Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps

Short Takes: Around Erie and Crawford counties

GoErie.com State grants fund plantings along streams CAMBRIDGE SPRINGS — The Pennsylvania departments of Conservation and Natural Resources and Environmental Protection are offering grants to help landowners plant trees along streams to improve water quality. The goal is to plant 95,000 acres of stream-side buffers by 2025. Planting trees along streams prevents sediments and nutrients from entering the water and provides shade that keeps water cooler for trout and other stream life, DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn said during a recent event at a Crawford County farm. DCNR is dedicating $500,000 in 2016 for a pilot grant program for stream-side plantings. Dunn was at the John and Amy Bridger farm in Cambridge Springs, where 2.5 acres of buffers were planted along a French Creek tributary with help from the Crawford County Conservation District, the DCNR Bureau of Forestry and local high school students.

PA Outdoor Corps offers opportunities for teens

August 2, 2016 12:00 AM By John Hayes Pittsburgh Post-Gazette WANTED: Teens and young adults who enjoy working outdoors. Six-week summer commitment for teens; starting early in 2017, 10 months of work for young adults 18 to 25. Crews work 37½ hours per week at $10.25 an hour, transportation and lunch provided. Send an email expressing interest to paoutdoorcorps@thesca.org. Pretty good gig and something to put on a resume. And it’s government work to boot. Cindy Adams Dunn, secretary of the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, recently visited Point State Park to talk about the Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps, a new initiative that provides paid work experience, job training and educational opportunities to young people. In exchange, the workers complete recreation and conservation projects at state parks, forestlands and other public grounds throughout the state. Ms. Dunn was joined by a teen work crew currently working at the Downtown park. Work sites are located in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Harrisburg, Wilkes Barre and Johnstown. “The Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps will help to protect and restore public lands and waters, while providing young people with the knowledge and expertise to be good stewards of our natural resources,” said Ms. Dunn in a statement. “This program will connect youth and young adults with job opportunities relating to the outdoors and the environment, and provide training in work skills necessary for future successful employment.” The Outdoor Corps is managed by DCNR and the Student Conservation Association, America's oldest and largest youth conservation organization. The program is funded by DCNR and the state Department of Labor and Industry. “Work experience for high school students is tantamount to later career success, and we can’t think of a better way to experience working in Pennsylvania than through one of its state parks,” said Labor and Industry Secretary Kathy Manderino. Since its founding in 1957, the Student Conservation Association has provided work experience for 80,000 teens and young adults. Seven in 10 alumni found work or are still studying in conservation-related fields, according to the group. In a statement, Christopher Jackson of SCA praised the value of developing good work skills. “In addition to safeguarding the state’s natural resources, the Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps will provide participants with empowering leadership and career tracks,” he said. “The widespread benefits of this program will be felt for years to come.”

DCNR, Labor & Industry Launch PA Outdoor Corps Employment Program July 13, 2016 Lewisberry, PA PRNewswire Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn Wednesday joined Department of Labor & Industry Secretary Kathy Manderino, other state officials, and representatives of the Student Conservation Association in launching the Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps at Gifford Pinchot State Park, near Lewisberry, York County. The new Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps is offering paid work experience, job training, and educational opportunities to young people who complete recreation and conservation projects at state parks, forestlands, and other Pennsylvania public lands. Applications are being accepted now for this summer’s Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps 15-18 year-old program in Harrisburg, Wilkes-Barre, Johnstown, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia. The program runs July 11 through August 19, 2016. Crew members will work 37.5 hours/week and be paid $10.15/hour. Transportation and lunch will be provided. To be considered for a spot, send an email to: paoutdoorcorps@thesca.org and indicate your city of interest. Include your name and contact information. Applications for the 18 to 25 year-old crews also are being accepted. The first 10-month crews will begin in early 2017. A crew of 10 high school-age students from Southcentral Pennsylvania began work Monday at Gifford Pinchot. “The Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps will help to protect and restore public lands and waters, while providing young people with the knowledge and expertise to be good stewards of our natural resources,” said DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn, speaking at a park trail site where the young crew was working. “This program will connect youth and young adults with job opportunities relating to the outdoors and the environment and provide training in work skills necessary for future successful employment.” The DCNR secretary noted the new program is a key element of the department’s Youth initiative -- one of six being pursued by DCNR “to position the department as a leader in areas that go far beyond the operation and stewardship of our state parks and forests. “This youth employment and enrichment program is managed by DCNR in cooperation with the Student Conservation Association, with financial and program support provided by DCNR and the PA Department of Labor and Industry.” Initial roll-out of the Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps is financed through the Department of Labor & Industry’s Reemployment Fund.

