vol. 2 issue 1 2015 job corps civilian conservation center courier

In an historic effort to wipe out

the root causes of poverty, the

U.S. Congress passed the Eco-

nomic Opportunity Act, which

created the Job Corps program,

on August 20, 1964.

On September 17, 2014, USDA

Deputy Under Secretary Arthur

“Butch” Blazer, U.S. Forest Ser-

vice Chief Tom Tidwell, Forest

Service Job Corps National Di-

rector Tina Terrell, USDA Chief

of Staff for Natural Resources

and Environment Meryl Harrell

and Job Corps Civilian Conser-

vation Center students from

across the country gathered

together in the USDA Whitten

Building to mark this milestone

USDA Deputy Under Secretary Butch Blazer and Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell Celebrate Job

Corps’ 50th Anniversary

Alicia D. Bennett, Public Affairs Officer, Job Corps National Office

January 2015

Volume 2, Issue 1

Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center Courier

From the Desk of the National Office Tina J. Terrell, National Director, Job Corps National Office

public lands, and

employee engage-

ment by training

and mentoring young people.

For the first goal, the Job Corps

program worked with the Na-

tional Forest System to cele-

brate the 50th anniversary of

three major laws that have im-

pacted the agency, young peo-

ple, and the land.

These three laws were the Eco-

nomic Opportunity Act of 1964

(which created the Job Corps

program); the Wilderness Act of

(continued on page 2)

Last year was a remarkable year

for the Job Corps Civilian Con-

servation Centers. We em-

barked in January 2014 with

much hope, opportunity, and

tradition.

I gave a number of goals to cen-

ter directors in the beginning of

the year, and Job Corps leaders

worked with their staffs and

students to exceed my goals

and expectations.

My goals focused on three are-

as: celebration of three anniver-

sary events, students working to

improve communities and their

Davidson River Initial Attack crew member Luis Duran greets Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell at the Job

Corps 50th Anniversary Celebration on the patio of the Jamie L. Whitten Building, Washington, D.C. on

September 17, 2014. Photo courtesy of USDA.

Job Corps National Director Tina Terrell presents the Honorable Hal Rogers with an engraved plaque

designed by Collbran Job Corps. Photo courtesy of Pine Knot Jobs Corps

and celebrate the Job Corps

program.

Since the activation of the first

Civilian Conservation Center--

Lyndon B. Johnson--on February

1, 1965, Forest Service Job

Corps Centers have offered

comprehensive residential, aca-

demic, and vocational training

to the nation’s most under-

served youth.

Collbran, Harpers Ferry,

Schenck, and Timber Lake Job

Corps students participated in

skills training presentations on

the Whitten Patio. Collbran Job

Corps students demonstrated

the skills used to design and


1964 which created wild places

for all of us to enjoy; and the

Civil Rights Act of 1964 which

codified in law that all of us

have an opportunity to be who

we are and pursue our dreams

without discrimination. More

information is provided in the

Job Corps Courier regarding the

50th anniversary celebration

the Job Corps National Office

held in Washington, D.C. on

September 17th in the Depart-

ment of Agriculture Whitten

Building (Whitten Patio). Check

It Out!!!!!!!!!!

In 2014, Job Corps students

from the 28 Job Corps Civilian

Conservation Centers again

showed their remarkable skills,

abilities, and knowledge to

build houses for low income

families; refurbish low-water

crossings on a wildlife refuge;

paint buildings; clean open

spaces by removing trash; work

on fire crews to clear vegetation

around homes, parks and com-

munities; build and install infor-

mation kiosks; and restore an

all-terrain vehicle trail.

I continue to be proud of the

work our students complete day

after day, while learning a new

craft and working to make their

lives better and to find a career.

Fire is the biggest program in

the agency and our Job Corps

“fire militia” was involved from

the very beginning of fire sea-

son. In 2014 Job Corps stu-

dents on fire crews worked

160,327 hours on fire assign-

ments and treated 57,276

acres in the wildland urban

interface. These numbers ex-

ceeded the number of hours

worked on fire assignments in

2013 by 10%. Students working

on fire assignments in the

wildland urban interface re-

duced hazardous fuels around

homes, communities, and infra-

structure like utilities; so when

a fire occurs in an area, the fire

danger is reduced with less

vegetation to burn.

Even though many articles in

the Job Corps Courier focus on

students, there are a couple of

articles that focus on staff. In

2014, staff at our Job Corps

Civilian Conservation Centers

went above and beyond their

duties to mentor students, de-

velop innovative and creative

programs for helping students

find jobs, or organized work-

shops to teach students how to

empower themselves and de-

velop goals for success.

Each and every day, staff come

to work with a goal to make a

young person’s life better than

what that person may be ad-

dressing. Staff opens a book,

type into a computer, walk

around a classroom, talk to a

young person, or pick up a tool

and provide guidance and direc-

tion to students to help them

make something of themselves.

Our Job Corps Civilian Conser-

vation Centers would not be

what they are without a dedicat-

ed and supportive staff. Thanks

to each of you for showing

young people the way to be

successful.

As we progress in 2015, my

goals for this year are to expand

avenues for Job Corps students

to be hired in the Forest Service

From the Desk of the National Office (continued from page 1)

Tina J. Terrell, National Director, Job Corps National Office


Our Job Corps Civilian

Conservation Centers

would not be what they

are without a dedicat-

ed and supported staff.

Thanks to each of you

for showing young peo-

ple the way to be suc-

cessful.

—Tina Terrell

National Director

Terrell offers advice to Pine Ridge Business Administration student Desiree Levering while touring the

Center on July 17, 2014. Photo courtesy of Don Richards.

through the Public Lands Corps

and to develop natural re-

sources training programs for

Job Corps students (wilderness

ethics, waders in the waters/

aquatic education, trails man-

agement, wood bridge enhance-

ment/refurbishment).

Regarding Public Lands Corps,

we are off to a great start as two

students have already been

converted using the hiring au-

thority provided in the Public

Lands Corps legislation. In

2015, I envision eight (8) more

Job Corps students should be

hired into positions on a district,

forest, or Regional Office.

The Job Corps program just cele-

brated its 50th anniversary last

year. The success of the pro-

gram has been and will continue

to be the students. We have

impacted many, many lives, and

we will continue to impact lives

in a positive way. Success is not

a destination, but a journey and

we will continue the journey to

be successful as managers, as

leaders, and as people.

I believe in the Job Corps pro-

gram, I believe in our students, I

believe in our staff, and I look

forward to a successful and

remarkable year.

Tina Terrell deep in discussion with Pine Ridge Job Corps Center Warehouse Manager Dean Hall and

Works Program Office David Jones. Terrell toured the Center on July 17,2014. Photo courtesy of Don

Richards.



Corps’ 50th Anniversary (continued from page 1)


USDA Natural Resources and Environment Deputy Under Secretary Butch Blazer greets Davidson River

Initial Attack crew member Nikisha Luke during the 50th anniversary celebration on September 17,

2014. Photo courtesy of USDA.

Job Corps National Director Tina J. Terrell presents U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell with a

Wilderness 50th Legacy Award on September 17, 2014. Collbran Job Corps designed and produced

500 of the awards . Meryl Harrell, Chief of Staff to the Under Secretary of Natural Resources and

Environment looks on. Photo courtesy of USDA.

Chief Tom Tidwell points out an interesting detail on the wood map featuring the 28 Civilian Conservation

Centers to Daniel Stevenson, one of the Harpers Ferry Job Corps carpentry students who helped construct

the map, during the 50th anniversary celebration on September 17, 2014. Photo courtesy of USDA.

(Back L to R) Justin Werner, Robert Matticks, Douglas Bingham, Jessica Cook, Tiffany Gottberg, and Shawna

Freed. (Front L to R) Bobby Winstead, Anthony Moul, Christopher Hughes, Tina Terrell, Arthur “Butch” Blazer,

Tom Tidwell, Meryl Harrell, Daniel Stevenson, Nikisha Luke, and Luis Duran. Photo courtesy of USDA.

construct a 50th anniversary

wilderness scale and over 500

wilderness award plaques.

Collbran students, who brought

along an impressive display of

produce harvested from their

People’s Garden, also discussed

the garden’s design, mainte-

nance, and management.

Two Davidson River Initial Attack

crew members, students in the

Schenck Advanced Fire Manage-

ment Training Program, dis-

cussed their experience in the

advanced firefighting trade; they

are confident that graduating

from Schenck’s program will

open up career opportunities.

Schenck’s advanced fire pro-

gram graduates an average of

18 students each year and the

program has close to a 100%

employment placement rate

with federal and state govern-

ments, and private entities.

Harpers Ferry Job Corps Center,

in partnership with The Corps

Network and the National Trust

for Historic Preservation, recent-

ly completed its first project as a

Hands On Preservation Experi-

ence (HOPE) crew. Harpers Ferry

students attracted many guests

to their table by sharing exciting

footage from showing their work

restoring the historic Skyland

Stables in the Shenandoah Na-

tional Park, located in the Blue

Ridge Mountains of Virginia.

The summer of 1964 also saw

the passage of the Civil Rights

Act and the Wilderness Act. Ad-

dressing the students and

guests, Chief Tidwell noted the

changes that have occurred in

the past 50 years and reflected

that, “this is a moment in histo-

ry, a time to reflect and cele-

brate, but also a time to dream

of what is next.”


also have helped revitalize small

towns and isolated rural com-

munities. Deputy Under Secre-

tary Butch Blazer recalled the

positive effect when a Job Corps

Center was established on the

Mescalero Apache Reservation

in New Mexico where he grew

up. “We learned a lot, and it


http://www.corpsnetwork.org/impact/workforce-development/hope-crew-hands-preservation-experience

http://www.corpsnetwork.org/impact/workforce-development/hope-crew-hands-preservation-experience

http://www.goshenandoah.com/Horse-Back-Riding.aspx

http://www.goshenandoah.com/Horse-Back-Riding.aspx

On April 21, 2015,

Job Corps

students will return

to D.C. install new

benches in Rock

Creek Park and to

demonstrate their

vocational trades on

the Whitten Patio. Harpers Ferry Job Corps Center Director Ralph

DiBattista is presented with a pumpkin grown in

the Collbran Job Corps Centers’ People’s Garden

during the Job Corps 50th anniversary celebration

on September 17, 2014. Photo courtesy of USDA.

Prominent in this USDA in Review video is the celebra-

tion of the 50th anniversary of Job Corps on Wednesday,

September 17, 2015 on the patio of the Jamie L. Whit-

ten Building in Washington, D.C.

USDA Week In Review September 26 - YouTube





U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell chats with Davidson River Initial Attack crew member Luis Duran

and Harpers Ferry Job Corps Works Program Officer Shawn Miller. Photo courtesy of USDA.

Chief Tom Tidwell congratulates Daniel Stevenson, one of the Harpers Ferry Job Corps carpentry students

who helped construct the wooden Job Corps map during the 50th anniversary celebration on September 17,

2014. Photo courtesy of USDA.

(L to R) Collbran Job Corps students and staff: Justin Werner, Rebecca Showalter, Robert Matticks, USDA

Natural Resources and Environment Deputy Under Secretary Butch Blazer, Douglas Bingham, Caren Swales,

Jessica Cook, and Mary Kain. Photo courtesy of USDA.

added to the diversity of our

community.”

The Economic Opportunity Act

assigned the Civilian Conserva-

tion Centers a unique conserva-

tion mission to “provide aca-

demic education and practical

training in work-based learning

to conserve, develop and man-

age, and enhance public natural

resources and recreation areas,

or to develop community pro-

jects in the public interest.”

To that end, just in the previous

two fiscal years, Forest Service

Job Corps students have con-

tributed more than 500,000

hours of service work on public

lands. In turn, the program has

connected nearly 1,500 Job

Corps enrollees with training

opportunities in the 21st Century

Conservation Service Corps

(21CSC) which provides those

students career path federal

employment opportunities.

