It rained almost all day today.  During work we had a few hours of sunlight but the storms came and went as the day passed.  Though I complain about rain when I’m at school in Ohio, seeing it here in Hell’s Canyon was something of a relief for me.  It made the desert seem a little less harsh.  Beautiful as it is, the desert is a relentlessly dry place.  Even so, I hope it doesn’t rain tomorrow.

I’ve never seen rainbows as frequently as I have in my few weeks in Arizona.  One started to appear in the distance as the rain began to clear.  One end of it was distinctly visible, as it illuminated the mountain it rested on.  Soon, a second appeared above it.  The sky opposite this scene was subtly golden with the cloud diffused light of the sun.  The shadows cast in a storm always seem to be in the most dramatic shades of gray, and provide a striking backdrop for the sun-dappled mountain that surround us.

Everything about this storm was great, except getting wet and muddy. As we hiked the next morning we could see the water evaporating off the land.  The steam was visible in the air, and all the plants were covered in thousands of tiny dew droplets.  It was gorgeous sight.  I know that it’s moments like these that ill make me glad I joined SCC.

-Linda Kim, Corpsmember Winter 2010

Southwest Conservation Corps had its first all-staff gathering in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. This was the first time in the history of SCC that the gamut of SCC’s staff have gathered together in one location. The gathering was chosen to be held at Elephant Butte Lake State Park for its relative equal proximity to all four regions and its involvement with the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). CCC constructed buildings, landscaping, roads and trails throughout the park from 1934-1940. SCC was modeled after CCC, thus it seemed quite fitting to huddle around a statue of  a CCC worker and pose for the camera.

The three-day gathering was comprised of activities that presented staff members with the opportunity to get to know each other, help improve effectiveness, efficiency and communication, and discuss SCC’s mission, namely how and why we do what we do. SCC’s partner Western Hardrock Watershed Team (WHWT) was also in attendance. The gathering was capped off with a talent show, and an awards ceremony commemorating staff members who have been with SCC for five to ten years.

I think the pilot all-staff gathering was a great success. SCC is staffed by many kind and talented people. Being able to lightheartedly chat and joke with other staff members, whom I don’t regularly see, imparted to me a sense of family that is shared throughout the SCC. I walked away from the gathering feeling refreshed about what I do, confident about SCC’s future, and impressed at our readiness to help and connect with one another.

~Jonathan Barczyk,VISTA~

My name is Andrew Szabo.  I was a part of Southwest Conservation Corps Valley of the Sun Program in Phoenix.  Along with the great outdoor experience,  SCC provided me with the opportunity to take the basic wild land firefighting class.  They worked very well with me to allow me to take this class despite it not being part of the Urban Corps program, and as a result I got the training I needed to apply for some wild land firefighting jobs.  With the help of SCC and my past work and life experience I was able to obtain an interview with Prescott’s Granite Mountain Hotshots.  I tried to go above and beyond their expectations by driving to Prescott just to meet with some of the crew members for a few minutes, calling persistently trying to get my name out there, and using the contacts I had.  As of February 11, I am now part of the Prescott Fire Department’s Granite Mountain Hotshots!  I would like to thank SCC for their great efforts in providing me with the classes I needed and giving me the experience that I used as part of my resume to obtain this position.  With fine experience like working with SCC, persistence, and a lot of hard work you will be surprised by what you can achieve.

-Andrew Szabo, VOS Corpsmember October 2009 – March 2010

(WASHINGTON, DC)—Advocates for America’s young people and public lands today announced a new effort to create and propel opportunities in youth service, career development and resource management jobs. Leaders of the Public Lands Service Coalition say the best way to increase employment among young people, bring diversity and contemporary skills to land management agencies, and address the burgeoning backlog of park maintenance is to expand youth service and green job training on public lands.

The Public Lands Service Coalition is an alliance of more than a dozen national, regional and local nonprofit organizations. According to Dale Penny, Coalition steering committee member and President of the Student Conservation Association, the coalition’s first priority is to win authorization and funding for the Public Lands Service Corps Act (HR1612, S1442) and other related legislative and bureaucratic initiatives.

“Young people are stepping up to serve in record numbers across our country, only to be met by high hurdles and red tape,” says Penny. “As our nation suffers from such severe economic and environmental distress, we must act now to streamline administrative processes, empower our future workforce, and protect our public lands.”

“We call upon the Administration and Congress to work with their partner youth organizations such as Service and Conservation Corps and SCA to clear the way for conservation work, plow a path to prosperity, and support young people, including those from low-income and minority communities who seek to serve their country’s parks, forests, refuges and seashores,” adds Sally Prouty, president of The Corps Network. “The next generation of employees for public land management agencies has already stepped up and the Coalition’s partner organizations can turn their intentions into service.”

“The irony here is that no one disagrees with the solution,” states the Coalition’s Harry Bruell, president of the Southwest Conservation Corps. “President Obama, cabinet secretaries and agency directors all strongly support a major increase in youth engagement. Nearly half of all land managers are of retirement age, even as their agencies prioritize long-neglected maintenance projects. And America’s youth face record unemployment and daunting prospects as they attempt to enter a green economy.”

Coalition leaders say engaging young people in service programs with dual vocational and academic tracks will result in more qualified, committed and diverse entry level employees for resource management agencies. The combination of short term productivity improvements and long term workforce development benefits make an expanded youth service program a powerful win-win, according to Coalition officials.

The Public Lands Service Coalition is dedicated to promoting youth service jobs and career development on public lands. The Coalition was founded by the Student Conservation Association, The Corps Network, and the Southwest Conservation Corps; member organizations represent millions of young people engaged in various types of service each year. The Public Lands Service Coalition consists of:

Steering Committee Members
American YouthWorks
Coconino Rural Environment Corps
Montana Conservation Corps
Nevada Conservation Corps
Southwest Conservation Corps
Student Conservation Association
Rocky Mountain Youth Corps (CO)
The Corps Network
Utah Conservation Corps

Partner Members
Colorado Youth Corps Association
National Parks Conservation Association
Sequoia Community Corps
Washington Conservation Corps

Supporting Members
Campfire USA
Civilian Conservation Corps Legacy
YMCA

For more information, contact:
Kevin Hamilton, SCA
603-543-1700
khamilton@thesca.org

Marty O’Brien, The Corps Network
202-737-6272
mobrien@corpsnetwork.org

Coming together to spend two weeks camping was intimidating; but by the end of the first couple of days the nicknames were beginning.  We worked together to build new trails in Black Canyon  and some rock walls.  After that we weathered some of the worst flooding and tornado warnings together and laughed the whole time.

-Toot Grumpus, Giggles Tucker, Tea Party, Lala the Stumpin’ Milkman, Biskit, Grumbles, Guido, and JC

Our previous three weeks we worked in Imperial Country California at
227 feet below sea level with a camp with showers, so we were ready to build our SCC street cred with a back country hitch. This just goes to show how varied each hitch is.

Every hitch is a new adventure in a different location in the southwest. You have people on your crew from all over the country, different ages and backgrounds and you all come together to hike, camp and work outside in nature. I’ve learned to use tools I did not know previously existed and cooked new foods I did not know previously could be made like scrambled brownies!

SCC is definitely a different type of a job but that is what makes it so cool.

By Ross Peizer Crew Member-Sonoran Desert Branch

It was exciting to see how the Durango locals came together and showed their enthusiasm for this positive event. Many people already had CFLs throughout their house, but were happy to know that the word was getting out there. The snow didn’t stop people from checking out our table, asking questions, and discussing the small ways to make big changes!