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The state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has joined with the Department of Labor and Industry to expand a youth program in state parks and forests throughout the state, including the Wilkes-Barre area.
The Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps — an off-shoot of the old Civilian Conservation Corps — was implemented last summer as a pilot program with five teen crews throughout state. The six-week program offered paid work experience, job training, and educational opportunities to young people who complete recreation and conservation projects at state parks, forests and other Pennsylvania public lands. Locally, crews did work at Frances Slocum, Nescopeck State Park, Seven Tubs and other places in the Pinchot State Forest.
The program will expand to 10 locations this year which are still being determined.
“Whether it was battling invasive growth, restoring hiking trails or renovating a state forest gazebo, Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps members worked hard last summer to protect and restore our public lands and waters, while receiving knowledge and expertise to be good stewards of our natural resources,” said DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn. “I heard firsthand at their job sites how these young crews appreciated both the job opportunities and the chance to connect with the outdoors and gain training necessary for future successful employment.”
Dunn added that the program is a key element of the department’s strategic efforts to connect with youth and expand job opportunities, particularly in under-served areas of the state. The program is managed by DCNR in cooperation with the Student Conservation Association, with financial and program support provided by DCNR and the Department of Labor & Industry’s Reemployment Fund.
“Having had a chance to see these students at work in our beautiful state parks, we are especially pleased to offer our support to expand the Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps in 2017 to create even more jobs,” said Labor & Industry Secretary Kathy Manderino. “We also are pleased to be working to attract more students from lower income households where barriers to employments, such as transportation, may be a larger issue.”
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, for which applications now are being accepted. Applicants must:
• Be between the ages of 18 to 25 at the start of the program;
• Be able to conduct physical work in challenging, outdoor conditions;
• Be enthusiastic about working on a diverse crew;
• Have an interest in conservation and natural resource management;
• Be able to model safe and professional behavior at all times.
Successful applicants will work February through November in the Philadelphia, Greensburg, Wilkes-Barre and Williamsport areas. They will work a 37.5-hour week and receive $10.25-per-hour compensation and health insurance. Daily transportation to and from the work site and breakfast and lunch will also be provided.
Selected young people will join crews of 10 workers and two leaders, and work on trail maintenance, habitat restoration, vegetation management, park maintenance, light construction and more. Environmental education and job skills training also are provided. Applicants should be aware work is physically demanding and takes place in an outdoor setting in all weather and seasons.
Workers will:
• Serve as part of a team on physically challenging conservation projects in the outdoors;
• Actively participate in crew projects, activities and decision making;
• Meet the crew at a designated meeting location each morning;
• Assist in additional tasks, including data recording, photography, equipment maintenance and logistical planning as designated by a crew leader;
• Comply with SCA and DCNR policies as required.