Project Titles:

• Employ 50 YCC Enrollees (FFS #R6NC)
• Employ 15 Temporary Youth (FFS #R6NB)
• Employ 10 SCA Interns (FFS #R6NA)

State: Regionwide

Initial Project Description: Funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 is providing the opportunity for youth throughout the Mountain-Prairie Region to participate in the Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) and other partner youth corps. The YCC has been instrumental in introducing young Americans to conservation opportunities in national parks since the program was created in 1970. This program was created through a partnership between the U.S. Department of the Interior and the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Forest Service. Since its inception, the YCC has worked with many conservation agencies throughout the country to provide educational and team building skills for young people. Hundreds of employees currently working in land management agencies were introduced to the field via the YCC. Below are highlights from some of the YCC and other youth corp programs, such as the Mile High Youth Corp, throughout the Mountain-Prairie Region.

Recovery Act funds will also allow the Service to hire Student Conservation Association (SCA) interns at several facilities in the Mountain-Prairie Region this summer. The SCA, founded in 1957, is a non-profit organization that provides paid internships and summer trail opportunities for several agencies, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service, and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. Its mission is to develop the next generation of conservation managers by providing meaningful, hands-on experience.

Bear River National Wildlife Refuge, Seedskadee NWR, Cokeville NWR, Huron Wetlands Management District, Marais des Cygnes NWR, Browns Park NWR and Ouray NWR will each have SCA interns for summer 2010. The Recovery Act money will allow the Service to hire more interns than they normally would. The interns are able to perform critical work that refuge staff would otherwise not necessarily be able to perform as quickly. This work includes everything from trail work to water testing.

Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, Commerce City, CO

The Mile High Youth Corps had a busy summer at Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge. The crew members completed multiple projects at the refuge, including invasive weed control, trail construction, and russian olive species control.

Read more about the ARRA projects that the Mile High Youth Corps completed at Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge by selecting the links to the crew members’ reports below.

Learn more about Invasive Weed Control at Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge

Learn more about Trail Construction at Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge

Learn more about Russian Olive Species Control at Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge

Photos:

Trail construction at Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR

Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge, Stevensville, MT

“I applied for this job because…I wanted to learn more about wildlife, protect wildlife, and provide them an animal-friendly environment. Even though my job as a YCC is an extremely small part in this, it is still a step in preserving nature. This job has shown me the importance and respect refuges deserve. One of our bigger projects was restoring the Whaley Homestead, which lasted three days. This consisted of cleaning and sweeping the entire house, reglazing the windows, building a two hundred foot picket fence around the front of the house, and picking up broken glass…Basic jobs [included] pulling weeds and putting restricted boundary signs up in the refuge. By pulling weeds, I can now recognize weeds in Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge from native plants, and it does help the refuge look better. This summer I learned a lot, and if I could work at the refuge again next summer, I would. I now know the names of different fish and animals, how to build a fence, and the different kinds of wildlife out there. As nature becomes more crowded with highways and buildings, it’s a good thing that we have refuges to step up and help save wildlife and their habitat.”
–Rylee Johnson, YCC Crew Member

“This summer I took part in the Youth Conservation Corps that was run by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. I had a good time and I will most definitely apply next summer if the position is open. Some of [our team's] projects consisted of pulling weeds, fishing, putting up fences, taking down fences, and restoring duck blinds along most of the ponds. We as a team worked well together and got a lot done in the allotted 8 weeks that we were here. I enjoyed our Youth Conservation Corps leader, Bruce Murray…he taught us how to do things right the first time [and] made work fun and enjoyable for the whole crew.”
–Lindsey Brassfield, YCC Crew Member

“This summer in the YCC program we had a lot of learning experiences as well as hard labor. We got an exclusive tour of the Bison Range, built a picket fence at the Whaley Homestead, took down that ugly fence by the WVA,…took out the predator fence, and pull[ed] some weeds. The duck blinds were in need of repair, so we took care of that too. This summer was one big learning experience for me – I learned so much about what the refuge’s mission is and that it is a lot bigger than I thought. I learned about carpentry from Bruce and about plants and animals from Deb, Bob and Amy. I learned how to act in the workplace as well – like being polite and considerate of others.”
– Gavin McGrann, YCC Crew Member

Alamosa-Monte Vista-Baca National Wildlife Refuge Complex, San Luis Valley, CO

“The National Wildlife Refuges in the San Luis Valley of Colorado used to employee two or three Youth Conservation Corps enrollees every summer. With refuge budgets falling behind the ever-increasing workload, refuge staff realized we weren’t doing justice to the program. Consequently, we dropped the YCC program about ten years ago. With funding from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, we are now back in the business of providing 15 San Luis Valley 15- to 18-year olds natural resource jobs for the summer. This is one of the most gratifying programs I’ve been involved with. I’ve seen the kids invigorated by hard work [and] exposure to land and resource management, spiced with a little fun. This year’s success is all due to our ability to hire great supervisors for the three YCC crews. Their energy and creativity have turned what was once a summer job on the refuge into a multi-agency educational work program that, hopefully, will change some young lives for the better and accomplish important resource projects. I really hope that the YCC program at the San Luis Valley National Wildlife Refuge Complex is here to stay.”
–Mike Blenden, Project Leader, Alamosa-Monte Vista-Baca National Wildlife Refuge Complex

“The stimulus money has put 19 people to work this summer, most importantly, our teenagers. They’ve learned lessons you can’t teach from a book and hopefully we have enticed some of them to join us in becoming personal or professional stewards of the land.”
–Cathy Armstrong, YCC Coordinator, San Luis Valley

Read more about the YCC program at Alamosa-Monte Vista-Baca National Wildlife Refuge Complex!

