Youth Conservation Corps
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| Youth Conservation Corps(YCC) | |
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| Youth Conservation Corps patch | |
| Agency overview | |
| Formed | August 13, 1971 |
| Parent agency | Department of the Interior |
| Website | |
| Youth Conservation Corps | |
The Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) is a summer work youth program in federally managed lands. The National Park Service, US Forest Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service and Bureau of Land Management employ teens each summer to participate in the YCC experience. The YCC has introduced young Americans to conservation opportunities in public lands since the program was created in 1970. In the late seventies and early eighties the program included a grant-in-aid component that funded state and local YCC projects nationwide. This element fell to 1982 budget cuts, but several states continued the effort with their own funds. Some employees currently working in land management agencies were introduced to their profession through the YCC.
Youth Conservation Corps members work, play, learn, and grow in public lands restoring, rehabilitating, and repairing the natural, cultural, and historical resources protected as federally preserved places. Some examples of work completed each season by Youth Conservation Corps are:
- Historic Structure Preservation
- Exotic Plant Removal
- Fence Construction
- Boundary Marking Signage
- Boardwalk Repair
- Wildlife Research Assistance
- Anthropologic Research Assistance
- Bridge Construction
- Trail Construction
- Campsite/Campground Restoration
- Environmental Education Planning/Teaching
- Habitat Preservation
- IT Work
- Visitor Use Assistance
- Energy Retrofitting
Participants are paid the established federal minimum wage. Participants in states with a minimum wage higher than the federal will be paid at the higher rate.
Youth Conservation Corps programs are conducted for 8–10 weeks during the summer. Participants must be between 15–18 years old at the start of the program. Most YCC programs are non-residential; however the National Park Service does have two residential programs at Yosemite National Park (CA) and Yellowstone National Park (WY, MT, ID).
The Youth Conservation Corp focuses on conservation and community. These are some of the aspects they focus on:
- How the work projects benefits the site or the overall environment.
- Appreciating and understanding the nation’s environmental and historic heritage.
- Gaining an understanding and appreciation of Ecosystems and Community.
Recruitment for the YCC within the National Park Service is done at individual sites participating in the program. The National Park Service webpage:[1] provides information about how to enroll in the Youth Conservation Corps. Applications[2] may be found on the NPS webpage and must be sent to parks of interest by April 15. Enrollees are selected without regard to civil service or classification laws, rules or regulation. The selection process is conducted in a public forum by the random method.
YCC is a partnership between the US Department of Interior and US Department of Agriculture established by Public Law 93-408. Since its inception, the YCC has worked with many conservation agencies throughout the country to provide educational and team building skills to young people through participation in work projects.
[edit] References
- ^ Join the Youth Conservation Corps National Park Service Retrieved 2010-11-19.
- ^ Youth Conservation Corps Application USDA Retrieved 2010-11-19.
