Eastern Sierra Conservation Corps (ESCC) Founder and Executive Director Agnes Vianzon asks a simple question: How did you first access the outdoors? Through family camping trips? School outings? Friends and local programs? Where you grew up—urban or rural, in Florida, California, Nebraska, or Idaho—can also shape your access to nature.
While wild spaces should belong to everyone, barriers such as cost, distance, lack of transportation or gear, safety concerns, time, family obligations, and self-doubt often limit participation—especially for communities historically excluded from outdoor recreation and land management. When Vianzon founded the Eastern Sierra Conservation Corps in 2016, the goal was to foster equity in the outdoors by empowering diverse leaders through immersive wilderness experiences and hands-on conservation work.
Vianzon’s experience with the California Conservation Corps (CCC) in California’s Kings Canyon National Park laid the groundwork for the ESCC but left room for improvement. “I did nine years of trail work, building experience and slowly working my way up to be in charge of trail crews. But I wanted to add more checkboxes on the application, and it didn’t seem that hard.” Today, ESCC crews do trail work across California, including the Klamath, Shasta-Trinity, and Los Padres national forests, as well as the Inyo National Forest and Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks.
Programs include introductory Range Crew training; WILDlands Technical Trail Crews for those with at least 16 weeks of previous corps work; and Crew Leads training, where experienced participants guide, support, and assist a team of between 5 and 12 members. ESCC also offers free, eight-day, 40-mile In the Wilderness backpacking trips for youth and young adults new to multi-day hiking, thanks to the support of foundations and grants.
From May to September, participants from ages 18 to 30 are paid a living wage, have access to health insurance, and are housed in personal backpacking tents without cell service, electricity, or flush toilets. ESCC members are trained in Wilderness First Aid, provided with one-on-one mental health resources, and safe affinity spaces where all are valued, included, and empowered to succeed. And indeed, they have—alums have launched careers with the US Forest Service, the National Park Service, California State Parks, and nonprofits across the country.
Participant Paola Flores says she gained a wide range of skills during the Women in the Wilderness program. “I feel really inspired, not only for myself and my vision for my future and seeing myself in these spaces, but to take my community and my family out into [the backcountry]. It’s definitely something I can do now because of this experience.”
Vianzon adds that by working as a team, crew members learn to successfully navigate conflict and relationships. “Even if they don’t go out there again, they have a stake in public lands. You don’t get that unless you’ve experienced it. Even one hike—you feel better mentally, emotionally, physically. Then they’re invested, and you have advocates on the ground that are going to further protect these places.”
Get Involved
Contributions to the Eastern Sierra Conservation Corps directly fund trail restoration, youth leadership, and outdoor access for marginalized communities. Visit easternsierracc.org and follow ESCC on Facebook and Instagram for updates.
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal’s Summer 2026 Issue.
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