West Valley College Park Management Program

03/21/2026

It is with great sadness that Heidi and I share with you the passing
of Tom “Smitty” Smith. Smitty was one of our founding faculty for the Park
Management Program along with John Nicholas. Smitty was a mentor and friend
to many young up and coming park stewards. He was a great mentor and teacher for
current and past faculty here at West Valley College. He laid the foundation for a program
that is now 55 years old. We have been in contact with his family, and we will let you know
about future memorial plans. Currently, there is no plan, but the family has told us that
if you would like to make a donation in his name please make it to the Yosemite Conservancy. Smitty spent many summers working on horseback in the Yosemite Backcountry while teaching at West Valley College. So many of us owe a debt of gratitude to Smitty for guiding us through our careers in parks, public lands, and education.

We will miss you Smitty but your legacy lives on!

02/13/2026

Students in need - take down the dates!

Looking to get your Wilderness First Responder status recertified in the comfort of a beloved local State Park? Then we have the perfect opportunity for you! We’re hosting a Wilderness First Responder Recertification course right here at Big Basin Redwoods State Park, led by NOLS-certified vendor Ready SF, and we’d love for you to join us!

This program is a hybrid in-person and online recertification course for participants who have already graduated the initial WFR certification course. The in-person element will be held at Big Basin Redwoods State Park on Saturday 3/28 and Sunday 3/29. Tuition is $470 per person.

Sign up at https://www.nols.edu/courses/wm/ now or visit www.ReadySF.com for more information.

Image description: a colorful flyer with an illustrated forest background advertising the WFR training course at Big Basin Redwoods State Park on March 28th and 29th, 2026.

12/15/2025

Consider applying!

11/14/2025

Designed by a student with a little help from AI - for the Art and Quote assignment. Nice work Yancy Chen!

07/31/2025

Thanks to all of the Rangers of the World. You do incredible important work. For the current students and alumni that are carrying on this work and following this path we appreciate all of your hard work and wish you every success!

02/19/2025

Good Morning Everyone,

Please check out the survey below we are interested in finding out
if there is an interest out there in us pursuing a Climbing and Guiding Course and possible development of a Wilderness Guiding Certificate. Prior to putting this before our curriculum committee, we would like to know your thoughts!

Thanks, Heidi and Chris

Student Survey on Climbing and Guiding Course and Wilderness Guide Certificate

This is a survey for prospective students, as well as current and recent graduates of the Park Management/GIST/AVIA program at West Valley College. Please feel free to share with others to help us gain more feedback from interested students. Contact Heidi McFarland at [email protected]....

01/21/2025

Good Morning!

If you would like to get out in the field please join
Leticia Gallardo with the Biol 58: Field Ecology
California Deserts Course.

Chris

01/15/2025

Good Morning Everyone!
Welcome to the Spring Semester 2025! Just letting everyone know that we have the following classes to get enrollment up! We need to get the following courses up to 16 students or they will be cancelled. Please get the word out to your classmates.
PMGT 11- 15 (Section-35139) Park Communications
PMGT 23- 15 (Section-35147) Powersaws
PMGT 23-5 (Section-36446) Powersaws
PMGT 24-15 (Section-35744) Wilderness Navigation
GIST 16 E- 8 (Section-36074) Geodata Base Design and Management
AVIA 30 C-8 (Section-35148) UAS Image Analysis
AVIA 30 D-15 Section-35149) UAS Flight Planning and Operations

Please register and enroll ASAP, College Administration is moving to cancel these courses if we do not add to our enrollments this week for these classes will be cancelled on Friday.

NOTE: If you do not receive an email with your Student ID Number within 48 hours, search your inbox for a message with the subject, “Welcome to West Valley College” and forward that message to wvc.admissionsFREEWEST_VALLEY

12/17/2024

Tom Smith, aka the legendary "Smitty", made an appearance at Don Rocha's retirement. We managed to get all 3 of us in a photo! Park Management faculty, past, present, and future (Smitty, Chris Cruz, & Heidi McFarland).

Don Rocha (not pictured) is leaving behind a legacy as a graduate of our program and the only County Parks Director to promote all the way up from a seasonal ranger. Also, a longtime champion of our program, he will be missed, but we hope to stay in touch!

Please friends, supporters and graduates, consider recruiting new students for this next semester! Classes begin in January, and we have some great classes to fill and even more jobs out there to fill in our local agencies.

We are proud of all our current students this semester, keep up the good work! Spread the word about Park Management.

11/18/2024

Students getting familiar with horses in the PMGT021 - Park Operations class. Come join the fun in Spring 2025, Register for classes now!

10/13/2024

Great trip to Desolation Wilderness with another Basic Outdoor Skills class. Shout out to my awesome TA's Connor, Emma and George. We scored a great weekend to escape to the wilderness and put all our new skills to the test. Park Management students are awesome! Sign up for PMGT12A next semester to join us next time.

08/02/2024

Good Morning Everyone,

Here are a couple of courses from the Biology Department that you may be interested in. Please register if you have room in your schedule. If you have questions contact Leticia Gallardo ([email protected])