Calaveras Big Trees Association Scholarships

Scholarship Sponsored by Calaveras Big Trees Association

Calaveras Big Trees Association (CBTA) is pleased to again offer annual academic scholarships to students pursuing studies or careers in environmental fields. Applications are being accepted now for the 2025 scholarships. Deadline: April 15, 2025.

EMILY M. HEWITT MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP — BACKGROUND
This award is funded by a family-established fund honoring Emily M. Hewitt and is administered by CBTA on the family’s behalf. Emily M. Hewitt was a California artist, author, teacher and docent who delighted in sharing her love of nature. She served as a docent at Calaveras Big Trees State Park, creating skits, monologues and audio-visual programs for park visitors. Trained at the University of California and California State College, she blended literature with the natural sciences in her teaching. As Oakdale, California’s first woman mayor, she advocated for protecting agricultural lands from urban sprawl and founded one of the state’s early recycling centers. Her artwork—oils, watercolors, textiles, clay and more—reflects the spirit of the Sierra Nevada, the Pacific Coast and the Sonoran Desert.

STEPHEN K. STOCKING MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP — BACKGROUND
The Stephen K. Stocking Memorial Scholarship honors Steve Stocking, a long-time educator, author and park docent. Steve was a park naturalist at Sequoia National Park and taught biology at San Joaquin Delta College for over 30 years. He was widely knowledgeable about wildlife and plants—from small mammals to mountain lions and from songbirds to sequoias—and encouraged curiosity with his motto, “Make every walk a field trip and every meal a picnic.” CBTA established this scholarship to commemorate his dedication to educating and inspiring future conservationists.

PURPOSE
Each year CBTA awards a $3,000 scholarship to a promising California upper-division undergraduate or graduate student who demonstrates a strong educational and career commitment to environmental studies, a dedication to communicating and interpreting the natural world, and an understanding of conservation practice.

ELIGIBILITY
- Open to full-time students (upper-division undergraduates or graduate students) enrolled at an accredited California post-secondary institution.
- Candidates should show clear academic and career goals related to interpreting, communicating about, or conserving nature.
- Fields encouraged to apply include, but are not limited to: environmental protection, forestry, wildlife and fisheries biology, parks and recreation, park management, environmental law and public policy, environmental art, and California history.
- Commitment to the ideals of the scholarship will be weighed at least as heavily as financial need.

APPLICATION MATERIALS
A complete application must include:
- Personal and career goals statement (1–2 pages).
- Resume (and portfolio, if relevant).
- Transcripts for all college coursework to date (unofficial transcripts are acceptable).
- Completed CBTA scholarship application form.

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS
- Send completed applications by email to: cbta@bigtrees.org. Applications may also be mailed (see the application form for the postal address).
- Materials submitted on behalf of applicants become the property of the Calaveras Big Trees Association and cannot be returned. If you submit artwork, provide good-quality color photographs of the originals.

OTHER NOTES
- Complete only one application form; applicants will be considered for both scholarships with a single submission.
- Deadline for receipt of applications: April 15, 2025.

For questions or to request the application form, contact CBTA at cbta@bigtrees.org.