Foresthill, Sequoia Grove students participate in El Dorado Forestry Challenge

Eight students each from Foresthill High and Sequoia Grove Charter were among 139 total from 17 schools in the Sacramento area and Sierra Nevada foothills to participate in the 2024 El Dorado Forestry Challenge from Oct. 23-26 at Leoni Meadows Camp near Grizzly Flats. "The Forestry Challenge is an empowering hands-on experience. Students walk away with skills in forestry, collaboration and problem solving," said Sequoia Grove Charter School teacher Jessica Campbell. Said Taylor Palmer, a sophmore at Sequoia Grove, "The Forestry Challenge showed us the reality of being a forester and how difficult yet rewarding it can be. It sparked my interest in becoming a forester." One highlight for the students was the opportunity collect data at the American River Conservancy's Wells Preserve near Somerset to assess its health and recommend actions to restore its ecological function to contribute to the health of the Cosumnes River watershed. Teams of students also completed a field test to assess their technical forestry knowledge and data-collecting skills. "We had a great time at the Forestry Challenge this year. This was the first time attending for many of my students and it was exciting to expose them to the field of forestry," said Foresthill High School teacher Katie Gengler. Cayden Deal, a junior at Foresthill, summed it up by saying, "It was really fun attending the Forestry Challenge. I did not know that I could have that much fun studying and learning for three days straight."