Utilizing the resources of Job

Corps Civilian Conservation Cen-

ters has been a cost-effective

method to complete worthwhile

conservation projects on nation-

al forests and grasslands that

otherwise would not receive the

necessary resources or man-

power.

Reflecting on the significance of

the day’s gathering, National

Director Tina Terrell stated,

“After 50 years, it is all about

love of nature, love of the land,

and helping young folks.”

Within the Forest Service, Job

Corps most visibly honors the

agency’s mission “To care for

the land and serve people.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIbBb8SrDv0


Guests examine the beautiful produce grown in Collbran Job Corps’ People’s Garden during the 50th

anniversary celebration on September 17, 2014. (L to R) Collbran staff member Rebecca Showalter

and student Jessica Cook seated at table. Collbran Job Corps constructed the backpack scale in the

bottom left picture to celebrate the Wilderness 50th Anniversary. Photo courtesy of USDA.

(L to R) Harpers Ferry student Anthony Moul, Ass't. Fire Program Officer Jothan McGaughey, BCL

Anna Stead, students Daniel Stevenson, Christopher Hughes, and Bobby Winstead, Works Program

Officer Shawn Miller, and Center Director Ralph DiBattista pose in front of the wooden Job Corps

map constructed by the Center on September 17, 2014. Photo courtesy of Harpers Ferry Job Corps.

Timber Lake Job Corps student Tiffany Gottberg stands next to her winning anniversary poster contest

design based on the theme “Job Corps: 50 Years of Opportunity and Progress—Where You’re From

Isn’t Who You Are” on September 17, 2014. Photo courtesy of USDA.

Davidson River Initial Attack crew members Nikisha Luke and Luis Duran explain the finer points of

using a pulaski, a special hand tool used in wildland firefighting that combines an axe and an adze in

one head and which is a versatile tool for constructing firebreaks. Photo courtesy of USDA.




Guests at the Job Corps 50th anniversary celebration had the opportunity to weigh their packs on one

of the wilderness scales during the 50th anniversary celebration on September 17, 2014. Photo

courtesy of Collbran Job Corps.

There’s a lot of fun going on at the table hosted by Harpers Ferry Job Corps. Photo courtesy of USDA.


Collbran and Trapper Creek Job

Corps Center students cele-

brated the 50th anniversary of

the Wilderness Act by con-

structing wilderness kiosks.

The Trapper Creek Center cele-

brated the installation and

dedication of its wilderness

kiosk at the Magruder Ranger

Station which stands between

the Selway-Bitterroot Wilder-

ness and the Frank Church-

River of No Return Wilderness

on October 5, 2014.

Grand Mesa Uncompaghre

Job Corps Celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act by Constructing Kiosks Alicia D. Bennett, Public Affairs Specialist, Job Corps National Office

Collbran Job Corps students and staff join Grand Mesa Uncompaghre Gunnison Forest Supervisor

Scott Armentrout (center) to dedicate a kiosk constructed by students for the Blue Lakes Trailhead on

the Mt. Sneffels Wilderness on October 9, 2014. Photo courtesy of Bill Tiedje, Ouray County

Trapper Creek students connect kiosk sections in

preparation to install it in the wilderness area of

the historic Magruder Ranger Station on October

5, 2014. Photo courtesy Stephanie Israel.

Trapper Creek Carpentry students raise up their wilderness kiosk for a better view. Photo courtesy

Stephanie Israel.

Trapper Creek carpentry student Nick Saadi (L) receives assistance from painting student Alex Fridley

(L) in putting on finishing touches to Trapper Creek’s wilderness kiosk. Photo courtesy Stephanie Israel.

Trapper Creek students check to insure that the

kiosk sections are stable before raising it and

settling the posts into holes on October 5, 2014.

Photo courtesy Stephanie Israel.

“A wilderness, in contrast

with those areas where

man and his own works

dominate the landscape,

is hereby recognized as an

area where the ear and its

community of life are un-

trammeled by man, where

man himself is a visitor

who does not remain.”

—The Wilderness Act

Gunnison Forest Supervisor

Scott Armentrout, along with

Ouray District Ranger Tammy

Randall-Parker, Specialist Aman-

da Walker, and Ouray District

Recreation Staff Andrew Maher

joined Collbran Lead Carpentry

Instructor Tim Parlove and stu-

dents Erik Gonzalez, Cory Cruz,

Brittany Gomez, and Derek Mey-

ers to dedicate the Collbran Job

Corps kiosk for the Blue Lakes

Trailhead on the Mt. Sneffels

Wilderness on October 9, 2014.


Trapper Creek students stabilize the wilderness

kiosk as they set it into the ground in the wilder-

ness area of the historic Magruder Ranger

Station on October 5, 2014. Photo courtesy

Stephanie Israel.

Trapper Creek students align the kiosk for instal-

lation in the wilderness area of the historic

Magruder Ranger Station on October 5, 2014.



The wilderness kiosk construct-

ed by Trapper Creek Job Corps

was funded as a Wilderness

Partnership project with Na-

tional Wilderness Stewardship

Alliance (NWSA), Selway- Bitter-

root Frank Church Foundation,

U.S. Forest Service Region 1,

and the Bitterroot National

Forest.

“The intent of the project was

to bring the U.S. Forest Service

and the NWSA with other wil-

derness organizations together

to get something done that had

a legacy component,” stated

Selway-Bitterroot Frank Church

Foundation Executive Director

Sally Ferguson.

The wilderness kiosk project

was designed to introduce

young people and people of

diverse backgrounds to wilder-

ness management principles,

enhance awareness of the

importance of stewardship to

national forests, showcase the

importance of stewardship to

wilderness, and celebrate the

50th anniversary of the Wilder-

ness Act.

Job Corps Celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act by Constructing Kiosks (continued from page 6)

Alicia D. Bennett, Public Affairs Specialist, Job Corps National Office

Trapper Creek students continue to stabilize the

kiosk in the wilderness area of the historic

Magruder Ranger Station on October 5, 2014.


Weary but proud Trapper Creek Job Corps students pose in front of the kiosk they constructed for the wilderness area near the Magruder Ranger Station

which stands between the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness and the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness. Forestry Conservation & Firefighting students

Eric Strom and Christopher Reid, Painting student Alex Fridley, Carpentry students Leah Frye-Wilson, Zach Muth, Nick Saadi and Riley Durfee. Photo

courtesy Stephanie Israel.

“This wonderful com-

plex here really speaks

to the Forest Service as

family. Not only in terms

of the length of its

history, but look at the

people and programs

that have been in-

volved. There’s a lot of

ownership by a lot of

different people and it’s

a very, very special

place.”

--Mary Williams

Bitterroot National

Forest Historian


The Mena-Oden Ranger District

has been working with commu-

nity groups, trail clubs, and

agency partners to address

water quality issues at Wolf

Pen Gap All-Terrain Vehicle

(ATV) trail complex, near Mena,

AR. Improvements to the trail

complex as a result of this col-

laborative effort are on-going

as part of an Interim Manage-

ment Plan for the area.

In May 2012, the Ouachita Job

Corps Center came on-board as

a new partner. The Center and

forest/district employees have

implemented an innovative

approach to mitigate sediment

and water quality issues at

stream crossings on ATV trails.

Interlocking concrete planks

are being used to get the

Ouachita Job Corps Improves the Wolf Pen Gap All Terrain Vehicle Trail Complex Roger Smith, Business Community Liaison, Ouachita Job Corps

Ouachita Job Corps, Youth Conservation Corps, and Mena-Oden Ranger District employees relax for a

picture while building the "Wheels Out of the Water” stream crossings on the Wolf Pen Gap All Terrain

Vehicle Trail Complex on the Mena-Oden Ranger District. Photo courtesy of Ouachita Job Corps.

Ouachita welding students display the prototype form they designed to create the concrete plank

crossings for the "Wheels Out of the Water” stream crossings on the Wolf Pen Gap All Terrain Vehicle

Trail Complex on the Mena-Oden Ranger District. Photo courtesy of Ouachita Job Corps.

“Wheels Out of the Water” on

several priority stream cross-

ings. “Improved water quality

and sediment reduction is the

goal” said District Ranger Tim

Oosterhous.

The newly formed partnership

with Ouachita Job Corps has

given local forest managers

another “tool in the toolbox” to

address the complex issue of

managing an ATV trail system

with an aquatic threatened

and endangered species down-

stream. Project highlights in-

clude:

• Four stream crossings com-

pleted

• Over 5,000 hours contribut-

ed by OJCC welding and ma-

sonry staff and students

• Local trail club has joined

the partnership and is contrib-

uting grant funds to the project

• A 10-person Youth Conserva-

tion Crew (YCC) assisted with

the installation of stream

crossings.

Ouachita Job Corps masonry students pour the first batch of concrete to create interlocking concrete

planks used to create "Wheels Out of the Water” stream crossings on the Wolf Pen Gap All Terrain

Vehicle Trail Complex on the Mena-Oden Ranger District. Photo courtesy of Ouachita Job Corps.

Ouachita Job Corps welding and masonry

students and staff have contributed 5,000

volunteer hours to the Wolf Pen Gap All-Terrain

Vehicle Trail Complex.

"Wheels Out of the Water” stream crossings plank built and signed by Ouachita Job Corps for the

Wolf Pen Gap All Terrain Vehicle Trail Complex on the Mena-Oden Ranger District. Photo courtesy of

Ouachita Job Corps.

Completed concrete plank stream crossing at

Wolf Pen Gap ATV trail complex. Photo

courtesy of Ouachita Job Corps.

“Improved water quality

and sediment reduction is

the goal.”

—Tim Oosterhous

District Ranger

http://www.nbcmontana.com/news/job-corps-students-paint-stevensville-library-community-room/30850662



Jimmy Copeland Receives the Chief’s Honor Award for Cultural Transformation Alicia D. Bennett, Public Affairs officer, Job Corps National Office

“Jim is tireless,” says Center

Director Tammy Wentland.

“He takes the necessary

steps to achieve a goal and

is not stymied by perceived

barriers or obstacles; he just

digs in and finds resolution

to those challenges and

gets the job done!”

—Tammy Wentland

Schenck Job Corps

Center Director

(L to R) Forest Service Region 8 Deputy Regional Forester Ken Arney and Schenck Job Corps

Academic Manager Jimmy Copeland. Photo courtesy of Forest Service Region 8.

Schenck Job Corps Academic Manager Jimmy

Copeland. Photo courtesy of Jimmy Copeland.

On December 15, 2014, USDA

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vil-

sack presented Schenck Job

Corps’ Academic Manager Jim

Copeland with the USDA Honor

Award for Cultural Transfor-

mation for his “Bridging Oppor-

tunities for Career Growth for

America’s Youth” project. Prior

to receiving this award,

Copeland also received the

Chief’s Honor Award for Cultural

Transformation, the highest

level of recognition in the U.S.

Forest Service, and the Region 8

Regional Forester’s award for

Partners and Community earlier

in the year.

“I was quite elated and sur-

prised to receive such an hon-

or,” reflected Copeland. The

award recognized Copeland for

his “innovative and passionate

work helping Job Corps students

gain federal employment,” en-

hancing programs by providing

technical training, and by build-

ing communication bridges be-

tween Job Corps and other

agencies that will connect quali-

fied, diverse job candidates with

federal job opportunities.

Copeland has a long track rec-

ord of successful collaborations,

including his most recent work

to establish an overarching

Memorandum of Understanding

(MOU) between the Southern

Research Station, the National

Forests of North Carolina and the

three Job Corps Centers in North

Carolina--Lyndon B. Johnson

(LBJ), Oconaluftee, and Schenck-

-that will provide employment

opportunities to Job Corps stu-

dents using the Public Lands

Corps hiring authority.

“Sometimes you have to do

something no one else has done

to become something no one

else has ever been,” states

Copeland.

In the world of work, the expecta-

tion of new employees to figura-

tively “hit the ground running”

can resonate as tired and pre-

dictable; however, when

Copeland joined the staff of the

Schenck Job Corps Civilian Con-

servation Center as Academic

Manager in late 2009, he not

only hit the ground running but

launched into a sprint.

