
The US federal government owns 30% of the land in the United States. How is that land used? Who is accessing this land today? In this program, we explore issues of water rights, drilling, river conservation, drought, native lands, and recreation through immersion in some of the US’s most spectacular public lands.
Learning Objectives

Places and Activities
This program is flexible, and can be offered in 8 or 10 day itineraries.We arrive to Los Angeles and begin with a hike to the Griffith Observatory to understand the vast expanse of the city, before visits to LA City Commission on Animals to learn about land bridges, and to CA’s BLM Desert District Office.
We meet with the CA Association of Tribal Governments before heading to the Seven Oaks Dam. We continue on to Joshua Tree for an overnight, hike, and short solo experience.
We move from Joshua Tree to Death Valley National Park and onwards up to Yosemite. Along the way, we hike, meet with advocates and conservationists, and learn about the history of Parks preservation.
We meet with experts at Cal Berkeley’s campus, try famous SF local fare, and celebrate the end of the program with a program debrief at Point Reyes National Seashore.
Let’s work together
Contact Us
“It was not only the good times with our friends or the relationships we built but how we were after we came back, returning to this agitated society with a new view of ourselves and not just our impact on the world, but the world’s impact on us.”
— Gabriela , Student, Deerfield Colombia 2014“I was incredibly impressed by the care taken by Envoys. Before we even hit the ground, there was an emphasis on comprehending impact on our destination’s environment that I appreciated..Throughout the trip, our Envoys leaders made sure that we continued to be conscious of impact. That awareness of cause and effect is something that often gets lost when traveling, and Envoys did not allow it to. During this trip, there was never a moment I did not feel safe and cared for nor a moment where I did not feel I was learning something!”
— Keylee S. , Student, Dalton South Africa 2014“With its emphasis on empathy and general intelligence in planning, Envoys has quickly emerged as a premier global program provider. They are well worth the attention of any of our schools.”
— Paul Miller , Former Director of Global Initiatives, NAIS