About Us
Who We Are
Eastern Sierra Conservation Corps is a developmental leadership organization committed to building a stronger and more inclusive outdoor community.
Through our immersive wilderness programs, we actively provide the tools of upliftment necessary to empower leaders who come from historically marginalized communities to break cycles of social injustice created by systems of oppression.
We strive to facilitate an environment of belonging throughout all of our programming and intentionally recruit participants and staff from priority populations including Black, Indigenous, AAPI, People of the Global Majority, Women, Women of color, LGBTQ2SIA+
How We Began
ESCC was founded in 2016 by our current Executive Director, Agnes Vianzon (she/they), who sought to build a more inclusive outdoor community by offering professional development opportunities and wilderness access experiences to youth who continue to be underrepresented in outdoor leadership.
Agnes understands the power of the backcountry because she first immersed in it as a 20-something year old with the CCC in Kings Canyon National Park where it transformed her world view and career path.
Learn more about Agnes and how the ESCC has grown over the years on our interview on the She Explores podcast.
Where We Work
ESCC assembles crews of young adults to work throughout the California wilderness. Our participants can be found working the trails of the Klamath and Shasta Trinity National Forests in the north and the Los Padres National Forest in the South.
We have completed projects in Lassen Volcanic National Park, El Dorado National Forest, and all over the Inyo National Forest and our backyard park, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park.
Partner With Our Crews
ESCC crews are made up of hardworking individuals who collaborate well as a team. Our crews maintain historic trails, build new ones, construct rock structures that provide stability in heavily trafficked areas, rehabilitate sites, and much more.
Want to hire our crews? Get in touch to see how we can work together.
What We Do
By providing a transformational and immersive experience in the wilderness, we offer opportunities for youth and young adults to connect with and better understand the natural spaces that make up California. Through individual service-learning restoration work, we engage participants in direct environmental stewardship while also providing educational opportunities on sustainability, citizen science, botany, geology, natural history, trail stewardship, backpacking, and more.
By way of hard work, new environments, education, and guidance on an intimate group level, our members are given a role in creating new life experiences while protecting their remaining wild lands. Through our engrossing wilderness programs, participants develop a unique set of skills — breaking boundaries and learning about themselves and others while forming a deep appreciation of the outdoors.
ESCC Programs
Our programs facilitate multiple experiences in nature that foster a meaningful connection to and a better understanding of wilderness spaces and natural resources. We run a variety of programs throughout the summer backcountry season in the Eastern Sierra and other locations around California. Learn more on our Programs page.
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Technical crews consist of conservation corps alumni ages 21 - 30 who want to advance in the field of land management.
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Range crews are composed of first-time corps members who want more experience before advancing in the field.
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Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park Conservation Corps is a partnership with the Sequoia Parks Conservancy and the National Parks Foundation to get youth corps to live and work in a National Park in the summer.
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We facilitate multiple “In the Wilderness” trips each summer season in coordination with the CCC Foundation. These 8-day immersive backpacking trips were created with the goal of specifically developing skills and knowledge within marginalized communities to increase members' ability to explore and steward public lands.
Board & Staff
DEI
Annual Report
coming soon