“Labor & Industry is pleased to support the PA Outdoor Corps and to collaborate with our sister agency at DCNR,” said L&I Secretary Kathy Manderino. “Work experience for high school students is tantamount to later career success and we can’t think of a better way to experience working in Pennsylvania than through one of its state parks.” SCA was chosen through a competitive bid process to manage day-to-day operations of the Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps. “In addition to safeguarding the state’s natural resources, the Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps will provide participants with empowering leadership and career tracks,” SCA Eastern Regional Vice President Christopher Jackson told the gathering. “The widespread benefits of this program will be felt for years to come, and SCA is delighted to be part of this important partnership.” The statewide program will be based in state parks and forests locations in rural and urban locations in all regions of the state, particularly those areas within close proximity to disadvantaged communities and school districts. Crews will be dispatched within the region, working on public lands with resource and infrastructure project needs. Initial site locations are in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, Wilkes-Barre and Johnstown. While initially project work will be performed on state park and forestlands, DCNR aims to expand the corps work areas on a cost-share basis to local land managers with municipal and county parks and recreation departments in 2017. The Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps consists of two components: a six-week, summer program for youth between the ages of 15-18; and a 10-month program for young adults ages 18-25, which will launch in early 2017. The Outdoor Corps will tackle hands-on projects such as trail restoration, tree planting, light construction, shoreline restorations and invasive species management in state and local parks, state forests and other public lands, as well as undertake specialty projects in relation to recreation and conservation, which may include public outreach, research and assessments. To oversee the program, DCNR appointed Scott Carney as Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps Coordinator. He joins the department with nearly 20 years of habitat management, project management and youth and partnership experience with the Fish and Boat Commission. In addition, he has worked outside of government as an environmental consultant and project manager. The Student Conservation Association is America’s oldest and largest youth conservation organization. SCA seeks to conserve land and transform lives by empowering young people of all backgrounds to plan, act and lead, while they protect and restore natural and cultural resources. Founded in 1957, its mission is to build future conservation leaders, and seven in 10 of SCA’s 80,000 alumni worldwide are employed or studying in conservation-related fields. For more information: www.thesca.org.

For more details, visit the Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps website. [Historical Note: This program is a natural follow-on to Pennsylvania’s experience with the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Pennsylvania Conservation Corps created by Gov. Thornburgh and eliminated in 2011 by Gov. Corbett after nearly 15,000 individuals age 18-25 gained work skills over the program’s 27 year history].

Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps helps mine future stewards of the environment Central Penn Business Journal By Michael Sadowski 8/12/16

Members of a Student Conservation Association work crew learn about water quality by observing aquatic life at Little Buffalo State Park in Perry County. Bill McIntosh, second from right, a high school earth and environmental sciences teacher, is a co-leader of this work crew.