Copeland came on-board with

the belief that “every student

counts,” and not only has he

guided Schenk’s academic de-

partment to consistently ranking

in the top 10 of 124 Job Corps

Centers over the past three

years, he also has spearheaded

and surmounted obstacles to

secure new and successful part-

nerships with a range of commu-

nity organizations, including Blue

Ridge Community College, North

Carolina State School Board, and

AmeriCorps NCCC.

Copeland earned a M.Ed. Mas-

ters of Secondary Education from

Texas A&M University. He has

always wanted to make a differ-

ent in the lives of young people.

“I have always wanted to be a

teacher. In high school, I was a

member of the Future Teachers

of America,” states Copeland. “I

loved being a mentor and assist-

ing others in their learning goals.

As a Licensed Special Education

Teacher, I found that everyone

learns differently. People just

need time, patience, and oppor-

tunity.”

Although the Southern Research

Station wanted to hire Job Corps

students using the 2012 Path-

ways Program, Job Corps’ pro-

gram administration did not

align with the eligibility require-

ments in this hiring authority.

Recognizing the limitations of

Pathways to place his students,

Copeland constructed an MOU,

based on using the Public Lands

Corps hiring authority, to provide

Job Corps students an alterna-

tive route to federal employ-

ment.

“Jim is tireless,” says Center

Director Tammy Wentland. “He

takes the necessary steps to

achieve a goal and is not sty-

mied by perceived barriers or

obstacles; he just digs in and

finds resolution to those chal-

lenges and gets the job done!”

Copeland’s energy and efforts

not only benefit Schenck, but

also the Oconaluftee and LBJ

JCCCCs and in the near future

all 28 Forest Service Job Corps

Centers.

Copeland’s talents to recognize

and correct obstacles facing Job

Corps students seeking federal

careers was first displayed when

he spearheaded a partnership

with AmeriCorps NCCC. That

partnership allowed students to

perform community service to

earn money for college. This

collaboration was so successful

that Schenck Job Corps has led

the nation in educational place-

ments. Copeland also reached

out to AmeriCorps: Senior Corps

to craft an MOU to provide criti-

cal tutoring, mentoring, and

social skills services in danger

of being cut because of staff

downsizing.



“All of our students

have a story to tell. All

we have to do is take

the time to listen. What

makes Schenck a great

center is that we take

time to listen. Our

students are our

customers.”

—Jimmy Copeland

Schenck Job Corps

Academic Manager

Jimmy Copeland Receives the Chief’s Honor Award for Cultural Transformation (continued from page 9) Alicia D. Bennett, Public Affairs officer, Job Corps National Office

Jimmy Copeland congratulates Michael

Mashburn at Schenck Job Corps graduation

ceremonies. Photo courtesy of Schenck Job

Corps.

Angell Job Corps Urban Forestry students

partnered with the Siuslaw National Forest

and U.S. Forest Service State & Private For-

estry Office to perform 7,560 volunteer hours

on ecosystem management, rehabilitation,

heritage resources, heritage facility mainte-

nance, campground and trail maintenance

projects in 2014. These volunteer hours are

valued at $302,400. Chee Jarating and Isaiah Yezzie listen to Hans Schweitzer at a brunch that included Trapper Creek electrical

students and residents of Sapphire Homes. As a decorated soldier, retired engineer for Boeing and world

traveler Schweitzer has much to offer students. Photo courtesy of The Ravalli Republic.

Short Takes from the World of Civilian Conservation Centers

With a talent for recognizing and

correcting obstacles in students’

paths, Copeland joined the Na-

tional Forest Systems Civil

Rights Committee. Copeland

was concerned that Job Corps

students lacked the funds to

pay for food and supplies when

working on Public Lands Corps

projects on remote national

forests. He successfully pro-

posed that the committee

should provide financial support

for students working on the

Uwharrie National Forest. His

efforts led to a student success-

fully competing for a position as

a wildland firefighter.

“We are not just training stu-

dents, but investing and impact-

ing the lives of people who will

be tasked in the future with the

maintenance and stewardship

of the conservation of our Na-

tional Forests and Grasslands,”

states Copeland. Copeland’s

track record of breaking down

barriers to youth employment

has assisted the agency with

meeting the 21st Century Con-

servation Service Corps goals of

the Chief of the Forest Service.

All of our students have a story

to tell. All we have to do is take

the time to listen. What makes

Schenck a great center is that

we take time to listen. Our stu-

dents are our customers.”

Throughout the first nine

months of 2014, Copeland com-

pleted his Middle Leader train-

ing and a training practicum

120 day detail while continuing

to oversee Schenk’s academic

department. The department

finished its 2013 program year

amongst the top ten Centers in

the country. Out of 125 Job

Corps Centers, Schenck was

rated number one in literacy and

number 6 in numeracy in PY13;

in PY14 the center was rated

number 2 in literacy and num-

ber seven in numeracy in PY14.

At the end of December 2014,

Schenck Job Corps ranked first

amongst the Civilian Conserva-

tion Centers and fourth out of

126 Job Corps Centers nation-

wide.

Copeland is proud of the strong

leadership and teamwork the

education staff exhibited during

his absence. “We have a strong

staff full of leaders, high per-

formers, and innovators. I be-

lieve iron sharpens iron; it may

be uncomfortable at times, but

it is a key to significant growth.”

Copeland has begun envisioning

his future career path in the

Forest Service. “In the next 10

years I will seek opportunities to

serve as a District Ranger, Civil

Rights Specialist, and in other

land management capacities,”

he says. “My long term goal is to

reach the level of SES--I will

either be the Director of Conser-

vation Education, National Di-

rector of Job Corps, or a Social

Scientist. Needless to say, I

have a lot of work in front of

me,” he laughingly adds.

Copeland’s ambitions are large,

but looking at his track record, it

is easy to imagine that Copeland

aspirations will be realized.

Angell Job Corps students, staff, and family members make cards and gift baskets for National Guard

Platoon 2/162 Alpha Company. Photo courtesy of Angell Job Corps.


Angell Job Corps Civilian Conser-

vation Center lost a dear friend

and coworker, Sergeant Major

Scott Davis on July 13, 2014,

from complications from heart

surgery. Scott worked in the

Angell Job Corps Residential

Living department as a dorm

manager before taking the posi-

tion as the Center’s duty driver.

Scott retired from the U.S. Army

in 2012, but he still served as a

Sergeant Major in the U.S. Na-

tional Guard in Platoon 2/162

Alpha Company after joining the

staff of Angell Job Corps.

Scott was loved by the students

he served at Angell Job Corps;

the students had a lot of affec-

tion and respect for Scott and

wanted to honor his memory.

“Scott had a huge influence on

my entering the Army after Job

Corps. He took his time to ex-

plain the opportunities the Army

had to offer and guidance on a

career field. I only have one

credit left to complete my GED

and have already completed my

trade,” stated Angell student

Jorge Garcia. “I’m scheduled to

follow in Scott’s footsteps as

soon as I complete my educa-

tion. Since Scott’s passing I have

been more determined than ever

to serve my Country in his hon-

or.”

Angell Job Corps Honors Sergeant Major Scott Davis and Say Good-Bye Brady Endicott, Dorm Manager, Angell Job Corps

“I’m scheduled to fol-

low in Scott’s footsteps

as soon as I complete

my education at Angell

Job Corps. Since

Scott’s passing I have

been more determined

than ever to serve my

Country in his honor”

—Jorge Garcia

Angell Job Corps

Student

Sergeant Major Scott Davis. Photo courtesy of

Angell Job Corps.

Angell students, staff and family members honor Sergeant Major Scott Davis and Pay it Forward. Photo

courtesy of Angell Job Corps.

While undergoing a routine

medical exam prior to his pla-

toon’s deployment to the Kan-

dahar Province in Afghanistan,

Scott became aware of a heart

valve medical problem.

Scott’s platoon was deployed

in August 2014, just after his

death. The platoon served in

Afghanistan over the Christmas

holiday and the earliest they

will return to the United States

is late summer in 2015.

With Scott sick, another Com-

mander was placed in charge

of Platoon 2/162 Alpha Com-

pany, which weighed heavily on

Scott.

In Scott’s honor, the students at

Angell made cards and gift bas-

kets for all 100 members of

Platoon 2/162 Alpha Company

who served under Scott.

The students’ goal was to make

100 cards and gifts; however,

with tremendous efforts by An-

gell students, the Center was

able to make 137 baskets.

Angell student Candelario Men-

doza donated a new basketball

that was signed by every Angell

Job Corps student and staff

member to include with the

cards and gift baskets.

“Scott would have wanted

something done for his men and

I’m proud of the work our stu-

dents did,” stated Dorm Manag-

er Brady Endicott. Scott’s wife,

Sheila and his daughter McKen-

zie participated in preparing the

cards and gift baskets.

The Angell Job Corps family was

extremely happy to be able to

send gifts across the world to

honor one of its own.

Angell Job Corps Facts

Students: 160

Vocational Trades:

Culinary Arts

General Service

Technology

Union Bricklaying

Union Carpentry

Union Painting

Union Plumbing

Urban Forestry

Welding

acres in Wildland Urban Inter-

face (WUI).

In less than two years since

Chief Tom Tidwell announced

the JCCCC and Fire and Aviation

Management (F&AM) partner-

ship, the JCCCC program has

made great strides in reaching

its goal of having a Job Corps

Forest Assistant Fire Manage-

ment Officer (JCFAFMO) at each

center, with over one-third of

the JCCCCs having a dedicated

AFMO on-board.

“I am extremely grateful that I

have this wonderful opportunity

to work with the Job Corps fire

program,” stated Fire Program

Coordinator Jane Eide. “The

program has far surpassed our

goals and this would not have

been possible without the out-

standing partnerships the Cen-

ters have with the national for-

ests.”

“I am very proud of the Job

Corps fire program,” stated

F&AM Director Tom Harbour at

the annual Job Corps fire pro-

gram meeting in Sacramento,

California. “I built this program

in a way to sustain success and

my vision for the program is to


Maybe the best word to de-

scribe the Job Corps Civilian

Conservation Center (JCCCC)

2014 fire season is “Wow!”

Two thousand three hundred

and sixty eight Job Corps stu-

dents worked a total of 1,987

days and contributed 160,327

hours on wildfire and prescribed

fire assignments --surpassing

the 124,009 hours worked on

2013 assignments and despite

a slow fire season. Eleven

JCCCCs participating in Hazard-

ous fuels reduction projects

spent 19,393 hours treating

57,276 acres, 53,222 of those

Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center Fire, Forestry Program Exceeds Expectations Alicia D. Bennett, Public Affairs Officer, Job Corps National Office

Collbran Job Corps firefighters attend a briefing while on the Thompson River Fire Complex on the Lolo

National Forest in August 2014. Photo courtesy of Collbran Job Corps.

Civilian Conservation Center

Fire Program Facts

864 fire and camp crew

students red-carded

1,987 days worked

160,327 hours worked

19,393 hazardous fuels

reduction hours worked

57,276 WUI acres treated

train and hire graduates of the

highest caliber.”

The flagship Davidson River

Initial Attack Crew (DRIA) was

busy working nine wildfire and

44 prescribed fire assignments

in Florida, Georgia, Virginia,

Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama,

North Carolina and Texas be-

tween January 15 and April 31,

2014. The crew spent a total of

77 days on incident assign-

ments covering 686 wildfire

acres and 46,653 prescribed

fire acres and 40 days on haz-

ardous fuels preparation and

project work. By mid-May, the

crew had shut down for the year

and spent the summer months

on training assignments, single

resource assignments and

preparation for the arrival of a

new crew.

The Weber Basin fire crew may

not have been as busy as DRIA,

but it had another year of

“firsts” for the Job Corps fire

program when it added a Type

4 Engine from the Uinta-

Wasatch-Cache National Forest

to its resources on-center. The

Weber Basin and Uinta-

Wasatch-Cache Engine and

Initial Attack (IA) module re-

sponded to 10 requests for a

total of 112 days of forest ac-

count work, initial/extended

attack fires, severity requests

and support functions.

