Youth Forest Monitoring Program
Author: Chiara Cipriano, USDA
Youth Forest Monitoring Program Chiara Cipriano, USDA HELENA, Mont. – March 9, 2023 — The Montana Discovery Foundation and the Helena- Lewis and Clark National Forest are looking for a heritage/archeology field instructor and eleven high school students (grades 10-12) who love the outdoors—or are curious about the outdoor - based jobs—to apply to the 2023 Youth Forest Monitoring Program (YFMP).
“Twenty-five summers ago, this program started in response to the community’s desire to see youth with a greater understanding of natural resource issues and Montana’s public lands,” said YFMP Program Leader, Liz Burke. “Students who have participated in this program enjoy hands-on forest experiences to study and report on forest health. Many of these students have gone on to work for the Forest Service and become leaders in conservation work.”
This year’s program will run from June 20- July 27 and includes a multi-day overnight in the Scapegoat Wilderness. During the program, students receive training alongside Forest Service scientists to learn forest ecology concepts and field protocols for monitoring streams, soils, vegetation, and wildlife. Students split into teams and apply their training to specific monitoring projects. Teams collect, compile, and interpret monitoring data.
Field instructors supervise students, and each monitoring project is sponsored by a designated Forest Service scientist. Students consult with their Forest Service contact periodically throughout the program and have a chance to present their results to the community at the end.
New this summer, we will be recruiting a heritage/archeology field instructor! The field instructor position is responsible for supervising and transporting teams of high school students to forest monitoring sites in the Helena, Townsend, Lincoln, and Augusta areas. The instructor supervises student time divided between outdoor fieldwork and indoor data analyses and reporting.
Applications for the program and field instructor position are due April 14, 2023.
Visit: https://go.usa.gov/xskbE to learn more about the program as well as the position openings, wages and stipends.
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.
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Image 1 Caption: Youth Monitoring Program trip to the Scapegoat Wilderness