Outdoor Corps: Youths get paid, parks get upgrade Standard-Speaker By Kent Jackson 8/6/16 As young people cut brush at the Nescopeck State Park on July 11, they began a part-time job that improves state lands, introduces them to outdoor careers and takes a cue from a program that their great-grandfathers might have participated in. The Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps provides two months of work and training for youths between the ages of 15 and 18. Next year, the corps will expand to include adults between the ages of 18 and 25 who will work 10 months at parks and other state properties in a model loosely based on the Civilian Conservation Corps that provided work for young people and added infrastructure to state and national parks during the Great Depression era of the 1930s. When the Pennsylvania program began this summer, a crew converged on Nescopeck State Park where they helped cut and spray unwanted plants that aren’t native to the area and installed fences around a nature discovery area. The following week, they went to the Lehigh Gorge State Park to clear trails and remove invasive plants and graffiti from locks of the historic Lehigh Canal. The crew moved to other sites within an hour of its base in Wilkes-Barre while other crews spread out from Johnstown, Harrisburg, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. In addition to removing invasive species and maintaining trails, the crews will plant trees, restore shorelines, do light construction, and help with research, promotions and assessments. Many of the corps members will be females or non-whites — groups underrepresented in outdoor careers. “There’s a pool of knowledge and good people we’re not connecting with. It’s important we get these folks interested and incorporated in the natural resources. They will be the leaders of the future,” Scott Carney, the corps manager with the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) in Harrisburg, said. “We will broaden their horizons so they can learn about the natural world.” The Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry provided $2 million to start the corps, but DCNR will supply future funding. A national organization called the Student Conservation Association provides supervisors and transportation for corps members. Through their work, corps members will learn responsibility, leadership and teamwork that can help them in any job, even if they don’t gravitate to an outdoor career, but the corps will introduce them to nature.

“We thought it was important that they do more than manual labor,” Carney said. So the corps members will spend a half day each week learning about nature or trying outdoor activities. At Lehigh Gorge, they took part in a high-tech scavenger hunt known as geocaching and learned about the geological processes that created Boulder Field at nearby Hickory Run State Park. Crew members receive breakfast and lunch each day and earn $10.10 an hour. Older workers will be paid hourly wages of $10.25. “It’s good for them to see what it’s like in the parks … It’s a great resume builder,” Brian Heath, an assistant manager at Lehigh Gorge, Hickory Run and Nescopeck state parks, said. Robin Tracey, an environmental educator at Locust Lake and Tuscarora state parks, hopes to recruit young people for the corps next year. Young people can start the application by sending emails to paoutdoorcorps@thesca.org. “It’s almost like an internship. If they want to work for DCNR or forestry, they already have a background,” Tracey said.

Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn, left center, and Labor & Industry Secretary Kathy Manderino lead workers, other state officials and representatives of the Student Conservation Association in a cheer after launching the Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps.

Cindy Adams Dunn, Secretary of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, speaks to Outdoor Corps workers at Gifford Pinchot State Park.

Students get lessons in the great outdoors as part of summer job program By Dave Sutor The Tribune-Democrat 8/8/16

Gerald Zahorchak speaks during a Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps event at Prince Gallitzin State Park on Monday. The former Greater Johnstown School District Superintendent in developing the program.

PATTON – Participants in the newly created Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps got to experience the area's natural landscape – from its green forests to deep blue lakes to winding hiking trails – as both a classroom and workplace this summer.

Ten students from five area school districts have participated in the Student Conservation Association program that is scheduled to run until the middle of August.

They earned their paychecks by clearing trails, improving signage and performing other tasks to enhance Prince Gallitzin State Park, Blue Knob State Park, and other Department of Conservation and Natural Resources-maintained properties. While doing the work, the students also received lessons about the nature that surrounds them.

“I had a lot of fun this year,” said Ashton White, a Windber Area High School student, during an event held at Prince Gallitzin on Monday. “It was something definitely different. It was a new experience for me being outside all the time. I took away a lot. I learned a lot. It was a really fun experience.”

Richland High School's Devin Fisher was inspired by his weeks spent in nature.

“It sounded like an interesting summer job, but it made me really consider going into this field,” Fisher said. Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps was designed to provide participants valuable hands-on learning experiences. “For the young people, this is what education really is meant to be all about,” said former Greater Johnstown School District Superintendent Gerald Zahorchak, who assisted with developing the program.

