Generation Green Graduates

Students from the South Lake Tahoe area graduated from Generation Green, a program designed to introduce students to careers in natural resources management through a transformative summer experience.

The Generation Green of Lake Tahoe is a work program designed to teach students about the forest while they work. Not only did student works in the forest this summer, they also helped with the historic Return to the Summit, celebrating the 1964 summer Olympic team.

Targeting low-income, diverse and youth-with-a barrier students, this program provides job opportunities, while building work ethics, job skills, leadership, experience and teamwork skills. Youth are shown a variety of jobs found in natural resource fields and connect with Forest Service mentors.

Students start this program with a 4-day, 3-night back pack trip offered by Lake Tahoe Community College. After the back pack trip, their seven-week employment begins. They work on recreation projects such as trail building, painting picnic tables, and cleaning campgrounds. Resource projects include wildlife surveys, soil monitoring, forest care and maintenance. Some students have the opportunity to do interpretive programs and historic site maintenance. These opportunites give youth a connection to the many land management agencies in the Lake Tahoe Basin, to the environment all around them, and to their community. It gives the students a sense of accomplishment and lets them see that they are people who can make a difference in this world.