Fire is not the sole accomplish-

ment of Center fire teams. Alt-

hough not reflected in JCCCC

fire numbers, Centers also con-

tribute significant hours on

natural resource conservation

projects that improve the health

of national forests and grass-

lands that would otherwise not

be accomplished.

The Boxelder fire crew worked

on a number of such unique

and interesting projects. For

two days in July, Boxelder Job

Corps’ Type II firefighting crew (continued on page 13)

Blackwell Job Corps firefighter Michael Mason

clears brush and debris from the Northern

Research Station on October 29, 2014. Photo

courtesy of David Melancon.

Boxelder Job Corps Type II firefighting crew members remove the invasive common buckthorn to

protect bio-diversity within the Dugout Gulch botanical area on the Bearlodge Ranger District, Black

Hills National Forest. Photo courtesy of Boxelder Job Corps.


completed a WUI project that

entailed cutting down thou-

sands of Jack Pines that were

encroaching on Pageant Hill

and the Custer Disc Golf

Course in Custer, South Dako-

ta.

Another example of the crew’s

efforts helping Black Hills Na-

tional Forest protect bio-

diversity within the Dugout

Gulch botanical area on the

Bearlodge Ranger District by

removing the invasive common

buckthorn, which creates a

canopy that blocks light from

reaching through to understory

plant populations.

“This five acre project is the

beginning of a multiyear effort

to control buckthorn in the

botanical area,” stated Bear-

lodge Ranger District Botanist

Nick Drozda.

Another unique aspect of the

Boxelder JCCCC is that it is the

only Center with a mobile cater-

ing unit in the country. The

center is available to provide

food services to any incident

during the initial attack phase

or at any fire camp that has

less than 300 employees.

With its established Forestry

Conservation & Firefighting

trade and newly appointed

AFMO, the Trapper Creek Job

Corps fire program is looking to

make its mark and has an

evolving partnership with the

Bitterroot National Forest.

Trapper Creek’s fire and camp

crews racked up 21,417 hours

on 24 assignments with an

appraised value of

$149,089.60. Three thousand

one hundred and eighty seven

of those hours were spent on

conservation projects, includ-

ing planting 5,000 saplings on

the West Fork Ranger District,

and slashing, piling, burning,

and road closures over 75

acres on the Darby Ranger

District on the Bitterroot National

Forest.

In November, the Blackwell

JCCCC helped the Northern Re-

search Station conduct a hazard-

ous fuels reduction project to

help meet many of its goals, in-

cluding implementation of nation-

al and regional wildfire cohesive

strategy plan and the removal of

hazard fuels.

“Officially, it was a fuels reduction

project,” stated team leader Lee

Jensen, Chequamegon-Nicolet

National Forest assistant fire

management officer and the

Blackwell’s fire instructor. “We

removed hazardous fuels from

around buildings—especially near

critical entranceways.” Valuable

lessons were built into the pro-

The Weber Basin and Northern Utah fire Crew gather for a photo opportunity off the line off the Whiskey

Fire, Boise National Forest in August 2014. Photo courtesy of Ryan McFarland.

Members of Weber Basin Job Corps Engine and

Initial Attack Module. Photo courtesy of Ryan

McFarland.

Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center Fire, Forestry Program Exceeds Expectations (continued from page 12) Alicia D. Bennett, Public Affairs Officer, Job Corps National Office

ject, including hands-on training

of safety, leadership training

and team building according to

Jensen.

The JCCCC and AF&M partner-

ship is heading into its third

year. In 2015, Jacobs Creek,

Lyndon B. Johnson, and Oco-

naluftee JCCCC fire programs

will begin; by year five of the

partnership, every Forest Ser-

vice Job Corps Center will be

able to support all-hazard emer-

gencies, hazardous fuels and

forest health programs nation-

wide.

With a fully implemented pro-

gram, Civilian Conservation Cen-

ters will have the capacity to

dispatch over 800 firefighter

Type II qualified students

nationwide for any type of

service needed by the nation-

al forests and grasslands.

In looking forward to what to

expect from the 2015 fire

season, Eide stated, “Our

vision for FY15 is that, at a

minimum, we have five addi-

tional centers online and we

continue to exceed our previ-

ous year’s numbers in stu-

dents trained and students

on fire assignments.” Based

upon the fire programs initial

two years, there is little doubt

that this vision will material-

ize.

“I built this program in a

way to sustain success

and my vision for the pro-

gram is to train and hire

graduates of the highest

caliber.”

—Tom Harbour

U.S. Forest Service

F&AM Director

Flatwoods Job Corp Lonesome Pine Fire Crew

work hard during physical training. Photo

courtesy of Chris Barker.

By year five of the part-

nership between Job

Corps and the Washing-

ton fire staff, every For-

est Service Job Corps

Center will be able to

support all-hazard

emergencies, hazard-

ous fuels and forest

health programs nation-

wide


Calendar Year 2014 Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center Fire Assignments by Center

Oconaluftee firefighting students light

controlled burns to reduce hazardous fuels.

Photo courtesy of Oconaluftee Job Corps.

Centennial Job Corps’ Crew 8 functions as a Type II Initial Attack (IA) hand crew. The crew is comprised of eight students and one staff member. The eight

students are combined with two Boise National Forest six person IA crews. Crew 41 from Cascade Ranger District and Crew 11 from Mountain Home are

embedded into Crew 8 to make a 20 person Type II IA hand crew. Photo courtesy of Mike Towers.

Centennial Job Corps Civilian Conservation

Center firefighting crew. Photo courtesy of

Centennial Job Corps.

Wolf Creek Job Corps Civilian Conservation

Center firefighting crew. Photo courtesy of Wolf

Creek Job Corps.

Timber Lake Job Corps Civilian Conservation

Center firefighting crew. Photo courtesy of

Timber Lake Job Corps.


Wolf Creek Job Corps students (L to R) Richard Sandor, Tyler Bear, and Ethan Pennington stand by parts

fabricated to construct heavy steel gates for road closures on the North Umpqua and Rogue River-

Siskiyou National Forests. Photo courtesy of Sidney Lilienthal.

Wolf Creek Job Corps student Ethan Pennington with assembled parts for Americans With Disabilities

Act (ADA) accessible fire rings for the Umpqua National Forest. Photo courtesy of Sidney Lilienthal.

Wolf Creek Job Corps’ Public Lands Corps Projects Demonstrate JCCCC’s Value to Public Lands Cyndi Szymanski, Natural Resource Liaison, Job Corps National Office

The 21st Conservation Service

Corps (21CSC) is an initiative to

engage young people and re-

turning veterans to protect, re-

store, and enhance America's

Great Outdoors. These partner-

ships leverage experience and

expertise of existing Federal,

State, tribal, local and non-profit

conservation and youth corps,

and veterans' programs.

Forest Service Job Corps Civilian

Conservation Centers (JCCCC)

are substantial contributors to

this national initiative. Examin-

ing the participation of Wolf

Creek Job Corps Center, just one

of the 28 Forest Service Job

Corps Centers, demonstrates

the valuable contribution of

JCCCC students to federal lands.

Wolf Creek has improved recrea-

tional access: Six Wolf Creek Job

Corps students spent 216 hours

fabricating Americans With Disa-

bilities Act (ADA) accessible fire

rings for the Umpqua National

Forest. Under the supervision of

their instructors, these students

welded the rings from 12 inch

20 pound per foot channel iron.

An additional 19 Wolf Creek

students laid concrete for a

Douglas County playground to

create an ADA compliant and

accessible play area for children

with disabilities. The combined

in-kind contribution for these

projects is $53,714.

Wolf Creek has preserved public

lands: Wolf Creek Job Corps

students fabricated heavy steel

gates for road closures on the

North Umpqua and Rogue River-

Siskiyou National Forests. Ten

students contributed 480 hours

of welding time and another 68

hours of painting and moving

gate components. The in-kind

contribution to the National

Forests is approximately

$10,824.

Wolf Creek has repaired and

rebuilt campsites: Twelve Wolf

Creek Job Corps students con-

tributed 960 hours restoring

150 picnic tables for the De-

partment of Interior Bureau of

Land Management. Students

used new tools such as power

hand tools and forklifts for mov-

ing equipment on this project.

The valued contribution of their

effort is $21,648.

These experiences and expo-

sure to Federal lands also pro-

vide Job Corps students access

to career pathways in natural

and cultural resources, and envi-

ronmental and other disciplines

in the federal and non-profit

sectors. In particular, the Public

Lands Corps Healthy Forests

and Restoration Act allows youth

Wolf Creek Job Corps student Ethan Pennington

with assembled parts for Americans With Disa-

bilities Act (ADA) accessible fire rings for the

Umpqua National Forest. Photo courtesy of

Sidney Lilienthal.

who spend 640 hours working

on federal lands to receive non-

competitive hiring for entry level

positions. So far, two JCCCC

students have accepted career

positions with the U.S. Forest

Service and over 20 more are

likely this year.

Wolf Creek Job Corps student Tyler Bear check-

ing his welds on Americans With Disabilities Act

(ADA) accessible fire rings grill tops for the

Umpqua National Forest. Photo courtesy of

Sidney Lilienthal


My Testimony as a Public Lands Corps Graduate—Stephen Osborne Stephen Osborne, Forestry Aide, Huron-Manistee National Forest

My name is Stephen Osborne. I

was born in Tucson, Arizona and

raised in Marana, Arizona. I have

always wanted to work in the

forest.

The forest has always been this

mystical place full of wonders

and excitement to me. Unfortu-

nately, I was never the most am-

bitious kid. After graduating high

school and having a brief but

enlightening college experience I

joined the Job Corps program.

I started out in the plumbing


Harpers Ferry Job Corps pays a visit to U.S. Senator Joe Manchin III (R-WV). (L to R) Students Ketrone

Sampson, Christian Duckett, Jonathan Parker , Brandon Carney, Kristin Moore, Senator Joe Manchin

III, BCL Anna Stead, and students Samuel McFadden, and Andre Linton. Photo courtesy of Anna Stead.

The Schenck Job Corps Student Government Association sponsored a fund drive that raised $130.00 for Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christ-

mas Child to pay for the shipping costs of the thousands of donated shoe “care” boxes shipped around the globe.

Forestry Aide Stephen Osborne

“I fell in love with everything

about this event; the forest,

the community, my cowork-

ers, but most of all, the job

itself. There’s nothing quite

like working in the great

outdoors doing a job you

respect. It felt great and still

does. After several months I

graduated from the program

and was unleashed into the

real world, where I began

looking for a job in the

Forest Service. “

—Stephen Osborne

Forestry Aide

Trapper Creek Job Corps students, in collaboration with library

patrons paint the Stevensville library community room creating

long lasting benefits.

http://www.nbcmontana.com/news/job-corps-students-paint-

stevensville-library-community-room/30850662

trade at the Tucson campus. I

wasn’t too sure what I wanted

to do then and perhaps I was a

little frightened about the pro-

spect of too much change. How-

ever, close to graduating from

the program an urge began

overwhelming me. I felt ambi-

tion, I want to do something

more, something great! I began

looking at my options. That’s

when I discovered the forestry

program at Schenck Job Corps

Civilian Conservation Center.

After several months of at-

tempting to get in, I finally got

accepted due to my persis-

tence. I knew this is what I

wanted and wouldn’t let any-

thing stop me from achieving it.

When I arrived in North Carolina

on the Pisgah National Forest I

was in awe! That moment I was

completely reassured that I

made the right choice.

The following months were

spent learning all the ins and

outs of the trade. I was com-

pletely immersed with every-

thing my instructor, Mickey

Beland, had to teach and

learned more than I could imag-

ine and loved every minute of it!

In February of 2014, another

forestry student, Dante Sutton,

and I were sent to Oscoda, Mich-

igan where we volunteered at

with the Huron Shores Ranger

District, part of Huron-Manistee

National Forest.