“If we could do this in all forms of the disciplines – getting project-based education where you actually feel the work, learn as you're working – it's stuff that will last you forever. The retention of what you learn in this kind of project is better than anything else you can do in education as far as sustaining that retention of things that you've learned here.” Fifty students participated in the statewide program, doing their work in the Johnstown, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Wilkes-Barre and Harrisburg areas. “What we love about this program is that it engages youth from across the commonwealth and helps them appreciate our strong conservation legacy that we have here in Pennsylvania,” said Michael Walsh, DCNR's deputy secretary for administration. “It introduces them to a number of job skills in the conservation field, and hopefully it gets them out into the park lands not just this summer, but in the future.”

Pittsburgh part of new Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps program Pittsburgh Business Times 7/13/16 By Patty Tascarella The state’s departments of Conservation and Natural Resources and Labor & Industry officially launched the Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps on Wednesday. The employment program debuted at Gifford Pinchot State Park in York County and will have site locations in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Harrisburg, Wilkes-Barre and Johnstown. The program offers paid work experience, job training, and educational opportunities to young people who complete recreation and conservation projects at state parks, forestlands and other Pennsylvania public lands. They will tackle hands-on projects such as trail restoration, tree planting, light construction, shoreline restorations and invasive species management.

Outdoors with Tom Venesky: When it comes to the outdoors, the future is bright

Times Leader By Tom Venesky 8/21/16 It’s easy to get caught up in bad news when it comes to the future of hunting, fishing and the outdoors. I often hear claims that hunters and anglers are aging, their ranks are dwindling and, especially for hunters, issues such as access, lack of game and time are driving many away from the sport and the future is doomed. I don’t believe it. I think hunting, and interest in the outdoors in general, has a bright future. While others can waste time preaching doom and gloom, I think it’s better to focus on the positive and the up-and-coming hunters, anglers and conservationists. There’s plenty to focus on. The newly created Governor’s Youth Council for Hunting, Fishing and Conservation is a good place to start. It mirrors the Governor’s Advisory Council for Hunting, Fishing and Conservation and will be comprised of 20 high school students, ranging in age from 14 to 18. Council members will be charged with providing the Governor ideas on how to engage youth in conservation issues and our outdoor heritage. I have no doubt it’s going to be a success and the council is a somewhat refreshing approach to addressing the issue of getting kids involved in the outdoors. It seems that every time there’s a push to connect kids to the outdoors, the legwork is being done by adults. While the work is admirable, I think it’s going to be more effective to let teens tell us how best to get youth interested in the outdoors. It’s a more direct approach, and one we should all be optimistic about. But the youth council isn’t the only reason to be encouraged about the future of our outdoor heritage. Despite the common beliefs that kids just aren’t interested, are too busy or would rather play video games than hit the woods, I’ve seen plenty of evidence that the future generation shares our passion for the outdoors. I saw it when I stopped by Frances Slocum State Park recently to meet with the kids involved with the Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps. The program is essentially a summer job, but the kids work at state parks and forests gaining valuable job training and educational opportunities while experiencing some of the most impressive public natural areas in the region. And while the money is nice, it’s not what motivates the kids. The group I spent time with including a few individuals who wanted to become park rangers or pursue other conservation-related careers. And they all loved spending time working outdoors, getting to see our state parks firsthand.

I wrote a story about the group and since it appeared, I’ve been contacted by a few young people wanting to know how they can get involved with the program. It was encouraging. But there’s more. I see a bright future for our outdoor sports when I see the number of kids that show up at the wildlife programs given by the Pennsylvania Game Commission each month at the Northeast Region Office in Dallas. I see it when I walk the banks of any stocked waterway on the first day of trout season and youngsters learning to cast and families spending the day together. I see it when a mother told me her young son wants to learn about hunting and if I could recommend anything to help him get an opportunity. He enjoyed a pheasant hunt last winter and I’m working on a fall turkey hunt that is sure to give him the memory of a lifetime. Want more evidence that today’s kids are interested in the outdoors? The North Mountain Branch of the Quality Deer Management Association held an outdoors skills day for kids ages 5-17 last month in Noxen and 84 kids participated. Kids don’t care about the outdoors? I’m not convinced.

