When backcountry trails disappear, the next generation loses more than a path through the backwoods. They lose an experience, and it is thus our mission to restore those trails fading from the remote mountains of southwest Oregon and northwest California. 

Our Corps trail crews do the hard work it takes to achieve that mission. They backpack into project sites where crews camp for up to two weeks at a time sawing logs, clearing brush, and digging out trails lost underneath a 30-year-long divestment from America's great national forests. Our Corps represents a new generation stepping back in, literally. 

Interns are led by field staff with multiple years of experience in backcountry trail work and the program carries an emphasis on teamwork to reach landscape-scale outcomes.  Interns are undistracted by cell phones and technology during their work hitches. During off-trail blocks, SMC provides accomodations and plans a whitewater rafting trip, visits to places like the Redwoods and Crater Lake, and a tour of the Southern Oregon's great public lands.

Terms, pay and logistics
Onboard remotely in the spring, start work June 2 or June 26, and pick from one of our three departure days and earn an $1,800 monthly stipend. The program immersive and rigorous. Accomodations include campgrounds and motel rooms in Ashland, OR. with acces to laundry, shower, and reasonable transportation requests. 

Location
Projects take place throughout the Pacific Northwest. Our home base is the Rogue Valley. 

Curricular requirements
We ask that all interns maintain a daily journal and highly encourage capturing photos and videos regularly. Some interns grow those into a portfolio that documents their experience. 

Academic Credit
SMC provides documentation, evaluation, and other information needed for interns to gain academic credit from the college they're enrolled in. 

Training
We provide comprehensive curricular and field training with an emphasis on personal growth and professional development. 

• Basic backcountry trails skills. Interns will be able to brush, tread, and remove trees from a trail prism to meet universal specifications
• Interpersonal communication skills in group settings
• Backpacking and wilderness survival. Interns will grow the skills to be self-reliant in the backcountry, as well as plan trips and work and live in remote wilderness settings
• Credentials: Interns earn certificates issues by the University of Montana’s Arthur Carhart Wilderness Institute, the Center for Leave No Trace Outdoor Ethics, U.S. Forest Service, and Siskiyou Mountain Club
• First Aid and CPR, Leave No Trace, and USFS crosscut saw certification, pending eligibility
• Certificate of public service recognized by the National Corps Network, Federal Employers, and the Corporation for National and Community Service. 

About Siskiyou Mountain Club
We're a small nonprofit with a big mission, to restore and maintain trails fading from our national forests. Our crews have saved hundreds of miles of trails for the next generation, and we have adopted approximately 400 miles of trails in the most remote reaches of this region known for its vast expanse of public lands. 

We are an equal opportunity employer and place high value on diversity throughout our organization.