I fell in love with everything

about this event; the forest, the

community, my coworkers, but

most of all, the job itself. There’s

nothing quite like working in the

great outdoors doing a job you

respect. It felt great and still

does. After several months I

graduated from the program

and was unleashed into the real

world, where I began looking for

a job in the Forest Service. I was

especially interested in a timber

sales prep position available in

the district I had worked at,

which was basically the job I

was doing before.

Two days before Christmas I

received the job offer for the

timber sales prep position in

Oscoda. That was probably the

best day of my life. Now I sit in

office writing this bio and I

couldn’t be more happy thanks

to my instructor, Mickey

Beland, the Public Lands Corps

program and all the countless

others that helped me get here.

Angell Job Corps Urban Forestry students partnered with the Si-

uslaw National Forest and U.S. Forest Service State & Private For-

estry Office to perform 7,560 volunteer hours on ecosystem man-

agement, rehabilitation, heritage resources, heritage facility

maintenance, campground and trail maintenance projects in

2014. These volunteer hours are valued at $302,400.





My Pine Ridge Job Corps Graduation Speech—Jacob Brown, Public Lands Corps Graduate Jacob Brown, Visitor Information Specialist, Medicine Bow – Routt National Forest

To my fellow corpsmen and wom-

en, two and one-half years ago I

was going nowhere. Like many of

you I had so many options, very

few were viable, and fewer would

lead me along a good path. Then

with a push from my family

(mostly my mom for whom I owe

the origins to my success), we

went to a meeting for information

about Job Corps.

After applying and earning the

opportunity, I got ready to attend

the Pine Ridge Job Corps Center

in Chadron, Nebraska. This is the

farthest I have ever been from

home, and now I have gone even

further to Walden, Colorado on

the Parks Ranger District.

The night before I left for Pine

Ridge Job Corps I had a panic

attack. The next morning I did not

really want to go, and again it

was my mom encouraging me

towards the success I know to-

day. I was way out of my comfort

zone. Those first days at Job

Corps and for the first two weeks

• Public Lands Corps (PLC)

Act of 1993 authorizes the

Forest Service to provide

community and national

service, work experience and

training to young men and

women who are low-income,

unemployed, or underem-

ployed persons on public

lands.

• Youth must be between 16

-25 years of age

• Work experiences are a

minimum of 640 hours sup-

porting activities under the

Healthy Forest

Recreation Act

• Upon completion youth are

eligible for non-competitive

Federal hiring

• 20 PLC agreements exist

between JCCCC and the NFS

In 2014, two JCCCC

students have been hired

and 13 more are in process

• For more information,

contact Cyndi Szymanski,

Job Corps National Office

Natural Resource Liaison at

[email protected]

Visitor Information Specialist Jacob Brown

I will say this if you are ever

thinking of quitting, or have

doubts about being able to

finish the program, please

reconsider. You never know

what opportunity is just waiting

around the corner in your near

future.

—Jacob Brown,

Visitor Information Specialist Visitor Information Specialist Jacob Brown (far left) having an awesome time working on trails in the Great Outdoors. Photo courtesy of the Medicine Bow—

Routt National Forest.

were uncomfortable, as I was in

a culture shock and that is

where I was able to make pro-

gress to the point where I am

today.

I have completed the Office

Administration trade. Despite in

the beginning I didn’t think I

could do it, but I stayed with it,

with a little encouragement

from Mrs. Hooker. I have expe-

rienced many opportunities in

my time at Pine Ridge, from

working in many of the offices

across the campus to learning

many different job skills. I have

met a lot of interesting people

during my stay at Job Corps,

and I have taken their perspec-

tive and incorporated it in my

own. I never really wanted to

quit or leave Job Corps before I

accomplished my goal of mak-

ing myself a better person, and

at this point, I am happy to say

In 2014, Brown

contributed 1,360 to-

tal hours and 200

hours in certified

Public Lands Corps

projects.

that I have completed and even

surpassed that goal I made on

January 22, 2013, which lead to

my opportunities in the Public

Lands Corps program, where I

was given a chance to begin

stepping towards a long career

with the U.S. Forest Service on

the Parks Ranger District in Wal-

den, Colorado as a visitor infor-

mation specialist.

I would like to take this oppor-

tunity to thank Mr. Franklin, Mrs.

Eitemiller, Mrs. Hooker, Jason

Brey and Hutson Vann, along

with many others at Pine Ridge

and the Medicine Bow–Routt

National Forest for all their hard

work in getting me to this oppor-

tunity I have been graced with.

Although most of the folks that

entered Job Corps at the same

time either left the program

early or graduated before me, I

will say this if you are ever think-

ing of quitting, or have doubts

about being able to finish the

program, please reconsider.

You never know what opportuni-

ty is just waiting around the cor-

ner in your near future.

Now, I am glad that I am finally

here on this stage, having read

this speech to inspire the next

group of successful Pine Ridge

Job Corps students.

Blackwell student Kyle Wood struggles through some leg lifts

during a physical fitness training session at Blackwell Job

Corps on December 10, 2014. Students participating in the

Center’s wildland firefighting program get together three

times a week to increase their personal fitness and to grow

together as a team. Photo courtesy of Dave Melancon.


Blackwell Job Corps Students Work to Gain Skills and Work Toward Futures David Melancon, Public Affairs Specialist, Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest

April Tellez found traditional

classwork unfulfilling and real-

ized distractions in her Madison

community were keeping her

from meeting her personal goals.

“I was not happy sitting in a chair

all day and then going home and

doing more work when I can do

something physical,” she said.

“Back at home, I was so distract-

ed, so worried about having fun

and just making a few dollars so I

could go out and have more fun.”

Just over six months ago, she

decided to do something about

her academic shortcomings and

the distractions. Acting upon a

friend’s advice, the 17-year-old

decided to become a carpenter

and enrolled in the Blackwell Job


ter. Two weeks after enrolling,

she earned her high school

equivalency diploma. “It was one

of the best things I ever did,” she

said while taking a break from

the center’s carpentry shop. “It

was work, work, work with no

breaks. I was dedicated.”

Blackwell offers training in office

automation, carpentry, construc-

tion crafts, health occupations,

masonry and welding. Additional-

ly, students can earn their high

April Tellez and Allen Mathers check the level on a roof mock up in the

Blackwell Job Corps Center’s carpentry shop on December 10, 2014.

Photo courtesy of Dave Melancon.

Antonio Searles was a member of a four-man team of Black-

well student-firefighters who traveled to the Northern Research

Station Institute for Applied Ecosystem Studies on October 29,

2014, on a hazardous fuels reduction project. Students

cleared brush and removed fallen trees making the building

less susceptible to a wildfire. Photo courtesy of Dave Melan-

school diplomas either through

a partnership with a local high

school, online or through Gen-

eral Educational Development

(GED) or High School Equivalen-

cy testing.

Tellez said she found her Black-

well “home” in the center’s car-

pentry shop. “I always liked

hands-on projects. I like working

hard and I can see it (my work)

build up as I go,” she said. “I

really enjoy the carpentry trade,

so I hope to still be working with-

in the trade (in the future). With-

in this trade, the opportunities

are endless.”

Tellez graduated from Blackwell

in December. But, she has to

wait until she is 18 years old to

qualify for a union job place-

ment. In addition to her class-

work, Tellez worked with the

Blackwell staff to develop her

resume, cover letters and job

interview skills. “I feel very pre-

pared,” she said.

Once she begins her career in

the Madison area, Tellez said

she will begin training for her

journeyman’s status and will

specialize in a skill such as roof-

ing, possibly becoming a fore-

man in that specialty. “Blackwell

has shown me how to become

focused. Since I got here I real-

ized it is not about now, it is

about later.”

In addition to its workshops and

classrooms, the 25-acre Black-

well campus features a wellness

center, dining facility, counsel-

ing services, a student-run bank,

a computer lab and entertain-

ment areas located in its dormi-

tories and campus recreation

center where students can work

out, play basketball, challenge

each other to a game of pool, or

just relax and watch a movie.

Blackwell, which celebrates its

50th anniversary in November,

plans to schedule an open

house, sometime this summer,

according to guidance counselor

Lorie Almazan.

Antonio Searles, 21, said he

enrolled at Blackwell because

he wants to stay busy and posi-

tive. Searles said he considered

enrolling in college near his

native Detroit but there were

obstacles in his way: no driver’s

license, no money for tuition

and living expenses. And, he did

not know what to study. “So,

why waste a couple of grand in

college – that’s why I came

here,” he said. “They teach lots

of hands-on (skills), how to get

along with people from other

cultures. You get a trade, you

get a license, you get a job and

you get paid.”

Searles is enrolled in the Con-

struction Crafts and Laborer

training program, known as CCL

on campus. He spends his day

learning how to safely use hand

tools, drive a forklift, erect and

secure scaffolding, pour con-

crete, understand OSHA rules

and learn jobsite first aid. “It’s a

nice trade. There’s lots of hard

work that keeps me busy. I like

to keep working,” he said, add-

ing, “That’s also why I like

wildland firefighting. That keeps

me busy.”

In addition to his work in the

CCL trades, Searles is one of

about 20 students enrolled in

the school’s wildland firefighting

program. Earlier this year,

Searles deployed to Oregon for

two weeks to battle a wildfire

there and now serves as a team

leader. I never saw myself doing

it,” said Searles. “But now I like

it. It’s a lot of hard work but it

pays off.” (continued on page 19)

“It was one of the best

things I ever did. It was

work, work, work with no

breaks. I was dedicated.”

—April Tellez

Carpentry Student


Blackwell Job Corps Students Work to Gain Skills and Work Toward Futures (continued from page 18)

David Melancon, Public Affairs Specialist, Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest

“It’s a nice trade. There’s

lots of hard work that

keeps me busy. “

—Antonio Searles

Construction Crafts

Laborer Student

“Whatever opportunities

jump in front of me first,

then I’ll dive in—go for it.”

—Kyle Wood

Carpentry Student

Blackwell Job Corps

serves approximately

160 students. The Center

celebrates its 50th

anniversary in November

2015.

Stedman Graham speaks to Golconda Job

Corps Center students on the Nine-Step Suc-

cess Process. Photo courtesy of Clara Johnson.

Searles, who enrolled at Black-

well in January 2014, said he

plans to graduate this spring

and plans on starting his career

in the Milwaukee area. There is

a possibility of making fire-

fighting a career but for now he

will rely on his CCL training, he

said. “I would recommend com-

ing here,” he said. “Job Corps is

a good place. It will open a lot

of doors for you. If you come

New York Times Best Selling Author Stedman Graham Advocates for Job Corps Clara Johnson, Job Corps Liaison, Region 8/9

Graham grew up in Whitesbo-

ro, New Jersey – an all African

-American community situat-

ed in the midst of an affluent

resort region in southern New

Jersey. He remembers well

the oft-uttered phrase about

his home town that “Nothing

good ever comes out of

Whitesboro.”

here with your mind set right,

and come and do what you

came here to do, then the doors

will start opening.”

“I was not doing anything at

home — basically sitting around,

wasting time,” said Kyle Wood.

“I dropped out of school in the

10th grade so I needed a pro-

gram that offered me the oppor-

tunity to gain my high school diploma.” So on his step-

mother’s advice, Wood, 22,

enrolled into Blackwell’s car-

pentry and wildland firefighting

programs in December 2013.

Wood said he is tackling his

coursework one class at a time.

But there is more to it than just

a passing grade. “It is easy to

pass the tests, but it is also

important to understand the

subjects,” he said.

Wood is working toward his

carpentry, scaffolding, forklift

operator’s, OSHA and “green

building” certificates, his

wildland firefighting “Red” qual-

ifications card and his high

school diploma. “You can’t just

rely on one certain career. You

got to have several different

ones in case one falls short or

they are not hiring.”

In 2008, Forest Service Job

Corps Liaison Clara Johnson,

who retired in December 2014,

partnered with Stedman Gra-

ham, New York Times Best-

Selling Author and CEO and

Chairman of S. Graham & Asso-

ciates, to build awareness

about the Job Corps program.

