The California Conservation Corps shows what a national Civilian Climate Corps might achieve: a big win for the environment and meaningful work for youth—outdoors
A cold, constant rain is falling on the burned-out vehicles, buildings, and Jeffrey pine forest at Grover Hot Springs State Park. Almost 6,000 feet up in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, the park was torched last summer by the Tamarack fire, which burned over 68,000 acres east of Lake Tahoe.
A warning is called—“Second cut. Tree falling!”—and another 80-foot-tall dead pine drops across the road. “I’ve had a lot of crappy jobs, but not this one,” explains Martin Castellon, who was raised in Tijuana and San Diego, and spent his 26th birthday shoveling snow for the corps. “Sure, we have some crappy conditions. But it makes you appreciate it all the more.”
If new corps members don’t have a high school degree , they’re required to get one through one of theat the CCC’s residential and non-residential centers. That adds 10 hours of classroom work to their 40-hour work week. Those who complete at least a year in the program also qualify for up to $8,000 in scholarships for college or professional training. Even their “lousy pay” was improved in October—boosted from $1,905 a month to $2,265.
“If you’d asked me two years ago what a conservationist is, I’d have had no idea,” says Naomi Muratalla, who works out of a center in Stockton that covers the Sacramento Delta. “At 19, I was working as a caregiver for elderly folks with disabilities, and it was kind of overwhelming. I joined the [CCC] program and moved into a residential center. You work with the people you live with, and now my crew’s like my family. Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.
Becoming a wildland firefighter for Cal Fire or the U.S. Forest Service has become a major career goal for some corps members. Other common job opportunities within government include working for the California Department of Transportation, state parks, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, or the California correctional system. Private forestry, clean energy, and other companies are also interested in hiring corps members.
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