By Sean Hill, President and CEO of Sierra Nevada Journeys
Saturday, Sept. 28, celebrates National Public Lands Day and Nevadans have also dubbed it Nevada Public Lands Day. In Northern Nevada, we want our children to have a chance at the opportunities provided by local industry to lead in STEM, outdoor, and conservation careers. Careers that pay well and protect our public lands. But we know that far too many of our girls are hitting a green glass ceiling, with only 10% of women in green jobs.
We at Sierra Nevada Journeys want to be a part of the solution to this crisis.
Based in Reno, Sierra Nevada Journeys is a nonprofit organization for Nevada students focusing on innovative outdoor, science-based education programs that develop critical thinking skills and inspire natural resource stewardship.
We were one of 23 unique programs chosen in 2024 for the Nevada Outdoor Education and Recreation Grant Program (NOER), a bill passed in the 2019 legislative session. The grant helps us provide outdoor experiences for students. NOER awarded these programs over $250,000 in 2024 in nearly every county.
We used this funding to support our “Girls in STEM" program. Specifically, this funding allowed us to provide transportation for the girls from Reno to our Outdoor Education camp for science and outdoor learning one weekend this past spring. The girls built self-confidence in STEM, and the program helped connect them to women who are leaders in STEM and green careers like engineering, education, and technology. Girls in STEM also featured youth development and collaborative problem solving on the Sierra Nevada Journeys high-hopes challenge course kayaking, outdoor exploration, and STEM activities.
We’ve been working closely with leadership from NOER since early in the agency’s inception. Sierra Nevada Journeys has both sought feedback and provided perspective and context around our efforts at reducing barriers to access to outdoor education for youth in Nevada.
We are grateful for this grant funding and the opportunity it offers our children. We know that this camp plays a role in helping more girls become leaders in STEM and in good-paying, green jobs. We also know that there needs to be continuous support for programs like NOER so these girls can return to camp as leaders and mentors to support the next generation of Nevada’s decision-makers.
Thank you Nevada Conservation League for helping us spread the word about conservation and protecting Nevada’s natural resources.