Program gives students chance to work with nature Bill Wellock August 18, 2016 The Citizens’ Voice

Representatives of the Student Conservation Association listen to speakers at a news conference highlighting work of the newly created Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps at Seven Tubs Recreation Area in Pinchot State Forest, Bear Creek, Pa., Wednesday August 17, 2016. Photo credit: Mark Morancv18seventubsp1

District Forester Nicholas Lylo speaks during a news conference Wednesday, at Seven Tubs Recreation Area in Pinchot State Forest. Photo credit: Mark Moran

PLAINS TWP. — Eighteen-year-olds Katherine Mash and Joe Franckiewicz spent the last six weeks getting up early to do dirty, sweaty work like putting up fence posts and cutting away vegetation. They both called it the best job they’ve ever had. Mash of Nanticoke, Franckiewicz of Wilkes-Barre, and eight other local teenagers, were part of the first Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps. On Wednesday, they visited Seven Tubs Recreation Area, along with representatives from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and The Student Conservation Association to talk about their work. The state contracted with The Student Conservation Association, a national conservation organization, to run the program. Five groups, including the one headquartered in Wilkes-Barre, performed conservation and land management work across the state. Other groups were based in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg and Johnstown. The local group visited several state parks to help with projects. At Nescopeck State Park, they erected a fence next to a children’s play area; at Lehigh Gorge, they cleaned old canal locks; at Ricketts Glen, they cut down maple trees to maintain a meadow area; and at Frances Slocum, they removed weeds, mulched and planted. In Seven Tubs Recreation Area, which used to be a county-owned park but is now part of the Pinchot State Forest, they worked on trails and helped build an information kiosk. In these and other places, they also built and maintained trails and removed invasive species. The program wanted to connect students to the natural world and give them an idea of potential careers in the great outdoors. Students earned $10.15 an hour for the work. Today, they’ll travel to Harrisburg to meet other SCA crews from around the state.

When Mash learned about the program, “I couldn’t believe it was real,” she said. With a well-paying job and the chance to work outdoors, “it seemed too good to be true.” She is heading to West Chester University this fall, planning to major in communications and computer science, but the experience has her considering a change to her studies. Franckiewicz plans to attend Juniata College to study environmental science. The six weeks he spent with the outdoor corps reinforced that choice. “We learned why conservation makes an impact,” he said. “I’d recommend it to anyone.” The Department of Labor and Industry gave $2.5 million to start the program across the state and funded it for several years, said Scott Carney, who coordinates the statewide program. The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources also contributed. The SCA will run another youth program in Pennsylvania next year for students between the ages of 15 and 18. The state also plans to contract with SCA to organize a program for young adults between the ages of 18 and 25. That contract is not finalized, but the state has all intentions of starting it, said State Forester Dan Devlin. The future of the program depends on the availability of funding, Devlin said. Other conservation corps programs exist across the country, but the crews this year were new to Pennsylvania. In a way, however, it’s a throwback to the Civilian Conservation Corps, an earlier program that existed in Pennsylvania and across the United States, Devlin said. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt started that organization during the Great Depression, and Pennsylvania had 151 CCC camps, the second-highest number of camps for any state. According to the DNCR, the state had so many camps because it already had a plan in place for the work, thanks to the planning of forester and Governor Gifford Pinchot — for whom the local state forest is named. “We’re looking at the legacy left from our forefathers,” said Nicholas Lylo, a district forester with the state forestry department. For more information about the outdoor corps program, visit www.dcnr.pa.gov/outdoorcorps.

