Qualifications and Requirements
To become a Site Steward, you must:
- be 18 years or older
- not have been convicted of a felony
- complete an online application
- participate in online or in-person training before being assigned to a site
- be willing to drive your vehicle on roads that may be rough or primitive and may require high clearance or four-wheel drive (if you don't have such a vehicle, you will be put on a team with someone who does)
- be capable of moderately strenuous hiking (unless volunteering for administrative tasks)
- agree not to carry or use firearms while conducting Site Steward duties
- agree not to take animals on site visits
- agree not to bring anyone who has not been trained as a Site Steward on site visits
- aree to adhere to the SFNF Code of Conduct for volunteers, which includes compliance with preservation ethics and laws, adherence to confidentiality regarding site location and composition, and avoidance of conflict of interest with the program
Applicants must complete a training course to become a SFNF site steward or affiliated volunteer. Training introduces volunteers to the Site Steward Program, law enforcement methods and protocols, examples of site deterioration, documentation, a visit to simulated sites to observe the conduct of a site visit, and demonstration of techniques of evidence collection that do not affect the site.
Upon completion of training, candidates are assigned to an area in the SFNF based on each candidate's interest and area team needs. Candidates spend a day or more with the ATL to become acquainted with assigned sites and methods of observation. Once trained and approved by the forest supervisor, stewards are placed on a provisional status for one year. With satisfactory performance during that first year, candidates become certified Site Stewards.