NWS Sacramento SKYWARN Weather Spotter Program
A free National Weather Service volunteer training program that teaches participants to identify and safely report severe weather (hail, wind damage, flash flooding, tornadoes) to help forecasters issue better warnings. Training is delivered via a series of online video modules plus an exam, covering the Sacramento Valley and surrounding Northern California region.
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Naturalists in Training (Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History)
A teen volunteer program at the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History, near Monterey Bay, for students entering grades 9-12. Trainees attend workshops on natural history and coastal ecology, then serve volunteer shifts helping the public and leading nature activities, earning community service hours or a stipend.
Civil Air Patrol Cadet Program (California Wing)
Civil Air Patrol is the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force; its Cadet Program lets youth ages 12-18 train in aerospace education, leadership, and emergency services, including orientation flights in CAP aircraft. California Wing operates dozens of local squadrons across Northern California offering weekly meetings, encampments, and flight training opportunities.
Climate Corps Leadership Institute (Watsonville Wetlands Watch)
A year-long paid internship for Watsonville high school students that builds climate action leadership through hands-on watershed and wetland work. Interns gain experience in urban forestry, habitat restoration, community science monitoring, and climate justice advocacy in the Pajaro Valley, presented in partnership with local schools.
Great California ShakeOut
An annual statewide earthquake preparedness drill in which students, schools, and organizations across California practice the 'Drop, Cover, and Hold On' technique at a scheduled time each October (or a self-chosen date). Participants can register individually or through their school and access drill scripts, safety videos, and educational materials.
SLEWS Program (Center for Land-Based Learning)
The Student and Landowner Education and Watershed Stewardship (SLEWS) program engages cohorts of about 30 high school students in hands-on habitat restoration on working farms, ranches, and open spaces across Yolo, Solano, Sacramento, San Joaquin, and Butte counties. Over three to five field days per cohort, students plant native vegetation, build irrigation systems, conduct ecological studies, and hear from natural-resource professionals about careers in agriculture and conservation.
Woodland Fire Explorer Post 911
A Boy Scouts of America-affiliated Explorer post hosted by the Woodland (CA) Fire Department near Sacramento, teaching high-school-aged youth all aspects of the fire service through hands-on training, mentorship from active firefighters, and community service projects. Meets three times a month at Woodland Fire Station 3.