DCNR officials praise work of the Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps to improve state parks August 17, 2016 By Tom Venesky Times Leader

Hikers travel a path at the Seven Tubs Recreation Area Wednesday. Clark Van Orden | For Times Leader

State forester Dan Devlin delivers remarks at the newly renovated Seven Tubs Recreation Area Wednesday morning. Clark Van Orden | For Times Leader BEAR CREEK TWP. — Maintaining all 46,274 acres comprising the Pinchot State Forest is a major task, but the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources had a little help this summer. The Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps spent the last six weeks working at DCNR’s state forests and parks in five locations throughout the state. The corps is made up of youths ages 15 to 18 who are paid for their time and travel from various parks and forests, doing the jobs that DCNR staff didn’t have time to do during the busy season.

On Wednesday, DCNR officials gave the kids a pat on the back as they gathered at the Seven Tubs Recreation Area to highlight the work performed by the crew of 10 high school students from the Wilkes-Barre area. “The Pinchot State Forest is a new setting for us and a lot of work needs to be done,” said state forester Dan Devlin. “This youth program will help.” Among the jobs tackled by the kids this summer were removing invasive plant species at Nescopeck State Park, staining and rebuilding stairs and conducting trail improvements at Frances Slocum State Park and building an informational kiosk at Seven Tubs. This summer marked the first year for the program, which Devlin said was crucial to connecting youth to the outdoors. Over the last two decades, he said, the disconnect between youth and the outdoors has grown as agencies such as DCNR search for ways to reverse the trend. “It’s something that has reached our radar,” he said. “Part of the purpose of this program is to connect youth with the outdoors, and have these young adults learn some skills for a potential job.” State Rep. Gerald Mullery, D-Newport Township, reflected on the efforts with the state Legislature and Luzerne County to add acreage to the Pinchot State Forest, such as Moon Lake State Park and the Seven Tubs. When the state took the areas over, Mullery said, they needed work but still had potential. The work of the kids in the corps is helping to realize that potential, he said. “When we worked with Luzerne County to make this happen, this is what we envisioned,” Mullery said. “Anything we can do as a commonwealth to get more young people out into the woods is worthwhile.” The Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps is currently a pilot program, and a similar group for those ages 18 to 25 will begin in March. Devlin was optimistic that the program will be brought back next summer. “This is the beginning of the program. Across the state, everyone has been really impressed with the young adults they’ve been dealing with and the work they’ve done,” Devlin said. “We thought it went extremely well.” So did the kids. West Pittston resident Oscar Wolf, 15, said his time with the corps this summer taught him not only about conservation, but also the importance of working as a team to get things done. “When you work with other people to improve things at our parks, it really can have a positive effect on the environment,” Wolf said. Alex Waskovich, 16, called the program “the best summer job you could have” and said he would enroll again next year if it’s brought back. “I liked the fact that we were outside, and the type of work we did had a result that we’ll be able to see for years to come,” Waskovich said. “I look forward to returning with my friends to show them what we did.”

Pittsburgh part of new Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps program July 13, 2016 Pittsburgh Business Times Patty Tascarella The state’s departments of Conservation and Natural Resources and Labor & Industry officially launched the Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps on Wednesday. The employment program debuted at Gifford Pinchot State Park in York County and will have site locations in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Harrisburg, Wilkes-Barre and Johnstown. The program offers paid work experience, job training, and educational opportunities to young people who complete recreation and conservation projects at state parks, forestlands and other Pennsylvania public lands. They will tackle hands-on projects such as trail restoration, tree planting, light construction, shoreline restorations and invasive species management.

