Monday, December 12, 2011
New version of civilian conservation corps planned
The Obama administration’s vision for an updated version of the Civilian Conservation Corps is a little closer to reality after Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack last week named members of a federal advisory committee that will help build the planned 21st Century Conservation Service Corps. 21CSC will empower young people — including low-income, under-served and diverse youth and returning veterans – with valuable training and work experience, while accomplishing important conservation and restoration work for America’s great outdoors, waterways and cultural heritage sites. The committee – composed of representatives of the nation’s conservation, service and workforce development groups along with representatives from federal agencies – will provide Salazar and Vilsack advice on a framework for the Conservation Service Corps’ organizational structure; certification criteria for Corps providers and members; strategies to overcome existing barriers to successful program implementation; partnership opportunities with outside organizations and pathways for Corps participants to pursue future conservation, community engagement and natural resource careers. Today’s announcement builds on the promise made to the American public during the America’s Great Outdoors listening sessions to take their recommendations and move them forward, as well as Secretary Salazar’s initiative to establish youth employment and education as a priority for Interior by creating the Office of Youth in the Great Outdoors...more
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Every summer, thousands of young adults deploy to do conservation projects as wildland fire fighters. I have known three people who went through this program over three seasons. One is now with special forces in Afghanistan and another is set to deploy next year with an aviation unit. Pay is minimal, work is hard, dangerous and dirty, and each one of them loved it. And they did good work when not fighting fires, clearing bush, maintaining trails, etc. Why substitute with a model that already seems to work.
I see that someone from Anchorage Parks is an alternate member. I do hope the committee looks at different methods of structuring and paying for this program. In Anchorage, citizens established "Trail Watch" a number of years ago in response to attacks on the municipality's extensive trail system, kind of a Neighborhood Watch for the trails. Shortly thereafter, a component was added to clear debris and brush from the trailside to provide better sight lines for trail users and cut down on fuel for fires. It has made a big difference over the years, collectively maintaing the vegetation along miles of trail, except for the Park's Department foreman, its all volunteer. Community members, people from the nearby military bases, school groups, Scouts, etc.
Something tells me this new effort will recommend a big bureaucracy funded by increased user fees, perhaps appropriations from the land and water conservation fund. In the end, I doubt it will look anything like the old CCC, even modernized for the 21st century.
Post a Comment