April 9, 2021 | One provision of the American Jobs Plan would devote $10 billion to creating a Civilian Climate Corps. In his vision, the new CCC will have temporary, part-time, and full-time positions, and they can also transition to permanent positions in the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and other federal agencies. The new corps will likely build on existing infrastructure across the country, such as the Colorado Youth Corps Association (CYCA), which especially focuses on hiring in forestry. The organization, established in 1997, is modeled after New Deal programs.

April 6, 2021 | "So many times over the years, I have heard young women say that this work seems so interesting, but they wonder if they are "strong enough" to do the physical work and "tough enough" to endure the lifestyle. On the flip side, I have not once heard a young man utter these words of self doubt. So, I do my best to be encouraging and supportive to this type of opportunity for all of us who are underrepresented in the field of conservation and recreation."

April 1st, 2021| Conservation Corps North Carolina, which dispatches teams to improve parks across the state, sent six people to the forest this week to improve the trails. They’ll be back in Spencer next week, too, to keep working. The goal, assistant crew leader Lillian Cahill said, is to make hiking trails more sustainable so maintenance isn’t as necessary in the future.

April 1st, 2021 | Conservation Corps North Carolina, which dispatches teams to improve parks across the state, sent six people to the forest this week to improve the trails. They’ll be back in Spencer next week, too, to keep working. The goal, assistant crew leader Lillian Cahill said, is to make hiking trails more sustainable so maintenance isn’t as necessary in the future. The workers in Spencer have been building trails by hand, including new switchbacks at the trail off Rowan Avenue to replace the entrance that went straight back into the forest.

March 31st, 2021 | When President Joe Biden announced a $2 trillion infrastructure bill, several groups in Colorado rejoiced as they crawled closer to a much needed increase in funding. Colorado has eight accredited Youth Corps organizations, and they could see a boost that would bring money, and, in turn, hire people for much needed projects throughout the state.

March 29, 2021 | A stretch of the Colorado Trail that runs through the Weminuche Wilderness is expected to be fixed by fall after a historic year for avalanches damaged the trail in 2019. Kristina Schenck, lead wilderness ranger for the U.S. Forest Service’s Columbine Ranger District, said the winter of 2018-19 brought unprecedented avalanche activity to the San Juan Mountains.

March 29, 2022 | The N.C. Coastal Federation, a nonprofit headquartered in Ocean and dedicated to preserving and restoring the coastal environment in North Carolina, has partnered with the Conservation Corps North Carolina, a Conservation Legacy program dedicated to motivating young adults to engage in conservation projects.

March 26, 2021 | Even as the details for implementing President Joe Biden’s executive order establishing a Civilian Climate Corps are still being hammered out, crews from the Appalachian Conservation Corps (ACC) are out planting trees in the Rappahannock watershed. Zach Foster, founder and director of the Harrisonburg-based ACC, said the group’s work exemplifies what the newly created national effort is trying to achieve. “They’re out there planting bare root tree seedlings primarily with private landowners who agreed to conservation easements. The whole initiative is basically improving the watershed of the Rappahannock River and making it a more resilient ecosystem,” Foster said.

March 25th, 2021 | Work is slated to begin later this year on the Old Fort Trails Project, which will create roughly 42 miles of new sustainably constructed trails to improve community connectivity, reduce barriers to access, and support environmental and social sustainability. The project is spearheaded by People on the Move Old Fort, a Black-led collaborative that advocates for the community’s Black residents. The efforts are designed to remove some of the hurdles, including historical legacies, to Black participation in trail building and recreation.

March 18, 2021 | Iconic Oak Creek Canyon on the Coconino National Forest is seeing increasing visitation, leading to unsafe parking and unauthorized trails, which increase erosion and pose water quality concerns. To meet these challenges, NFF is working with partners including REI Co-op and REI Foundation, Coconino National Forest, Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, Conservation Legacy, and the Oak Creek Watershed Council to improve trails and clean up trash, all with an eye towards reducing impacts to the waterway and improving visitor experience.