You Can Thank These Depression-Era Workers for Your National Parks

Daily life in the Civilian Conservation Corps is preserved in a new National Park Service archive By Erin Blakemore smithsonian.com August 30, 2016 Last week, the United States National Park Service celebrated its 100th anniversary in high style. National parks took over everything from the White House's Instagram feed to the U.S. Mint, and outdoor enthusiasts all over the country took to the great outdoors to celebrate their nation's protected lands. A more low-key celebration took place online, too, with the inauguration of the Open Parks Network. The collaboration between the NPS and Clemson University makes available over 200,000 digital images of national parks and related archival material. And tucked inside the treasures is a collection of photographs of some of the people who made the national parks what they are today: members of the Civilian Conservation Corps. The collection showcases the daily life of CCC members throughout America's national parks as they do everything from sow seed to build roads. Those activities are similar to the ones performed by Corps members around the country between 1933 and 1942—a group of hard-working people who turned the Great Depression into a great opportunity for America's outdoors. Franklin Delano Roosevelt founded the program as part of his New Deal bid to find employment and impose order on the large number of jobless young men of the Depression. The idea was simple: Men who joined the CCC were given military-style lodging, food and pay in exchange for working on conservation projects throughout the country. (Though the majority of participants were white, single young men, men of color also served in the CCC, though they were eventually forced to stay in separate camps and faced discrimination in some parts of the country. A separate "She-She-She" camp system was proposed for women, but was short-lived.) The CCC members were given a uniform, a tight, military-style schedule, and were put to work in camps all over the United States. For their trouble, they earned $30 a month—though they themselves received $5, and the rest was required to be sent home to their impoverished families. Read more: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/you-can-thank-these-depression-era-workers-your-national-parks-180960284/#LZKbXayvH8S2ipvZ.99 Give the gift of Smithsonian magazine for only $12! http://bit.ly/1cGUiGv Follow us: @SmithsonianMag on Twitter

Summer Crew Leaders-Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps (mulitple locations) Rachel L. Chesapeake Network June, 2016 The Student Conservation Association (SCA) is America’s #1 conservation service organization seeks qualified applicants to lead, educate, and inspire youth crews in the Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Harrisburg, Johnstown/Altoona, Wilkes Barre, PA areas over a 7 week period of time in the summer of 2016. Program Dates: July – August 2016 (TBA) and mandatory 8-day training in June Primary Responsibilities: Co-lead, mentor and coach a crew of 10 students, ages 15-19, while completing various conservation service projects designed to build an ethic of community and environmental stewardship. Projects include a range of activities such as trail and park maintenance, habitat restoration, revitalization of abandoned urban properties or to urban agriculture and run for 5-6 weeks at a time. In addition, leaders will facilitate pre- and post- program planning which includes crew training, environmental education and reporting. Qualifications: •Must be a minimum of 21 years of age •Must have ability to legally work in the US •Current First Aid certification & CPR required by the start of the orientation training •Experience working with youth or young adults (ages 14-18) •Experience as a teacher or leader in educational environment •Experience with conservation work skills or related skills, preferred, i.e. trail maintenance, trail construction, chainsaw, carpentry, landscaping, and gardening •Ability to perform manual, physical labor for up to 8 hours per day, exposed to the elements. •The employee must occasionally lift and/or move 40 pounds or more •Valid driver’s license and MVR that meets SCA standards required •Ability to meet SCA’s criminal background check standards •Must have personal housing arrangements in program city. Compensation: $4,025 plus paid Crew Leader Orientation & Work Skills (travel, food & lodging provided). To Apply: click ‘sign up’ and complete the ‘Leader’ Application and select or type in the appropriate city. Completed online applications must be received before each interview but a cover letter and resume can be sent directly to the program manager for a speedy review. Please contact rrupp@thesca or call (603) 504-3318 Conservation Begins Here. SCA is an EOE dedicated to workforce diversity.

Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps provides a unique summer job By Tom Venesky Times Leader August 6, 2016

Josh Wychock stains steps at Frances Slocum State Park last week. Wychock is one of nine local youth enrolled in DCNR’s Pennsylvania Outdoors Corps, which travels to state parks to work over the summer.