Graham is a long-time advocate

and supporter of Job Corps and

his work with the program

spans more than a decade. His

powerful personal journey reso-

nates with the many challenges

faced by today’s youth. Johnson

recognized that if Job Corps stu-

dents were to pursue a career in

the Forest Service, they had to

be willing to take on challenges,

develop a strong identity, and

find role models to help them

achieve their dreams.

Graham grew up in Whitesboro,

New Jersey – an all African-

American community situated in

the midst of an affluent resort

region in southern New Jersey.

He remembers well the oft-

uttered phrase about his home

town that “Nothing good ever

comes out of Whitesboro.” His

two youngest brothers were

born with developmental disa-

bilities and he was often har-

assed. Also, it proved difficult

growing up in his small commu-

nity as a faired-skin black man.

That painful childhood took a

toll and Graham says he spent

way too much time and energy

trying to prove to others and to

himself that he was more than

his circumstances.

“Stedman has a powerful mes-

sage about how to create a

strong identity, the importance

of believing in yourself, and

having the grit to press through

any challenge. This message is

what I believe our young people

need to hear, especially from

someone who has walked in

similar shoes,” states Johnson.

In 2012, Graham spoke to

more than 200 students at

Golconda Job Corps, sharing

his Nine-Step Success Process,

a learning management system

designed to organize one’s life

around one’s identity. Graham

toured the Center and met one-

on-one with the students to

listen to their dreams and to

encourage them.

In August 2014, Graham was

the featured speaker for the

Blackwell Job Corps Center’s

50th anniversary celebration.

After sharing the same mes-

sage of hope and self-worth, he

announced that he would return

to Blackwell in June of 2015 to

kick off a partnership between

the Forest Service, Forest Ser-

vice Job Corps Centers, and the

National Professional Anglers

Association. Graham will en-

gage in a hands-on fishing clinic

with the Blackwell students to

encourage them to pursue a

career in natural resources.

Graham summed up his experi-

ences at the Civilian Conserva-

tion Centers by stating, “I love

Job Corps. It’s a great program.

I want to do everything I can to

help these young people reach

their dream.”


Boxelder students and staff are

looking forward to this year’s

gardening season. The math

and science department is work-

ing hard to integrate gardening

activities into education and our

Healthy Eating Activities Lifestyle

(HEALS) program. This quarter

they will focus on seed germina-

tion and composting.

Boxelder’s Science Teacher

Michelle Crane did some re-

search and he was able to pro-

cure a box of 36 different seed

The talent and workmanship of

Trapper Creek Job Corps stu-

dents is recognized by and

tapped often by the communi-

ties surrounding Darby, Mon-

tana. National forest staff and

residents know that Trapper

Creek staff and students can

be relied upon for expert

knowledge, advice and good

results when called upon for

assistance with a challenging

project. So it is no surprise that,

after receiving a $12,000 grant

from the Ravalli County Re-

source Committee, the Bitter

Root Backcountry Horsemen

(BRBH) made a beeline to the

Trapper Creek Job Corps to

Ready for the Gardening Season Bonnie Fuller, Principle Teacher, Boxelder Job Corps

(L to R) Boxelder Job Corps staff members Rae Rowell and Michelle Crane and students Okony Oballa

and Ashiro Ashkaba hold the seeds obtained from seed Savers Exchange on January 26, 2015. Photo

courtesy of Bonnie Fuller.

Bitter Root Backcountry Horsemen Call Upon Trapper Creek Job Corps Alicia D. Bennett, Public Affairs Officer, Job Corps National Office

The mission of the Seed

Savers Exchange is to help

save North America’s diverse,

but endangered, garden

heritage for future genera-

tions by building a network of

people committed to collect-

ing, saving and sharing heir-

loom seeds and plants, while

educating people about the

value of genetic and cultural

diversity.

packets from the Seed Saver’s

Exchange.

The mission of the Seed Savers

Exchange is to help save North

America’s diverse, but endan-

gered, garden heritage for fu-

ture generations by building a

network of people committed to

collecting, saving and sharing

heirloom seeds and plants,

while educating people about

the value of genetic and cultur-

al diversity. All the Seed Saver’s

Exchange asks in exchange is

for the seeds are that we pass on

our seed harvest.

These seeds will be part of the

biology labs in education. Stu-

dents will study cells, genetics,

cell division, ecology, and plant

reproduction. Students will learn

about plants scientific names,

pollination purity, and the differ-

ence between fruits that are

market mature compared to

seed mature. Paying attention to

healthy eating and garden activi-

ty will also be part of the garden-

ing season this year.

Seeds will only do as well as the

soil they are planted in. Box-

elder’s Math Instructor Rae

Rowell, Boxelder’s will be using

the information gathered from

last year’s soil enrichment ex-

periments to enhance the soil in

both the garden and green-

house. Rowell and Boxelders’

Cook Supervisor Tamera

Leveque are working together to

use the kitchen’s earth tub com-

posters to reuse materials to

enrich the soil.

In March, the math and facility

maintenance students will tour

the Rapid City compost center.

There they will learn about vol-

ume (cubic tons and cubic

yards), standard units, conver-

sions, estimations, particle size

and surface area. The visit will

include some scientific infor-

mation, such as, microbe inter-

actions, microbial activity, and

the life cycle of microbes.

A big thanks to these two teach-

ers for finding a way to make

education applicable to every-

day activities. The time and ef-

fort they have put into the Big

Green Garden and Greenhouse

program will help create a new

generation of gardeners.

Bitter Root Backcountry Horsemen members set one of the new hitching rails into concrete. About

25 volunteers from the group helped build a new horse camp at the Sam Billings Campground in the

West Fork of the Bitterroot. Photo courtesy of The Ravalli Republic.

discuss their vision of adding four

new campsites to the Bitterroot

National Forest’s Sam Billings

Campground. Trapper Creek weld-

ing instructors and students en-

thusiastically offered their skills to

build hitching racks, fire rings,

picnic table frames. The first

camp, constructed by 25 volun-

teers in October 2014, features a

high line that will keep horses

safe while they are tethered at the

camp. The Trapper Creek students

built tall metal posts at the camp

so that the BRBH members can

attach a cable and chains ending

with a swivel ring that visitors can

use to tie up horses.


Brian Zimmerman is a proud, GS-

4 Fire Technician/Engine Opera-

tor on the Chequamegon-Nicolet

National Forest, Great Divide

Ranger District where he’s

worked as a permanent, full time

employee since 2009.

Zimmerman is no stranger to

wildland fires. Growing up in the

small mountain town of Bailey,

Colorado, he and his family were

evacuated three times in one

summer from the threat of near-

by wildland fires. When he’s not

working on fires, Brian works with

the wildlife and silviculture staff

“Growing up, I saw wildland

firefighters keep our little

town of Bailey safe. At the

age of 12, I knew I was

made to fight fires. It was

already in my blood. I’m a

huge fan of Smokey Bear –

in fact I have a Smokey

tattoo on my right leg!”

—Brian Zimmerman

Fire Technician/

Engine Operator

Fire Technician/Engine Operator Brian

Zimmerman. Photo courtesy of Clara Johnson.

I Grew Up Under the Threat of Wildfires —Rising Star Brian Zimmerman Clara Johnson, Job Corps Liaison, Forest Service Region 8/9

conducting surveys.

The job opportunities were lim-

ited for Brian in Bailey, Colorado.

After graduating from high

school Brian went to work for

the local deli and grocery store

where he stayed until he was 22

year old.

The desire to be a firefighter had

stayed with him – he just didn’t

know how he was going to make

that happen. One day while talk-

ing with a friend, he learned that

the Trapper Creek Job Corps in

Montana had a great fire train-

ing program. In 2007, Brian

made the trek to Montana

where he got his first healthy

dose of fire training.

“It was exciting to be in the ac-

tion,” says Brian. “That summer

my crew members and I saved

two bridges and kept the road

open by cutting and removing

trees from across the road.”

In April 2007, Zimmerman grad-

uated from Trapper Creek and

transferred to the Schenck Job

Corps Center. There he complet-

ed the Advanced Wildland Fire

Program as a member of the

Davidson River Initial Attack

Crew.

Brian says he learned more than

just firefighting at Job Corps. He

said he “learned to be a leader”

and that he “gained the confi-

dence to be a better person.”

Brian says there were people

who helped him all along the

way. Les Meyers, his first Job

Corps instructor, encouraged

and guided him. Christopher

Geidel, his current supervisor, is

very supportive and is a true

friend. Clara Johnson, Job Corps

Liaison, gave him personal and

professional tips and helped

him get a detail in the Regional

Office when he was laid off for

the summer. He said that expe-

rience “broadened his perspec-

tive” of the Forest Service and

taught him there’s much more

to the agency than just “boots

on the ground.”

As Brian makes plans for the

next five years, he definitely

sees himself in the fire busi-

ness. His preference would be

to work in Western Montana

“where the big fires are” and

where he can attain his qualifi-

cations as an IC-5 and eventual-

ly get promoted to Crew Boss.

He’s open to working for the

Department of the Interior’s

Bureau of Land Management or

National Park Service, but his

preference is to stay with the

Forest Service.

When asked about advice he

would give to other young peo-

ple he says, “If you are looking

for a better life, don’t get down

on yourself for the mistakes

you’ve made. Learn from those

mistakes and keep moving for-

ward.”

“If you are looking for a

better life, don’t get

down on yourself for the

mistakes you’ve made.

Learn from those

mistakes and keep

moving forward.”

—Brian Zimmerman

Fire Technician/

Engine Operator


Steve Lenzo has been selected as a new Assistant National Director of Job Corps. Lenzo was the Deputy Supervisor of the Nebraska National Forests and Grasslands. Lenzo has over 30 years of experience with the Forest Service and has served in leadership positions in natural resource manage-ment in Nebraska, South Carolina, Washington, and Ore-gon. Steve has also worked in education, serving leadership roles at Pine Ridge, Frenchburg, Curlew, and Timber Lake Job Corps Centers.

Trapper Creek Job Corps Student Government Association hosted a bake sale and donated $429 to

Darby’s Bread Box on Thanksgiving Eve. Photo courtesy of The Ravalli Republic.


Tavaris Evans works as a GS-6

permanent, full time, Assistant

Engine Operator on the Cibola

National Forest in New Mexico.

Prior to that, he spent more than

seven years on the Hoosier and

Pisgah National Forests honing

his wildland firefighting skills.

Tavaris is a qualified Type 2 Fire-

fighter, engine operator, sawyer,

and is a certified Incident Com-

mander Type 5.

“I have learned

that if you want

to achieve your

dreams and

goals, then you

need to

embrace the

idea of “new”

and go for it.”

—Tavaris Evans

Assistant Engine Operator Tavaris Evans. Photo

courtesy of Clara Johnson.

From Miami City Boy to Western Wildland Firefighter—Rising Star Tavaris Evans Clara Johnson, Job Corps Liaison, Forest Service Region 8/9

Evans has fought fires all over

the United States – from Alaska,

Oregon, North Carolina, Idaho,

Arizona, New Mexico, and even

in his home state of Florida.

“I spent 21 days fighting fires in

Idaho, camping out amongst the

starts, and sleeping on the

ground,” said Evans. “It just

makes me smile. Growing up in

the inner-city of Miami, I’d never

even truly experienced the out-

doors before my career with the

Forest Service.”

Tavaris shared that people are

surprised that he enjoys the

outdoors and wildland fire-

fighting because they expect

“city-folk” to have little tolerance

or appreciation for the outdoors.

He said he can’t imagine himself

in another career. He loves what

he does.

Tavaris grew up in Liberty City –

a small neighborhood in the

heart of Miami, Florida. The

future for young African Ameri-

can men in that area was bleak.

Reports of gun-related violence

were a daily occurrence. At the

age of 16, Tavaris had dropped

out of high school. The year

2004 was a real turning point in

his life. He was living with his

grandfather, “doing nothing”

when his grandfather told him,

“You are going to be homeless if

you don’t’ get a job and finish

your education. You got to get

out of here.” “My grandfather’s

words jolted me to reality,” says

Evans. “I had passed by the

Miami Job Corps nearly every

day when I was hanging with my

friends. Well that day, I walked

in and signed up.”

