This Program Gives Local High Schoolers Hands-on Forestry Training—and a Paycheck

No two days look the same for the junior forest technicians at Bent of the River Audubon Center and Sanctuary. One day could involve filling bird feeders around the western Connecticut facility, tending to the native plant nurseries, and, later, measuring the heights of saplings. On the next, students might observe a bird-banding demonstration, talk with a forester about their job, or visit a local sanctuary.

Glen Somogie, who runs the program, calls it a college prep course. Bent of the River originally started the initiative in 2014 to get more help managing its 700 acres of protected forests, meadows, rivers, and hiking trails. The program has grown into a competitive summer employment opportunity for students from local agriculture high schools. Each year, a group of around five to eight junior forest technicians, or JFTs for short, gets career exposure, hands-on training, and a sense of community, along with a paycheck. It’s a solidly symbiotic relationship. “The students learn professional forestry skills, but then provide us with important data on how to understand changes within the forest,” Somogie says.

Throughout the summer, the teens visit 10 study plots scattered across the preserve and measure everything within each 20-by-20-meter area: the diameter of trees, the presence of invasive plants, and the health of the forest canopy.  Collecting such data offers useful insights for land management at the center, which has become increasingly challenging as climate change has brought new pests, pathogens, and invasive species. A professional Audubon forester is now using their findings to develop a bird-friendly stewardship plan for the site.

The JFTs also maintain the site’s early successional forest habitat, an area that was clear-cut for farmland in the 1800s and is still regenerating. On top of that, the students choose their own research projects and meet with industry professionals like foresters, entomologists, and biologists.

After Danni Syrotiak spent one summer as a JFT, “I became hooked,” Syrotiak says. “We’re like a little family over the summer.” She was soon hired as a crew leader, returning to teach new JFTs each year. Now a senior at the University of Connecticut, she’s come back for five seasons at Bent of the River.

As an instructor, Syrotiak put her own spin on the lessons, like teaching the students to identify four bird species by song and sight: Indigo Buntings, Prairie Warblers, Blue-winged Warblers, and Field Sparrows. Going through the program helped her realize that she wants to pursue a career in environmental education. “I really like teaching and getting others excited about it, and I have the program to thank for that,” she says. Still, JFTs don’t need any specific forestry or environmental career goals to participate. “Anybody can love nature and contribute,” Syrotiak says. “It’s a whole mix of kids with a ton of different interests, all uniting for the same purpose.”

This story originally ran in the Spring 2026 issue as “Forest School.” To receive our print magazine, become a member by making a donation today.