Santa Maria Center

Video Tour

Discover what the Fortuna Center has to offer.

Learn About the center

The Fortuna Center sits in the heart of redwood country on California’s wild and scenic North Coast. In operation since 1992, the center houses about 100 residential Corpsmembers who work on natural resource projects throughout Humboldt and Del Norte counties.

Crew Maximum of 6

Corpsmembers Maximum of 85

Work Hours 8 am - 4 pm | 7 am - 5:30 pm

The non-residential center is home to more than 45 Corpsmembers who commute to center each day to perform valuable natural resource work in their communities and respond to emergencies throughout the state. Corpsmembers obtain meaningful employment in the area and across the state after a year’s service at the center. Each Corpsmember who joins the center provides a unique perspective to the diverse culture at the center and on the crews.

Work With us

Fortuna’s Corpsmembers work on a variety of projects – trail construction and maintenance, removal of exotic plants, landscaping and installation of irrigation systems, building structures such as recycling facilities, fisheries restoration, tree planting, and fire fuel reduction. The center partners with a variety of local, state, and federal partners on projects, including the City of Eureka and Humboldt County.

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Education Program

The CCC helps its Corpsmembers enter the working world with the education and training they need to be successful.

learn more about the program

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Scholarships

Corpsmembers can earn up to $8,000 in scholarships during their first year of service.

Learn more about scholarships

Bureau of Land Management

Many projects take us to the Headwaters Forest Reserve and King Range National Conservation Area. Work at Ma-le’l Dunes Cooperative Management Area and the Lost Coast help to protect critical habitat.

Fish & Wildlife (California & US Federal)

The Coastal Fisheries Restoration Program is a series of success stories spanning more than 25 years. This program began as a partnership between the CCC and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

State Parks

Corpsmembers working in Humboldt Redwoods State Park, Sinkyone Wilderness State Park, and the newly acquired Mill Creek watershed perform trail work, timber stand improvement projects, and fisheries work.

CalTrans

Landscape and stormwater projects provide experience for Corpsmembers who may want to earn entry-level positions with Caltrans. Many former Corpsmembers are employed by this agency.

U.S. Forest Service

The Six Rivers National Forest provides many project opportunities including trail construction, maintenance and repair, campground renovation, protection of native forests from the spread of invasive species, and more.

Learn With us

The Fortuna Center offers a variety of trainings and certifications, many of which are required for Corpsmembers to complete. All Corpsmembers complete Corpsmember Orientation, Motivation, Education, and Training (COMET) and core training courses.

Other specialized trainings and certifications offered at the Fortuna Center include:

CalTrans’ Internship program

CAL FIRE Wildland Firefighter training

OSHA HAZWOPER 40 hour training

OSHA 10 and 30

OSHA Safety Stand-Down

Ladder safety

Tree Climbing Safety

Map and Compass Course

Leave No Trace

ServSafe Food Handler Certification

Plant Identification