What was the youth conservation corps like for you?

Sherri Drakos: 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.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 RetrofittingParticipants 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 8â€"10 weeks during the summer. Participants must be between 15â€"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)....Show more