Apprenticeship Program

Training the next generation of natural resource managers

About Redwoods Rising

Redwoods Rising is a collaboration among Save the Redwoods League, the National Park Service, and California State Parks that will greatly accelerate redwood forest recovery within these parks and help protect their remaining old-growth groves.

Approximately 70,000 of the parks’ 120,000 acres of redwood forests (that’s two-thirds) — bear the scars of decades of industrial-scale commercial logging — some of which took place as recently as the 1990s. The mission is to protect old growth stands, restore redwood forest ecosystems, and ensure the long-term health of these lands.

Redwoods Rising integrates multiple disciplines to achieve landscape-scale ecosystem restoration. Redwoods Rising is about to begin its 6^th year implementing ecosystem restoration projects in the northern Greater Mill Creek (GMC) area (comprised by Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park and Redwood National Park) and the southern Greater Prairie Creek (GPC) area (comprised by Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park and Redwood National Park).

Learn more about Redwoods Rising.

Redwoods Rising Apprenticeships

The primary goal of the Redwoods Rising Apprenticeship is twofold: to provide a career development opportunity for the next generation of natural resource managers and to boost capacity for Redwoods Rising projects.

Apprentices are hired every year from Cal Poly Humboldt and College of the Redwoods. Apprentices work alongside RNSP scientists on many different components of Redwoods Rising. The Redwoods Rising apprenticeship program is in its 8th year. In previous years, Redwoods Rising has hired Watershed, Roads, Forestry, Botany, and Ecological Monitoring Apprentices to work on a variety of projects to advance the recovery of redwoods throughout the Northern California coast. In 2025, apprentices will be hired for roads, forestry, and aquatics projects.

Learn more about each discipline by reading their respective descriptions below.

Acquatics Apprenticeship | Forestry Apprenticeship | Roads Apprenticeship

Apprenticeship Overview

Apprentices will be selected to work on restoration projects in Redwood National and State Parks and will function as a team, working closely with staff from the National Park Service on redwood ecosystem restoration. This program will provide professional networking opportunities with Save the Redwoods League, the National Park Service, and California State Parks.

Apprentices will develop skills in scientific inventory and monitoring, data collection and survey methods, public speaking, and field safety. Necessary field equipment including a first aid kit will be provided by Redwoods Rising, however, apprentices typically supply their own clothing, boots, etc.*

*If you do not have your own gear or ability to obtain it, please still apply, as we may be able to help with certain items.

Apprentices will be assigned to specific teams in the following disciplines: forestry, roads, and aquatics. However, candidates should expect that they will also work across disciplines depending on the restoration projects and needs.

Eligibility qualifications:

Applicants should expect long days (four 10-hour days/week). Summer work will be 12 weeks (40hrs/week) with a required orientation during the first 2-4 days of the Apprenticeship, beginning on May 19 and ending on August 8. The reporting location for all apprenticeships will be in McKinleyville, CA.

• Be an undergraduate enrolled for classes in Fall 2025 semester or graduating May 2025 from Cal Poly Humboldt (CPH) or College of the Redwoods (CR).
• Complete online Defensive Driver (DD) Training prior to May 19. Information on DD courses will be provided after applicants are hired.
• Be willing to complete a federal background check.
• Have a valid driver’s license (or obtain one prior to May 19).
• Be willing to work long days with arduous fieldwork, hiking off trail, and variable hours.
• Arrange their own transportation to work reporting location (McKinleyville, CA).
• Deliver a culminating presentation to Redwood National & State Parks staff at the end of the field season and also possibly at the Informational Meeting for next year’s apprenticeship.

Previous Apprenticeship Program participants are welcome to apply to the same apprenticeship as an Apprentice II; please indicate this detail on the application form.

Successful applicants will demonstrate: Attention to detail and direction, an eagerness to learn, values and respect for collaboration and shared responsibility, and a positive attitude. Apprentices will be allowed one week of unpaid vacation in the Summer.

All positions have the following requirements:

• A flexible demeanor and ability to shift duties as priorities change;
• Ability to work well with others on interdisciplinary teams and cross-train others assisting with daily tasks;
• An attention to detail in collecting and recording data; and
• An understanding that this job will be arduous, with long-distance, off-trail hiking through forests and riparian areas in steep terrain with thick brush and large, downed logs in all weather conditions.

Payment for this apprenticeship is $16.50/hour for 40 hours/week, with the work typically being done in four 10-hour shifts. Once the overtime (1.5x pay) rate is applied to two hours per day, the final rate is $18.15/hr.

Summaries for each area of apprenticeship can be explored below.
(Please download the comprehensive Announcement and Job Description packet for full descriptions).

Meet the Program Leads

Dr. Lucy Kerhoulas is an Associate Professor in the Department of Forestry, Fire, and Rangeland Management at Cal Poly Humboldt. She has a B.S. in Botany and an M.S. in Biology from Cal Poly Humboldt (thesis on coast redwood physiology), as well as a Ph.D. from Northern Arizona University. Her Forest Physiology Lab investigates all-things-forest-related – she enjoys exploring the natural world! Lucy is also a Councilor for Save the Redwoods League, serving on their Science and Restoration Committee. She has been involved with Redwoods Rising since its establishment in 2018 and is honored to help simultaneously facilitate professional development opportunities for students and restoration activities in Redwood National and State Parks through this Apprenticeship program.
 

Dr. Erin Kelly is a Professor in the Department of Forestry, Fire, and Rangeland Management at Cal Poly Humboldt, where she teaches forest policy and economics courses. Her research is centered on the human dimensions of forests, and alongside her students she has explored many topics, including the impacts of timber industry decline on rural communities, the challenges and benefits of cross-boundary collaboration in fire-prone landscapes, and the development and implementation of forest carbon markets in California. She is a Councilor for the Save the Redwoods League on the Land Protection Committee, and serves on many other boards and committees dedicated to forest and working lands conservation. She loves working with Redwoods Rising apprentices because they have the opportunity to apply their academic skills out in the field and they return from their apprenticeships full of knowledge of and love for the ecosystems they will one day steward.

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