Summer in the Conservation Corps
Before returning to Grier for her Junior year, Payton M.’20 spent ten weeks of her summer working for the Youth Conservation Corps, putting in hours of hard work towards environmental efforts that included forest fire mitigation and trail construction. Though the work was no easy feat, as an outdoor enthusiast and participant in Grier’s outdoor club, Payton enjoyed the beautiful natural surroundings and the opportunity to make a difference.
According to the National Parks Service website, "The United States Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) is a summer youth employment program that engages young people in meaningful work experiences on national parks, forests, wildlife refuges, and fish hatcheries while developing an ethic of environmental stewardship and civic responsibility.”
About her experience Payton writes:
About her experience Payton writes:
I spent the vast majority of this summer working for the Youth Conservation Corps, both in Washington state and in the Apostle Islands in Lake Superior. The Youth Conservation Corps is an organization descended from the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). The CCC was created during the Great Depression to provide jobs and skill training for unemployed young men, through completing various environmental projects. Since then, the Corps has both expanded and branched off, yet the core mission of giving young people employment in the environmental field remains.
I spent a total of ten weeks in corps this summer, working on two different crews in two very different places. Both crews were residential crews, meaning that we lived on site in some of the most beautiful wilderness I have ever seen. I found the experience to be both fun and challenging. It was very interesting getting to know everyone, as we were all strangers from very different backgrounds. Yet, over the weeks spent living and working together we grew into incredibly good friends and developed a family-like dynamic.
During my first five weeks I worked in Colville National Forest in northern Washington. There, my crew and I worked doing fuel reduction, the removal of dead trees to reduce the likelihood of forest fires, and trail building/maintenance. During my next five weeks, I came to the Midwest and worked on Long Island, which is an island that is a part of the Apostle Islands National Lake shore. There, my crew worked to construct a mile and half long boardwalk from one end of the island to the other. This was especially challenging because we had to haul in all of the lumber and building materials by hand.
This experience was very meaningful to me, as someone who spends a lot of time enjoying the outdoors. At Grier, I am member of our outdoors club and often spend time during school breaks backpacking and hiking. Working for the conservation corps not only helped me to grow as person, but also allowed me to give back to our environment. I would recommend this experience to anyone looking for an atypical summer job. It provides you with opportunities to enjoy nature in a hands-on way, all while gaining work experience, being challenged, and making a difference.
Payton also shared some photos of her experiences with the YCC. These photos really illustrate the physical demands of the job, as Payton and her crewmates sport hard hats, carry lumber, hike heavy supplies out to the work site, and dig up large rocks from trails. Grier is so proud to be the school of students like Payton; students who are dedicated to learning about the world and making it a better place. At Grier, Payton can pursue her interest in the outdoors through our weekend activities to the many trails and state parks in our Central Pennsylvania area. Grier's Science Department offers courses with an environmental focus, including Environmental Science and Advanced Ecosystems Design.
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Photos courtesy of Payton M.
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Photos courtesy of Payton M.
Grier School
2522 Grier School Rd. | P.O. Box 308; Birmingham, PA 16686-0308
Phone: 814-684-3000 | Fax: 814-684-2177
Phone: 814-684-3000 | Fax: 814-684-2177
