming my life away. Now, I see what I’ve been missing, nature has so […]
Mental Health in the Forest
As my time with P-CREW has passed by, my mental health has changed a whole lot from the me two weeks ago. Let’s say that it is June 17, 2018. On this day, I had to leave my house for a couple hours so people could look at it, however I still spent the rest […]
Hey Summer, Who Am I?
Once again, it’s that wonderful time of year. The early sunrise and late sunset, the subtle breeze giving brief moments of coolness in the exhausting heat, the vibrant shades of green punctuating the views of beautiful mountain ranges, students turning in their final exams, and families planning vacations (or planning to send their kids away!). […]
Forest Management Tour with Collins Pine
6/20- Collins Pine Co. and PCREW talked trees, timber, and forest management techniques with triple bottom line objectives. — This was my 2nd year leading the Sustainable FOrest Management Tour with Collins Pine on behalf of Sierra Institute. Our typical tour attendee is retired and somewhat in the know about timber and forest management. At […]
Wrapping Up Sustainability Institute
“By taking care of the environment, the environment takes care of us.” “Sustainability is maintaining communities even during environmental and economic changes.” “Sustainability is what holds our small town together.” These were just some of the sentiments expressed by Greenville Junior/Senior High School students during the final Sustainability Institute presentations last Thursday, May 18. Groups […]
Sustainability: from classrooms to landscapes
When was the last time you thought about the impacts of a decision you made, not just on yourself or your family, but on the whole community? Or the surrounding environment? Or the local economy? And not just in the immediate future, but how it might influence future generations as well? Talk about place-based learning! […]