Wildlife and Wildfires: Teen Environmental Education in Donner Lake, California

The Trip

Environmental scientist and engineers work with the earth’s resources with the goal of improving environmental quality in every aspect. Clean water and air, wildlife protection and growth, and natural resource protection are just a few of the broader things that they work on.

This trip will give teens an introduction to learning about some of these topics and aims to inspire future interest in environmental conservation. We will focus on forest management, wildlife observation, and the fishing industry on this trip. Fun hands on activities and group discussions will be our mode of learning for the week.

This trip is open to all teens between the ages of 15 and 18. In addition to the required Sierra Club forms, participants will need to complete an application before joining the team. A few spots will be reserved for students with a demonstrated financial need and scholarship money will be available for those participants.

Day 1: We meet midafternoon at our lodge for snacks and introductions. We will take a short hike along the China Cove Trail loop (3.5 miles). Tonight’s topic will be forest management.

Day 2: We will begin the morning with a wildland firefighter guest speaker to learn more firsthand about fighting wildfires and forest management. We will then hike to the Johnson Canyon Overlook (3.9 miles) and discuss how we could manage this area of land.

Day 3: This morning we will be learning about water conservation and the fishing industry in the area. We will start the morning with a rafting trip around Donner Lake while our tour guide discusses diversity and the history of the area. We will top off the later part of the day to try our hand at catching rainbow and golden-lighting trout in a nearby pond.

Day 4: Todays talk is on the study of wildlife and animal observation. We will check out footage from trail cameras that we set out earlier and make adjustments to their locations based on what we learn. Later in the day, we will hike Donner Summit Canyon (3.6 miles) to try and view wildlife in person.

Day 5: Wildlife protection is todays topic of study. California is doing a lot to protect wildlife and minimize human-wildlife interactions. We will work on a case study related to this, and visit South Lake Tahoe where bears are frequent visitors. We will hike the Vikingsholm trail (1.7 miles) to get great views of Emerald Island.

Day 6: Our last day will include a group discussion on global environmental problems and how communities can reverse negative trends. We will hike our last hike on the Glacier Way, Donner Lake Rim, and far side trail loop and then finish off the day with a farewell dinner.

Day 7: Depart for the home.

Getting There

Fly to Reno/Tahoe Airport in Nevada and be picked up by staff.

Please do not make non-refundable travel arrangements until notified to do so by the trip leader.

Accommodations and Food

We will stay in a rustic lodge with bunk beds, restrooms, showers, and wood-burning stoves. All meals will be provided with participant help.

Trip Difficulty

Easy (1 on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 representing the most difficult trip).

Equipment and Clothing

Participants will need tennis shoes, socks, hiking clothes, heavy weight jacket, lightweight jacket, rain jacket, pajamas, flip-flops, swimsuit, a water bottle, a simple backpack to carry layers and snacks while hiking, a sleeping bag, and liner or linen (twin bed sheets and a pillow and case), toiletries, towel, washcloth, personal medications. The temperatures this time of year range from lows in the mid 30’s to highs in the mid 70’s.

References

This is an educational trip where the subject areas are wildlife conservation, water conservation, and forest management. We hope to inspire the participants to become more involved in environmental conservation in the future.

Conservation