After a year, Evans transferred

to the Lyndon B. Johnson Job


ter where he earned his General

Equivalency Diploma. Next, he

enrolled in the Schenck Ad-

vanced Wildland Fire Program

where he earned his wildland

fire certification with the Da-

vidson River Initial Attach Crew.

Tavaris shared that while he’s

benefited from the support and

advice of many mentors in the

Forest Service, the person who

has made the greatest impact

has been Clara Johnson, Forest

Service Job Corps Liaison. “She

helped me to secure my first job

as a student intern. Her support,

encouragement and advice are

what helped me to be where I

am today – a successful man

with a thriving career in the For-

est Service. “I have learned that

if you want to achieve your

dreams and goals, then you

need to embrace the idea of

At Boxelder Job Corps, Worked Based Learning is a Hugh Success Bonnie Fuller, Principle Teacher, Boxelder Job Corps

Pwey Doh and

Kajal Urwan

had a wonder-

ful experience

working with

Mike Runge at

the City of

Deadwood’s

Historical

Preservation

Department.

They had the

opportunity to

catalog items

from the Chi-

nese dig and

then transfer that information

into a computer database. Their

work enables people to immedi-

ately identify what is in the box-

es.

Doh's favorite project was care-

fully gluing together a little Chi-

nese bowl. The bowl was found

in pieces at a Deadwood archeo-

logical dig. Doh had to carefully

decide where the pieces fit,

apply glue, and then hold the

piece in place for about a mi-

nute and a half. “I was nervous I

would break it more,” he says

about the project. Thanks to

Doh's efforts, the bowl will soon

be on display at the Homestake

Adams Research and Cultural

Center.

The Work-Based Learning expe-

rience is a little different than

most. Although students are

putting their office administra-

tion training to work by filing

and cataloging items, they are

working with very delicate and

historic materials. Both Urwan

and Doh agreed it was a posi-

tive experience. Boxelder Work-Based Learning student Pwey Doh stands proudly with his

supervisor Mike Runge, a member of the City of Deadwood’s Historical

Preservation Department. Photo courtesy of Boxelder Job Corps.


At the inception of the Civilian

Conservation Centers, Forest

Service leadership implement-

ed a training program that em-

phasized the joint responsibility

of all center staff for operating

a successful center.

Every employee, down to cooks

and administrative clerks, were

accountable for teaching and

counseling Job Corps students

and monitoring student perfor-

mance. In recent years, Flat-

woods Job Corps, led by Center

Director David Scholes, has

resurrected this philosophy and

achieved remarkable results.

No matter what position a staff

member holds, whether he or

she has worked at the Center a

few months or over 20 years,

every employee can pull a tran-

sition report to determine an

individual student’s progress

and help move a student to-

wards the ultimate goal of plac-

ing him or her in a well-paying,

career oriented job.

Flatwoods was ranked 118 out

of 125 Job Corps centers when

Scholes arrived. In PY12, the

Center gained enough ground

to move to a 105 percent rating

which moved the Center up to

Flatwoods Job Corps Facts

Students: 160

Vocational Trades:

Electrical

Office Administration

Plumbing

Union Carpentry

Union Cement Masonry

Union Painting

Union Plastering

Flatwoods Job Corps Civilian Conservation Rises to the Top, Saving the Lives of America’s Youth Alicia D. Bennett, Public Affairs Specialist, Job Corps National Office

Approximately 75 Flatwoods Job Corps graduates are employed at Huntington Ingalls Industries

Newport News Shipbuilding. Photo courtesy of Flatwoods Job Corps.

Flatwoods students digs up the sidewalk in the town of Appalachia, Virginia. Photo courtesy of

Flatwoods Job Corps.

Flatwoods Job Corps Lonesome Pine Fire Crew stand in front of Little Stoney Falls. Photo courtesy of

Chris Barker.

spot 26 by May 2013. Today

Flatwoods is solidly performing

in the top 50 of all Job Corps

centers, at times moving all up

to number one. “I hold my staff

accountable and tell them keep

up with me,” states Scholes.

“Sometimes they are nervous

about trying something new.

They are like paratroopers up in

planes who are scared to jump

out the door. I am the one who

kicks them out of the plane.”

Center staff confirm Scholes’

management style is working.

“Mr. Scholes revamped the way

Center leadership does busi-

ness, closely looking at our

budget, student scores and

behavior,” says Supervisory

Social Services Assistant Walt

Stuart, who has worked at Flat-

woods for almost 19 years. “He

exhibits a quiet leadership that

emphasizes communication and

cooperation amongst employees

that takes in the marvelous

diversity of our staff. It does not

matter if you have a high school

diploma or a Master’s Degree;

staffs have to find common

ground within developed stand-

ards,” reflects Stuart.

This focus on students’ needs is

apparent across departments—

from academics to vocational

training to counseling. There is

a camaraderie and cohesive-

ness amongst the staff along

with a desire to help students

reach their potential. This com-

mitment has been invaluable to

Marcus Britt, a 24 year old

business clerical student from

Norfolk, VA. “I would be dead or

in jail if I had not come to Flat-

woods,” states Britt. “The staffs

talk to me every day on striving

towards bigger things. They

encourage me and let me know



Flatwoods Job Corps Civilian Conservation Rises to the Top, Saving the Lives of America’s Youth (continued from page 23) Alicia D. Bennett, Public Affairs Specialist, Job Corps National Office

A particularly successful

partnership Tickles has

developed is with Hunting-

ton Ingalls Industries New-

port News Shipbuilding. “I

had a graduate from the

Newport News area hired by

the shipyard. The hiring

manager liked him so much

that he called me and

asked me if I had any more

like him.”

—Kelly Tickles

Career Development

Specialist

“Before” picture of sidewalk in Appalachia,

Virginia before it was repaired by Flatwoods Job

Corps cement masonry students. Photo

courtesy of Flatwoods Job Corps.

“After” picture of sidewalk in Appalachia,

Virginia after Flatwoods Job Corps cement

masonry students poured new concrete. Photo

courtesy of Flatwoods Job Corps.

that I’m doing a good job. I’ve

become more humble and more

respectful towards others.”

Over 30% of Flatwoods’ stu-

dents have a disability or need

some type of accommodation.

Principal Teacher Kim Wyrick,

who joined the Flatwoods staff

in 2009, initiated behavior inter-

vention meetings for students

not demonstrating progress and

behavior meetings for student

receiving too many citations. “It

allows us to identify students

who need extra attention and

take them under our wing in a

more compassionate manner,”

says Wyrick.

The positive influence of these

changes is reflected in student

performance over the last three

program years--the overall aver-

age increase in Flatwoods GED/

HSD attainment is 27%.

Early intervention regarding

behavioral issues allows staff to

catch and address students’

mental health challenges such

as homesickness and family

deaths. Each day the academic

staff report to the residential

department on events that hap-

pened during the day—they nev-

er just let anything go.

“Every teacher is willing to go

above and beyond to help a

student,” states Co-disability

Instructor Adrienne Tarter. But

she adds, “We practice tough

love--the staff is not here to win

a popularity contest.”

Twenty-three year old business

clerical student Laura Hanna

can testify to this approach. "If

you want to change your life and

are tired of getting in trouble,

Flatwoods is a great place to

come. I decided that life is too

short for all of the stupid things

I’ve been doing. I’ve stopped

smoking pot and straightened

out my attitude and now I’m in

the top five,” emphasizes Han-

na.

When graduates arrive in the

office of Career Development

Specialist Kelly Tickles, the dedi-

cation and hard work that Flat-

woods invests to prime its stu-

dents for career success is

apparent.

A particularly successful partner-

ship Tickles developed is with

Huntington Ingalls Industries

Newport News Shipbuilding. “I

had a graduate from the New-

port News area hired by the

shipyard. The hiring manager

liked him so much that he called

me and asked me if I had any

more like him,” says Tickles.

“I always work with the disability

coordinator from a student’s

home area to see what type of

help they need after they leave

the Center and a lot of students

need a place to stay,” says Tick-

les. After placing a graduate at

the shipyard, Tickles gave her

money to allow her rent an

apartment--with the caveat that

other relocating Flatwoods grad-

uates could stay at the apart-

ment until they could afford a

place of their own. “This started

a chain reaction and we now

have about 75 students working

at the shipyard.”

Flatwoods graduates from all of

the construction trades, includ-

ing welders, sheet metal work-

ers, marine painters, shipboard

services (fabrication), deck elec-

tricians, and pipe fitters, are

employed at the shipyards. The

starting hourly wage is $16.16

with full benefits and some stu-

dents are now making in the

$25 dollar range.

Reflecting on what he has

learned in his years as center

director, Sholes states, "My stu-

dents know how to be failures

and they are good at it. They

don’t know and are afraid to be

successful.”

Flatwoods Job Corps’ motto of

“saving lives and making the

country better,” teaches its stu-

dents not to fear success.

Where before Flatwoods Job

Corps was trailing the pack,

communicating, working togeth-

er as one, and focusing on the

best interests of the students

has transformed the Center into

an institution that both the stu-

dents and staff can rightfully be

proud.

“Every teacher is willing

to go above and beyond

to help a student,”

states Co-disability In-

structor Adrienne Tarter.

But she adds, “We prac-

tice tough love--the staff

is not here to win a

popularity contest.”

—Adrienne Tarter

Disability Instructor

Flatwoods graduates from

all of the construction

trades, including welders,

sheet metal workers, ma-

rine painters, shipboard

services (fabrication),

deck electricians, and

pipe fitters, are employed

at the shipyards. The

starting hourly wage is

$16.16 with full benefits

and some students are

now making in the $25

dollar per hour range.


Oklahoma Wildlife Prairie Heritage Alliance Asks Treasure Lake Job Corps to Construct Chimney Sweep

Birdhouse Kiosks Brad Caudill, Carpentry Instructor, Treasure Lake Job Corps

The Oklahoma Wildlife Prairie

Heritage Alliance (OWPHA) has

requested the help of Treasure

Lake Job Corps in constructing

15 Chimney sweep birdhouse

kiosks. These are not your typi-

cal “birdhouses.” They are four-

teen feet tall and six feet wide.

These towers will be used as

information kiosks at the

Treasure Lake Job Corps Steps In to Assist Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge Despite Closure Alicia D. Bennett, Public Affairs Officer, Job Corps National Office

The Treasure Lake Job

Corps Civilian Conserva-

tion Center is located in

Indiahoma, Oklahoma.

The Center employs a

staff of 50 and has the

capacity provide

vocational training to 180

students in a residential

environment.

More information on the

Oklahoma Wildlife Prairie

Heritage Alliance’s Chim-

ney Sweep birdhouses

can be found at OWPHA’s

website: www.owpha.org

Treasure Lake Job Corps students help school children build Blue Bird houses at the annual OWPHA

Hackberry Flat Day in Frederick, Oklahoma. Photo courtesy of Treasure Lake Job Corps.

Treasure Lake Job Corps carpentry students pour a low-water crossing over Panther Creek in the

Special Use area of the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in November 2014. The wildlife refuge is

operated by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Photo courtesy of The Lawton Constitution.

Treasure Lake carpentry students lay out forms.

Photo courtesy of The Lawton Constitution.

Treasure Lake Job Corps students install a

second Chimney Swift kiosk at the Tillman

County Courthouse in Frederick, Oklahoma.

Photo courtesy of Treasure Lake Job Corps.

OWPHA wildlife habitat areas

that are called "loops."

Treasure Lake Job Corps stu-

dents have volunteered to pre-

cut all of the materials that

OWPHA supplies. The class also

pre-assembled parts of the bird-

houses like the tower sections

and the roof assembly from

scratch frame work, decking,

and shingling. When a project is

close in proximity to the Center,

Treasure Lake students will help

construct the kiosks on-site.

More info can be found at

OWPHA’s website:

www.owpha.org.

The Treasure Lake Job Corps’

carpentry trade also has volun-

teered to help OWPHA with their

annual “Hackberry Flat Day”

located in Frederick, Oklahoma.

