Local Youth Conservation Corps a Success
Susanville, CA – The Lassen National Forest hired a four-person Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) crew this summer to work on Forest projects. Due to declining budgets and other work priorities, the Lassen has not had a YCC crew for many years. When an opportunity came to apply for program funding this year, Forest Fire Chief Lorene Guffey volunteered to manage the program, and Forest staff selected the projects.
Once funding was secured and project work was identified, the hiring process started. After the random selection process was completed, successful applicants were Larrisa Clark, Sean Domondon, Alex McConnell, and Kelsey DeRose. All of the enrollees are from the Susanville and Janesville areas. The crew started June 7 and worked until July 30. During that time, the crew built fence around wildlife guzzlers and campgrounds, learned how to split cedar rails, removed ladder fuels to lessen the impact of wildfire, installed erosion control barriers, and completed trail maintenance on part of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). On another project, they were joined by the Tribal Youth Conservation Crew from the Susanville Indian Rancheria to repair the entry fence at Camp Ronald McDonald.
When the crew was asked what made the biggest impression on them, Domondon said he “enjoyed building the fence at Willow Lake where they had to cross the river several times.” He went on to say, “It was hard work, but we got it done.” Clark liked working on the fence around the wildlife guzzler. The fuel reduction project stands out for McConnell, who said “I liked seeing the difference in the area after we removed the ladder fuels.” DeRose stated she enjoyed doing trail maintenance on the PCT. As a hiker herself, she could appreciate the need to keep the trail safe and in good condition.
All crew members agreed they valued the opportunity to learn about the variety of resource management activities of the Forest Service because it gave them some ideas for possible careers options.
“The program would not have been successful without their crew supervisor, Mo Suarez,” Guffey said. “Suarez’s primary job is range management on the Eagle Lake Ranger District, but his Ranger was willing to loan him for the eight-week program. His knowledge of the Forest, resource management, and how to safely and effectively get projects accomplished made my job easy,” Guffey added. Suarez got a lot of satisfaction from teaching the crew how to safely and effectively work on the different projects, including how to use the variety of tools needed for their completion.
The Youth Conservation Corps is a summer employment program administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture – Forest Service and by the U.S. Department of Interior – both Fish and Wildlife Service and National Park Service. Since 1970, the YCC program has operated as a work-learn-earn program for youth as provided for in Public Law 91-378, 1970, as amended.
The three main goals of the YCC program are: 1) to accomplish needed conservation work on public lands; 2) to provide gainful employment for 15 through 18 year old males and females from all social, economic, ethnic, and racial classifications; and 3) to develop in youth participants an understanding and appreciation of the nation’s natural environment and heritage.
The YCC program is designed to prepare America’s youth for the ultimate responsibility of managing the nation’s natural resources for the future.
