Youth Conservation Corps (YCC)

The Youth Conservation Corps program returns for summer 2024

This year’s eight week program is from June 24 to August 16.

 

• 

  I Think I've Left A Legacy Here

  YCC crew members share their work experiences at Redwood National Park.

  Duration:

  3 minutes, 39 seconds

 

• 

  YCC Are The Future of the Parks

  A Redwood National Park YCC crew leader talks about how the YCC program benefits everyone.

  Duration:

  2 minutes, 55 seconds

 

YCC crew working on the Trillium Falls Trail in 2021

NPS

What Is This Program?
The Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) is an 8 week well-balanced work-learn-earn program that develops an understanding & appreciation of the nation's natural environments & heritage. This highly successful program offers a total of 5 young men & 5 young women participants, ages 15 through 18, to be selected from Humboldt & Del Norte counties to work in an outdoor environment, performing conservation work throughout Redwood National Park. It is administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior - National Park Service. This is a tobacco free program – violation of this is cause for termination.

Salary: Enrollees will be paid the California minimum wage of $16.00 per hour for a 40 hour work week.

Description of Work: Projects include: construction & maintenance of trails and bridges; invasive vegetation species removal; maintenance around historic structures; assist the prescribed burn program, hydrologists and fisheries biologists. Participants will be required to do hard physical work that may be difficult & repetitious, hike long distances over steep & rugged terrain & may be exposed to insects, poison oak, adverse weather, & difficult working conditions.

How To Apply
Read the 2024 cover letter and send in the completed YCC Application Form (PDF) postmarked by April 30, 2024. For more information contact Brittney McGuire at [phone] or [e-mail].

 

If you are not in our immediate area, across the country there are many Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) program opportunities with different public land management agencies. The purpose of the YCC is to introduce young adults to how cultural and natural resources are managed. Check to see if a YCC program is offered near you.

For Redwood National Park's YCC program, ten young adults will be randomly selected from all the applications we receive. Five will be from Humboldt County and five will be from Del Norte County. In spring every high school in both these counties will receive information and we may issue news releases to recruit applicants. This is not a residential camp program and we offer no housing, or transportation to duty stations.

 

Enrollee Eligibility

Young women and men, 15 through 18 years of age, who are permanent residents of the United States, its territories or possessions, are eligible for employment without regard to social, economic, racial, or ethnic backgrounds. To be eligible, youth must:

• Be at least 15 years of age on the first day of work, and not reach 19 years of age during summer employment as a YCC enrollee;
• Be a permanent resident of the continental United States, its territories, possessions, or trust territories; and
• Possess a Social Security card and have a work permit before the first working day of the YCC program.
• Have housing because park housing is not available.
• Have transport to their duty station.

 

YCC members celebrate on a section of trail they repaired. They are spelling Y C C.

NPS Photo / B McGuire

Additional Information

This program runs eight weeks from late June and ending in mid-August. The rate of pay is the current California minimum wage. Applicants will be expected to work 40 hours per week. Local housing is not provided. All participants must bring their own lunch and provide their own transportation to and from either the parks’ headquarters building in Crescent City or the National Park Service’s Arcata office.

Specific work projects include: construction & maintenance of trails and bridges; invasive vegetation species removal; maintenance around historic structures; assist the prescribed burn program, hydrologists and fisheries biologists.

Participants will be required to do hard physical work, hike long distances and may be exposed to insects, poison oak, adverse weather, and difficult working conditions.

Natural and cultural resource education is incorporated into the eight-week program.

 

Hear More From Recent YCC Members

These short videos show the work and passion of YCC crew at the end of their summer in the redwoods.

 

• 

  Kayla, Iris and Simone

  Three YCC members talk about the trail that they repaired.

  Duration:

  39.938 seconds

 

• 

  Caleb

  A YCC member talks about why and how he replanted ferns along the side of restored hiking trails.

  Duration:

  1 minute, 2 seconds

 

• 

  Isla

  A YCC member talks about her work repairing a trail crossing.

  Duration:

  1 minute, 2 seconds

 

• 

  Miguel and Caleb

  Two YCC members talk about their work experiences in the redwoods

  Duration:

  1 minute, 19 seconds