View the Photo Gallery from Alamosa-Monte Vista-Baca National Wildlife Refuge Complex!

Click on the photo above to view Volume 1 of the photo gallery

Click on the photo above to view Volume 2 of the photo gallery

Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Brigham City, UT

“The YCC crew out here at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in Brigham City, UT is having a great start to the summer. A devastating flood a few decades ago created a variety of projects that are teaching the students different skills. We have a young…crew of four students this year [who] are quickly learning the importance of [a] proper work ethic and how to [work] in the hot sun. Work projects, so far, have included grinding and re-painting the visitor center boardwalks, landscaping several areas, cleaning out storage facilities and water flumes, as well as weekly recycling and auto-tour maintenance. Though the students are working hard, they find the educational activities exciting. The first week they became Red Cross, CPR, and First Aid certified. They have also had lessons on taxonomy, use of field guides, and GPS units; how to properly collect and identify aquatic invertebrates; and how to monitor bird nests. They already impress the refuge staff and visitors with their bird identification skills. The next couple of weeks will be most the exciting, as we have special tours scheduled at the local zoo, aquarium, and mining facility. There will also be a day dedicated to bird management and conservation that includes helping local biologists capture and band birds on the refuge. The summer will end with an overnight trip at Fish Springs Wildlife Refuge, where [the students] will get the chance to hike, swim, and repair damaged fences. Overall, these past three weeks have been a learning experience for both myself and the crew and, if these weeks are any indication…this summer will be a memorable one for all.”
–Jen Cary, YCC Group Leader

View the Photo Gallery from Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge!

Click on the photo to view the gallery

 Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, Stafford, KS

“Quivira NWR hired 10 YCC [students] to work at the refuge and 2 YCC [students] to work at the Great Plains Nature Center in Wichita. This is 9 additional YCC [students] hired [due to] ARRA funding…3 YCC [students are typically] hired with refuge funding. The students started to work on Tuesday, May 26th. Within the first week, they had already started the two biggest projects we had for them this summer, clearing the Migrant’s Mile trail and the tree rows near the residences. Migrant’s Mile is a hiking trail that is frequently used by the public. During the winter of 2007, an ice storm hit the area and many of the trees were damaged. Along with refuge firefighters, the YCC [students] have helped to clear the area of downed trees and create burn piles.

The [students] learned about the importance of leaving some these logs and trees to help provide habitat for wildlife. Currently the [students] are about a quarter of the way around the trail. Migrant’s Mile hard surfacing is also an ARRA project scheduled for completion in 2009; the clean up work is required before the ARRA construction project can begin.”
–Melanie Olds, Biological Science Technician

Read more about the YCC program at Quivira National Wildlife Refuge!

Devils Lake Wetland Management District, Devils Lake, ND

Funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 is supporting a local student’s participation in waterfowl nesting studies being conducted on refuge lands within the Devils Lake Wetland Management District.

As part of the project, the student is identifying and monitoring nests to determine the percentage of nests successfully supporting hatchlings. The results of the study are critical to the management of recently restored grasslands. This summer, over 500 nests have been identified throughout the District. The student’s experience at Devils Lake also includes assisting the avian influenza monitoring program, which involves conducting roadside transects to identify migratory birds at risk for the disease.

Audubon National Wildlife Refuge, Coleharbor, ND

Recovery Act funding allowed Audubon National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) to hire a seasonal biological technician. The role of the biological technician includes nest-dragging created nesting islands, spraying noxious weeds, and overseeing the predator trapping program on created nesting islands. Audubon NWR’s biological technician has also obtained his pesticide applicator’s license and attended training on agricultural tractor and skid steer operation while supporting the refuge.

May 2011 Project Update: In Fiscal Years (FY) 2009 and 2010, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service used Recovery Act funding to employ numerous youth through the SCA, YCC, temporary hire programs, and other partner organizations to work in field stations across the Mountain-Prairie Region.

12 SCA interns were employed in 6 field stations and 47 temporary youth hires were employed in 20 field stations region-wide during FY 2009. In addition, 57 YCC enrollees were employed in 5 field stations region-wide for a two year period (FY 2009 and FY 2010).

According to project leader, Tina Dobrinsky, “These projects directly benefitted habitat for fish and wildlife throughout our eight-state region. It provided summer employment and introduced young people to the Fish and Wildlife Service mission and natural resource conservation efforts.”

Originally posted 07/31/2009
Updated 09/02/2009
Updated 10/02/2009
Updated 10/06/2009
Updated 01/20/2010
Page Completed 05/20/2011