Participants in the Young Women's Natural Resource Career Camp listen to U.S. Forest Service fisheries biologist Wendy Brewer and members of a stream survey crew as they share stories about their career paths and skills at Wildcat Campground in the Ochoco National Forest outside Prineville in August. 

Central Oregon girls learned about land management careers during the

Young Women’s Natural Resources Career Camp earlier this week.

The camp, a collaboration between the U.S. Forest Service and nonprofit Discover Your Forest, took place at the Wildcat Campground just outside of Prineville. Participants were high school sophomores, juniors and seniors.

Emily Curtis, wildland fire education coordinator for Discover Your Forest, said the camp has been running since at least 2014 and that this is the first year it was held in the Ochoco National Forest, as opposed to the Deschutes National Forest.

“It is essentially intended to be an introduction to different types of natural resources careers,” Curtis told The Bulletin. Organizers arranged for three to four women in the Forest Service to speak with campers each day about what they did in their careers.

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Due to the pandemic, the camp did not run for several years. When it resumed this year, it became a day camp instead of an overnight camp to make sure staff were trained, said Curtis.

Organizers are hoping to bring the camp back as an overnight camp in the future.

Telling their stories

Campers heard from archaeologists, wildlife biologists, fishery biologists, engineers and recreation managers, among others, who organized hands-on activities that gave a glimpse of their work, as well as how it has changed over time, said Curtis.

“We want the Forest Service specialists, these females, to share their stories of how they got into this work and what that work has been like for them, so that maybe these young women, these girls who are maybe entering into a career or higher education part of their life, could maybe see themselves in these Forest Service professionals,” Curtis said.

Discover Your Forest provided materials, transportation and covered all fees through grant funding. Many of Discover Your Forest’s programs are run through grants and fundraising.

This was Curtis’ first year organizing the camp. She also handles public outreach and education regarding wildfire risk mitigation work and forest restoration work.

“I think there’s a big enthusiasm from especially the Forest Service specialists, who are excited to participate, and encourage specifically younger females to enter these careers,” said Curtis. “I’ve felt a lot of support. It’s been a really great collaborative effort.”

She said the team had a backup location if wildfire smoke proved too heavy.

A diverse group of young women

There were 15 spots available to campers.

“We don’t have a criteria in the sense of meeting any kind of specific standard other than a willingness to be there and an ability to be picked up from a centralized community location within Central Oregon,” Curtis said.

She said she expected a diverse group of young women. She hoped the campers learned about careers they might not have been aware of previously, and said she wished a camp like this had existed when she was in high school.

“I’m hoping to learn just as much from them as they learn from the specialists,” said

Curtis. “I think that it will be really engaging. I love that a lot of our programs focus on experiential and hands-on learning, and we’re bringing that to this camp as well. I’m hoping and expecting that this will spark some inspiration and aspiration for these young women.”

Learn more about Discover Your Forest here: https://discoveryourforest.org/. The organization is primarily funded by donation and grant, and is therefore able to provide free programs for youth in Central Oregon.