Overview
The Wilderness Ranger Academy provides an opportunity to access high quality skill building for those who engage in wilderness work in California. It offers an excellent platform for sharing information and connecting wilderness stewards – agency, partnership staff, and volunteers from across the region – both inside and outside of the classroom.
Courses are designed to be interactive and provide skills-based training at various levels of experience. The training will take advantage of existing virtual modules in combination with site-based teaching of physical skills. In addition, the event will facilitate connections that promote camaraderie of participants developed while comparing notes and sharing stories around campfires.
The application period will be open through May 1st. YOUR APPLICATION DOES NOT GUARANTEE ENROLLMENT. To ensure equitable geographic participation in Wilderness Ranger Academy, we will review applications and will notify you of enrollment status by May 10th. If you are selected to attend, you will be provided a logistics packet with more information about the event.
During the application process you will be asked to rank sessions you are interested in attending. We do our best to enroll participants in their highest ranked choices, depending on availability. Due to high demand, it is not always possible to provide every participant with their first choice.
There is a cap on participants so we ask that you only apply if you can stay for the entire event.
Prerequisites
Arthur Carhart National Wilderness Training Center “Wilderness Act of 1964” online class
This free online course is required before attending the Wilderness Ranger Academy. It includes reading short narratives, listening to audio, interactive graphics, and quizzes. The average time it takes students is 2.5 hours. You can stop and start the class anytime you want – you don’t have to take it all at once. Once at the Academy, please be prepared to discuss what you learned from the class, what surprised you, and what was the most important thing you got from the curriculum.
Leave No Trace 101 online class
This free online course is required before attending Wilderness Ranger Academy. It includes reading short narratives, watching videos, and quizzes. We have designed the visitor contact sessions at the Academy (Tuesday) assuming you have already taken this class and have learned this foundational material. The average time it takes students is 40 minutes. You can stop and start the class anytime you want – you don’t have to take it all at once.
Location & Accommodations
This year's ranger academy is located in the eastern Sierra Nevada mountains at the Mono Lake Visitor Center located at: 1 Visitor Center Dr, Lee Vining, CA 93541. Campsites will be provided to academy participants free of charge 5 miles west of the Mono Lake Visitor Center at the Morraine Campground.
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It is not uncommon for Tioga Pass (Highway 108), Sonora Pass (Highway 108), and Ebbett's Pass (Highway 4) to still be closed this time of year. People interested in traveling over Tioga Pass via highway 120 should check with Yosemite National Park information to confirm the road is in fact plowed and open. People interested in traveling over one of the other trans-Sierra highways should check with CalTrans for the most update information on pass closures.
Please carpool when possible and note that if you bring a car, it may not always be immediately accessible.
Wednesday Afternoon Field Session Descriptions
Campsite Naturalization, Campsite Inventory and Solitude Monitoring
This hands-on course will focus on a combination of solitude and campsite data collection and restoration techniques for campsites in wilderness. Data collection methods and examples will be covered as they pertain to Wilderness Stewardship Performance (WSP) and assisting in making management decisions.
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We will discuss campsite restoration techniques including how to break up and disperse fire rings, and iceberg rocks into inappropriate tent pads, and naturalize sites. Participants must provide their own personal protective equipment including hardhat, work gloves, eye protection, long sleeve shirt, long pants, and boots
Thursday/Friday Skills Session Descriptions
Advanced Wilderness Trail Maintenance
This two day course focuses on more technical trail work skills and methods. Topics will include drainage techniques and water bar construction, trail tread repair and maintenance, and eliminating braided trails/social trails. Rock work techniques will be covered such as check steps, stairs, and water crossings. The use of a grip hoist for moving large rocks and down logs will be introduced and practiced. Overall trail design with the use of a clinometer and flagging for layout will be covered. Equestrian considerations for trails will also be talked about. This will be a hands-on class with travel
to a trailhead and field site for on trail examples and practice. Participants must provide their own personal protective equipment including hardhat, work gloves, eye protection, long sleeve shirt, long pants, and boots.