Oscar Wolf and other members of the Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps work on a set of steps at Frances Slocum State Park last week. The group is one of several in the state that travel to state parks and forests to work for the summer. KINGSTON TWP. — Joe Franckiewicz wants to be a park ranger, so the 18-year-old Meyers graduate is spending the summer getting some on the job training. Franckiewicz is one of nine local young people enrolled in the Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps, an off-shoot of the old Civilian Conservation Corps. The state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and

state Department of Labor and Industry finance the program, which is managed by the Student Conservation Association. The six-week program brings together young people ages 15-18 in several locations throughout the state to work on state parks and forests in the area. Franckiewicz is part of the crew based in Wilkes-Barre, and he’s soaking up the experience to work in every state park in the region. “I’ve been to all the parks and it gives me a new respect for the people who work there,” he said. “It’s very fulfilling.” The group spends several days at each park, doing work that park managers and their staff just don’t have time to do or need an extra hand to get done. As of last week, the group removed invasive plant species at Nescopeck State Park, cleaned an ancient lock remaining from the old canal at Lehigh Gorge State Park, removed graffiti, cleaned up trails, built fences, stained steps and more. “This isn’t amateur stuff they’re throwing at us,” Franckiewicz said. Nor is it without multiple purposes. Aside from sprucing up the parks, members of the corps - who are paid $10.15/hour during the six-week program, also receive an educational lesson from the staff at every park. At Nescopeck, for example, park staff told the group why it was important to remove invasive plant species such as autumn olive and multi flora rose. The area that was cleared is frequented by woodcock, and the new open space is conducive for the birds’ breeding ritual. “The educational component is big,” said crew leader Christine LaBar. “Staff at every park has sat down and talked with the kids, and they’re excited to learn something new.” And the park staff is glad to have them. Brian Taylor, park manager at Frances Slocum State Park, said the group was a huge benefit during the days they worked at the park. Taylor was impressed with their initiative and willingness to tackle any job, and if the program continues next summer he’s like to have them back. “With their help we’re able to get things done during our busy season that we don’t have the manpower or time to complete,” Taylor said. “You can tell they really want to be here, and if they continue to come back the park will continue to benefit.” This week the group finished the program working at Seven Tubs and other places in the Pinchot State Forest and many of the young people plan on returning next year, not only to earn money with a summer job but to experience DCNR’s state parks and forests once again. And even if the work is hard, it’s also gratifying. “You can see the end result and I feel like I really contributed something,” said 15-year-old Jared Grossman of Swoyersville. “I’m glad for the opportunity to work outside. I could either be doing something I love for a summer job or sitting inside at a Turkey Hill all day.”

Crew leader Kelly Haymaker said the program is designed to give the kids multiple benefits, such as connecting with nature, experiencing their local parks, getting to know the staff and making some money over the summer. She’s hopeful the program will continue next summer as well. “Based on the success we’ve had and all the positive feedback we’ve received, I think it’s going to happen next summer,” Haymaker said. “The kids are taking a lot of pride in this and they like to see the end result of their work.”

Teens welcome to apply for outdoor jobs in PA June 17th, 2016 Times Leader staff reports Applications are being accepted from youth ages 15 to 18 to work for the Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps this summer. Applications are being accepted now for this summer’s Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps 15-18 year-old program in Harrisburg, Wilkes-Barre, Johnstown, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia. The program runs July 11 through August 19, 2016. Crew members will work 37.5 hours/week and be paid $10.15/hour. Transportation and lunch will be provided. To be considered for a spot, send an email to paoutdoorcorps@thesca.org and indicate your city of interest. Include your name and contact information. The new Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps offers work experience, job training, and educational opportunities to young people who complete recreation and conservation projects on Pennsylvania’s public lands. The Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps will help to protect and restore public lands and waters, while providing young people with the knowledge and expertise to be good stewards of our natural resources. The program will connect youth and young adults with job opportunities relating to the outdoors and the environment and provide training in work skills necessary for future successful employment. Outdoor Corps members will tackle hands-on projects, such as trail restoration, tree planting, light construction, shoreline restorations, and invasive species management in state and local parks, state forests, and other public lands, as well as undertake specialty projects in relation to recreation and conservation, which may include public outreach, research, and assessments. In addition to hands-on job skills, the program provides learning opportunities weekly in resource management, environmental issues and topics, and recreation skills. Corps members also will be provided with workforce development training and materials during their period of employment. While the majority of the project work will be performed on state park and forest lands, corps teams will be available on a cost-share basis to local land managers such as municipal and county parks and recreation departments during 2017.