Along California’s North Coast, corpsmembers are waist deep in a stream, strategically placing logs to improve salmon and steelhead habitat. In the Los Padres National Forest, a California Conservation Corps (CCC) crew is using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) data collection to map trail projects. And in the middle of urban Los Angeles, corpsmembers are clearing brush at a State Recreation Area. All of these projects—and more—are part of the daily activities of the California Conservation Corps. For 26 years, this state agency has pursued its basic mission, preserving two of California’s most valuable commodities—its youth and its natural resources. The Corps develops young people through the work ethic, education, meaningful environmental preservation projects, and emergency response activities. Local, state, and federal agencies as well as hundreds of communities benefit from the Corps’ efforts.

The CCC is best known for its emergency work, a mainstay of the program since its inception. Crews have battled natural disasters of all kinds, from fires and floods to pest infestations and earthquakes. But the CCC work often goes full circle. Along with fighting fires, crews focus on fuel management before the fire season begins. After a fire occurs, corpsmembers also work on rehabilitation efforts at the fire site. Similarly, CCC crews work a season ahead to clear creeks and flood channels in advance of winter rains.

The program offers challenge, adventure, and opportunity for its young men and women. Corpsmembers also work to advance their education. The CCC gives them an opportunity to develop a strong environmental ethic that will last them a lifetime, thanks to the CCC’s conservation curriculum that fosters an appreciation of the “why” behind the work. Through work–based learning, corpsmembers study environmental principles related to their projects.

Salmon Restoration Program: For over 20 years, the CCC and the California Department of Fish and Game have been working in partnership with public and private landowners to enhance and restore fish habitat. Corpsmem-bers have invested more than 1.5 million hours in the program, inventoried miles of streams and watersheds, modified fish barriers, planted trees, and stabilized stream banks. The unique program is the largest effort of its kind in the country.

GIS Crew: Based in San Luis Obispo, the CCC’s Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Data Collection crew collects data for various agencies, digitizes it, then uses it to produce files for inventory, analysis, and mapping. Applications range from recreation area maps to city street light inventories to emergency vehicle access analysis. The crew has done work for the California Department of Parks and Recreation, the Morro Bay National Estuary, the U.S. Forest Service, and other agencies.

And More: Other opportunities include a Backcountry Trails Program in Yosemite National Park and other California wilderness areas; internships with the California Department of Parks and Recreation and Caltrans; firefighting crews trained by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection; environmental work exchanges in Australia and Lake Baikal, Siberia; as well as fire fuel reduction in the Tahoe Re–Green Project.

After more than a quarter century, the California Conservation Corps remains fully committed to empowering its young corpsmembers and future generations in the protection and preservation of California’s exceptional environmental legacy.

Young men and women between the ages of 18 and 23 can sign up for a paid year of natural resource work, emergency response, and community involvement. The CCC has residential and nonresidential facilities throughout the State, and corpsmembers work out of more than 40 urban, suburban, and rural locations. For more information, be sure to visit the CCC website (www.ccc.ca.gov).

--Wes Pratt, CCC Director