Feather River College’s Outdoor Recreation Leadership department provides multiple experiences for the community, including a climbing wall on campus and weekend workshops that offer rare glimpses into wild and hidden areas of Plumas County.
Every semester ORL makes weekend workshops available for both students and local residents. This spring the lineup includes skiing, snowboarding and whitewater rafting. ORL workshops include equipment as well as guidance, a pre-class meeting via Zoom to go over logistics, and then a weekend workshop out in nature. Participants bring their own food and appropriate clothing.
Saylor Flett is the current program director for ORL. Flett started his academic career at University of California, Santa Cruz studying engineering, but he didn’t find it fulfilling. “It was too cerebral,” he said. “I was looking for something more tangible that would impact people’s daily lives.” He shifted his focus to environmental studies and found the new program was a fit, especially the community aspect. After receiving his undergraduate degree from UCSC, he completed his master’s degree in recreation administration at California State University, Chico. In 2008, he joined the ORL program at Feather River College as an instructor with a focus on experiential, field-based learning.
When Rick Stock, the former program director, retired in 2020, Flett took over the program. His close work with Stock allowed Flett to focus on the three main pillars of the program: core curriculum, technical skills and certification. ORL offers a two-year Associate of Arts degree that allows students to transfer to other colleges for a four-year degree or go into one of the many fields that use the practical skills learned in the program. Careers such as land management, environmental restoration services and avalanche forecasting are a few options for students. “Outdoor recreation is a $689 billion industry, with 4.3 million jobs,” said Flett. “And the leadership training stays with the students for the rest of their lives.”
Quincy and surrounding towns enjoy the benefits of living in the Plumas National Forest, which spans over a million acres of mountain land in the northern Sierra Nevada. “National parks and nature reserves can be congested,” said Flett. “The Plumas National Forest avoids the issue of perceived scarcity that sometimes causes friction between outdoor enthusiasts.” There’s plenty of room for everyone to have a pristine experience in nature here in Plumas County, and the ORL workshops provide a wide range of activities in the forest and on local rivers. “Even if you’ve lived your whole life here, the forest is enormous,” said Flett. “These workshops can take you to a place in your own backyard that you’ve never seen before.”
“Even if you’ve lived your whole life here…These workshops can take you to a place in your own backyard that you’ve never seen before.”
Saylor Flett, ORL program director
Feather River College offers the only associate’s degree in outdoor recreational leadership in California. Students in the ORL program study a wide range of subjects and are required to take general education courses as well as focus their studies on a particular aspect of recreational leadership. Students choose from a list of technical skills that include trail building, rock climbing, skiing and whitewater kayaking, allowing them to explore being a leader and guide in dynamic circumstances. A key part of their curriculum involves becoming certified, with at least two certifications required to graduate. First responder and rescue certifications are among the classes offered.
Flett’s focus is on the students enrolled in the program; he’s aware of the long-term impact ORL can have. “Fifteen to twenty years after graduation, our students are still using skills and making connections from their time here in ORL,” he said. “We offer our courses for free to local high school students and love it when locals come for the workshops. Our hope is that our program is a jump-off point to develop community with other people and yourself.”
To register for an ORL workshop, visit the FRC website or call the admissions office at 530-283-0202. Participants must register as an FRC student and pay the per-unit cost of $46, along with applicable student fees of roughly $21.50 per semester.
