The Obama Administration has announced the formation of a national council to guide full implementation of the 21st Century Conservation Service Corps – a national collaborative effort to put America’s youth to work protecting, restoring, and enhancing America’s great outdoors.
Thousands of temporary seasonal jobs with the Forest Service and its partners are available this summer and officials say now is the time to begin the application process.
Annually, the Forest Service and its conservation partners hire over 3,000 people for summer positions that involve work such as reducing the impacts of climate change on the nation’s natural resources, empowering Native American communities, building trails, enhancing wildlife habitat, and improving and restoring cultural and historic landmarks.
In addition, the Forest Service supports thousands of opportunities with youth and conservation corps partners for young people to gain job training experience working on natural and cultural resource projects on public lands.
There are around 12,000 openings during the peak fire season months for those seeking temporary work in the fire and aviation management field. More about jobs in the Forest Service can be found online at http://www.fs.fed.us/fsjobs/openings.shtml.
Through the Forest Service’s Urban and Community Forestry program some of this year’s employment opportunities will engage students in the creation of a new generation of clean, accessible great urban parks and community green spaces, a goal of President Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors Initiative -- a plan to reconnect Americans to the forests and grasslands that sustain the nation.
Our national forests expend $5,000,000 annually to engage nearly 2,000 high school students on Youth Conservation Corps projects on forests in every region and Public Land Corps projects that focus on range, forest, and watershed & air management resource areas.
Our participation in the Veterans Green Jobs initiative helps to put veterans on a career path with state and federal resource and land management agencies through its outdoor conservation program that helps reduce wildfire risks across the country.
The Forest Service also partners with veteran agencies and organizations such as the Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Defense Wounded Warrior Program, VetSuccess, Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, and local organizations to recruit and match veterans, including disabled veterans, to vacant positions within the agency.
An employment alternative offered through the Forest Service is enrollment in one of the agency’s 28 Job Corps Civilian Conservation Centers. This rigorous vocational training program combines a demanding academic curriculum and prepares students to excel in the 21st century workforce. One emphasis area focuses on “green-collar” jobs and clean energy issues. Recognizing the program’s efforts in green jobs training, President Obama has endorsed them as America’s Green Job Corps.
“Many of the communities most affected by economic hard times are located near national forests and grasslands. By providing temporary jobs, the Forest Service is contributing to stronger communities and providing safe access to the forests and grasslands for their use and enjoyment by people of all abilities,” Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell noted.