Santa Rosa Junior College’s Wildfire Resilience Program (WRP) provides hands-on training in natural resource land management and ecological fire stewardship. Based at Shone Farm, the program prepares students to safely and effectively reduce wildfire risk while restoring and maintaining healthy, resilient ecosystems.
Certificates & Courses
Student interns gain practical experience through the NRM 145A/B courses in wildfire stewardship and ecological restoration. Through this program, students can earn a Wildfire Resilience Certificate through the Natural Resources Department.
Training includes:
- Forest thinning and fuel reduction
- Burn pile creation and management
- Shaded fuel break construction
- Invasive species control
- Habitat restoration
- Long-term monitoring of land management treatments
- GPS mapping and field data collection
Students also learn the safe use and maintenance of natural resource management tools and equipment, including chainsaws, wood chippers, brush cutters, drip torches, and GPS mapping devices.
Get Involved
The Fall 2026 application period is currently closed.
Email epacopac@santarosa.edu to join our mailing list to be notified when applications open for the next cohort. The call for applications for the Spring 2027 cohort is expected to be posted in Fall 2026.
About the Program
The program was created in direct response to the devastation caused by local wildfires and reflects SRJC’s commitment to training the next generation of stewards who understand ecological and landscape-based fire prevention. Through direct experience in strategies such as prescribed grazing, defensible space landscaping, and forest fuel reduction, students develop the technical and ecological literacy needed to mitigate fire risk across Sonoma County’s diverse ecosystems.
SRJC’s goal is to cultivate a skilled workforce capable of doing the critical preventative work—what county leaders call “fighting fire without firefighters”—that supports resilient, healthy land and community safety for years to come. Students get direct instruction from professionals land stewards from agencies across Sonoma County, including Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation, Fire Forward, Tribal Eco-Restoration Alliance, and Shone Farm, as well as many guest speakers.
Contact
Nicole Schlumberger
Natural Resource Program Coordinator
nschlumberger@santarosa.edu