The carpentry students are sup-

plied with materials which stu-

dents use to pre-cut bluebird

house kits. Carpentry students

have operated a "make and

take" bluebird house booth for

the past two years. School chil-

dren, and sometimes parents,

use the pre-cut kits to build bird-

houses. Once complete the

child takes the birdhouse home

to hang on their property. This

event is usually a lot of fun and

Treasure Lake students get a

real sense of pride helping the

children build their birdhouses.

Treasure Lake carpentry stu-

dents learn the production pro-

cess, manufacturing tech-

niques, quality control, and peo-

ple skills conducting this volun-

teer community service project.

Treasure Lake Job Corps was

happy to aid the Wichita Moun-

tains Wildlife refuge address

one of the refuge's low-water

crossing on Panther Creek that

has been a problem for years.

The road had washed out and

damaged vehicles several times.

Treasure Lake students built 10-

foot by 10 foot panels and

hauled them to the Special Use

Area. After setting up forms, the

students tied rebar to reinforce

the concrete and then, over the

course of two days, helped pour

and smooth 16 cubic yards of

concrete for a low-water cross-

ing 70 feet long.

Ouachita Job Corps Facts

Students: 160

Vocational Trades:

Office Administration

Union Bricklaying

Union Carpentry

Union Cement Masonry

Union Painting

Union Plastering

Urban Forestry

Welding


Under the leadership of Les

Arnold, the Urban Forestry voca-

tional training program was

established at Ouachita Job

Corps in 1996. Arnold was in-

strumental in starting the same

program at Golconda Job Corps

several years earlier.

The program has been a suc-

cess and Urban Forestry stu-

dents stand out wearing their

bright orange shirts, walking

around the center in single file

everywhere they go. The Urban

Forestry crew perform tree care

cleanup duty across the center

daily. It wasn’t long before they

earned the title as being the

“hardest working crew on cen-

ter.”

Word got out to the various

Forest Service ranger districts

that the Ouachita Urban Forest-

ry program was searching for

projects to help give the stu-

dents training opportunities,

while at the same time assisting

with the maintenance of the

national forest.

Soon after, the City of Hot

Springs Parks, Recreation and

Street Department asked the

students to assist in removing

storm damaged trees. Les

jumped at the opportunity to

Ouachita Job Corps’ Urban Forestry Program is a Popular Resource for the Hot Springs Community Rickey Litzsey, Works Program Officer, Ouachita Job Corps

Ouachita Job Corps Urban Forestry students perform work at the Entergy Park Arbor Day event. Photo

courtesy of Pam Cockrell.

Ouachita Job Corps Urban Forestry students care for trees throughout Hot Springs, Arkansas. Photo

courtesy of Ouachita Job Corps.

incorporate tree removal work

into the program training and

now Ouachita Urban Forestry

students routinely perform tree

removal throughout the city

streets and parks.

Garvin Woodlands Gardens, a

210 acre botanical garden do-

nated to the Department of

Landscape Architecture also has

requested help from the pro-

gram on a continuous basis.

When Entergy Arkansas donated

30 acres on the shores of Lake

Hamilton, the City of Hot Springs

Ouachita Job Corps Urban Forestry students plant flowers at St. Joseph Hospital in Hot Springs,

Arkansas. Photo courtesy of Pam Cockrell.

approached Ouachita Job Corps

to assist with the construction of

a city environmental park and

tree maintenance as a service

project.

The park features more than two

miles of hiking and biking trails, a

1000-foot wildlife conservation

trail, a playground and a handi-

capped-accessible fishing board-

walk. Urban Forestry students

participate in several annual

local elementary school educa-

tion programs that teach and

demonstrate to school children

the importance of trees and tree

care.

Today the Ouachita Urban For-

estry program still responds to

numerous requests for assis-

tance on urban forestry pro-

jects and invitations to stu-

dents to lecture on tree care.

The Urban Forestry crew

performs tree care cleanup

duty across the center daily.

It wasn’t long before they

earned the title as being the

“hardest working crew on

center.”

Frenchburg Job Corps “Firebirds” Fire Team Continue Earn Qualifications Despite Dormitory Fire Bradley Adkins, Career Preparation Coordinator, Frenchburg Job Corps


The Eastern Region of the For-

est Service and the National

Professional Angler’s Associa-

tion (NPAA) will coordinate two

fishing clinics with 30 Blackwell

Job Corps Center students and

Stedman Graham on June 12,

2015. The clinics will be held on

Bear Lake located on the

Chequamegon-Nicolet National

Forest near Laona, Wisconsin.

The Forest Service, under a

In August of 2014, students

signed a statement of interest

sheet for the Frenchburg Job

Corps Fire Team. Forty-six stu-

dents attended the first meeting

and began physical training (PT)

with Career Preparation Officer

Brad Adkins.

After three weeks of physical

training (PT), only 14

students remained

and firefighting train-

ing was scheduled for

these committed

students. During the

training period, the

students agreed that

their call name

should be "Firebirds".

Then on September

5, 2014, the Friday

before training, a

student dormitory

caught fire, burned to

the ground and was a total loss.

Even during this emotionally

trying time, these students

wanted the fire training more

than ever.

The following week during the

training, the fire students were

early to class every day, were

engaged in class discussion and

National Professional Angler’s Association Works with Forest Service to Get Job Corps Students

Hooked on Fishing Clara Johnson, Job Corps Liaison, Forest Service Region 8/9

You can learn more about Greg

and view online videos at:

www.Learn2FishWithUs.com

Certified Angler Instructor Greg Karch and Blackwell

Job Corps students. Photo courtesy of Clara Johnson.

Challenge Cost-Share Agree-

ment with the NPAA, partners

to educate the nation’s youth

on conservation, stewardship

of natural resources, and recre-

ational uses of North America’s

fish and wildlife.

The NPAA is passionate about

hooking young people on fish-

ing. In 2012, they formed a

new not-for-profit – The Future

Angler Foundation – designed

to engage potential new an-

glers of all ages, races and

gender to the sport of fishing

while protecting the resource.

Greg Karch, a Certified Angler

Instructor and past Chair of the

NPAA Future Angler Committee,

will be leading the fishing clinic

and classroom instruction.

Greg has hosted 37 clinics in

the past year which he does on

a volunteer basis. For him, it’s

about “giving back to the people

who introduced him to the joy

and sport of fishing.” He said

there’s nothing like the look of

joy and accomplishment in a

young person’s eyes when they

hook their first fish! Greg said

his goal is to ensure every stu-

dent catches a fish that day.

Karch is a world-class fisherman

and is considered a celebrity in

the fishing world. He’s been in

featured in several magazines.

“June is a great time to catch

Bluegill and small-mouthed

bass,” says Greg. “It’s going to

be an amazing day. I am doing

what I love most – helping young

people develop a passion for

fishing and for natural re-

sources.”

The adventure-filled day in-

cludes both hands-on and class-

room instruction that covers the

following:

• Safety

• How to use their equipment

• Casting and handling fish

• Tying knots

• Catch and release techniques

• Identifying the variety of fish

species

• Preventing the spread of

aquatic invasive species

• Sportsmanship and angler

courtesy

Nineteen potential Frenchburg Job Corps firefighters listen

attentively to instructors during classroom instruction a week after

all of them gained their fire cer-

tification. They were no longer

Job Corps students. . .they were

Firebirds.

One week after the training,

they received a call to deploy to

California to the King Wildfire as

part of an interagency crew. The

Firebirds worked as a unit and

became even closer

as a team.

They worked in rug-

ged terrain for long

hours but remained

diligent in their ef-

forts. This led to a

fully successful eval-

uation and left a

lasting impression

on the Forest Service

staff that were on

the team with the

Firebirds.

Since returning to

Kentucky, the Firebirds have

been involved in many projects

and continually volunteer their

time in the community.

They also have worked local

fires in Kentucky on the Daniel

Boone National Forest, lead the

PT for upcoming cadets and

stay ready for that next call.

(L to R) Frenchburg firefighters Brad Adkins, Damian Abbott,

Dwasken Porter, and Jacob Pope mop up on the King Wildfire in

California. Photo courtesy of Robert Ross.

http://www.Learn2FishWithUs.com


DVR is made up of Job Corps

students. These trainees come

from all over the United States

and are a testament to the

diversity of the program.

There’s much talk about creat-

ing a Forest Service that re-

flects the public, and Davidson

River is actually producing re-

sults. I wanted to get a

firsthand look at how you can

take a group of people who are

so different and teach them to

work together. DVR Leadership

made it a point to create per-

sonal development experienc-

es for the trainees including

introducing students to cultur-

ally diverse foods, music and

people.

It was magical. I witnessed a

self-proclaimed cheeseburger

fanatic enjoy an Indian curry

dish. On another day, I saw a

Black student from the “hood”

singing a Country song at the

top of his lungs. A student from

Hawaii taught me how to open

a coconut and then shared the

fruit with me. These experienc-

es continued for the duration of

the trip as people broke

through barriers and grew into

a better crew and better hu-

man beings.

Another reason that DVR

rocked is because it challeng-

es you beyond all expectations.

Sure you’ll walk for miles carry-

ing line gear, eat smoke for

hours, and go days without

bathing. But, I’m not talking

about basic firefighting chal-

lenges. This crew takes it up a

notch. Student trainees under-

take challenging leadership

opportunities such as land

navigation exercises, drafting

burn plans and mock Manage-

ment roles. Constant changes

of Crew/Squad Boss Trainees

teach students to be flexible

and to work under different

leadership styles.

Careful training and prepara-

tion has created a reputation

that reaches across Region 8.

This Crew is in high demand

and Forests are consistently

pleased with the work accom-

plished. I felt like was riding

with a group of celebrities get-

ting all the privileges that nor-

mal people only dream of. In

addition to participating in over

46,000 acres of prescribed

burns and over 7,600 acres of

wildfire, Not bad for a career

Washington Office employee.

Speaking of Washington Office,

I was hired as Fire and Aviation

Management, Workforce Pro-

gram Specialist because of my

Job Corps background and pre-

vious work in outreach and re-

cruitment initiatives. But, work-

ing in Fire without fire experi-

ence is like a hardhat without a

chinstrap. It just isn't right.

So, I was on a mission to gain

experience and credibility in the

Fire world. There were several

options, but I couldn’t have

made a better choice than the

Davidson River (DVR) Initial

Attack Crew. Here’s why:

Washington Office Staff—Get Out Into the Field and Get Your Nails Dirty! Michaela Hall, Program Specialist, Washington Office Fire and Aviation Management

Write a Job Corps Success Story for the Courier! Alicia D. Bennett, Public Affairs Officer, Job Corps National Office

Help tell the story of Forest Ser-

vice Job Corps and create a last-

ing record of what Job Corps

students accomplish each and

every day.

A good story will answer the

questions of what happened,

when did it take place, who was

involved, why was it done, where

did it take place and how did it

happen. Describe the accom-

plishment, internal and external

partners and why your story is

significant.

Submit high quality photographs

in .jpeg format with your story.

A good photo will convey the

essence of what you want peo-

ple to remember. As they say,

“A picture is worth a thousand

words.”

Provide captions for your photo-

graphs. A reader wants the

answers to the following ques-

tions: Who is that?; What’s going

on?, When and where was this?,

How did this occur? Your audi-

ence wants to understand your

picture.

Please provide the following

information for photo captions:

Name of individuals (L to R);

Activity/project captured in pho-

to; Name of photographer for

photo credit; Physical location

where photo was taken; Day/

Month/Year photo was taken if

available

Please submit your story in APA

Style and Franklin Gothic Book

font size nine.

Call Alicia D. Bennett at 303-

275-5934 or send an e-mail to:

[email protected] describing

the story you would like to write

and to discuss its placement.

Michaela Hall in Ocala, Florida on assignment

with the Davidson River Initial Attack Crew in

January 2014. Photo courtesy of Robert Cota.

Speaking of Washington

Office, it seems like this

title raised suspicions of

many I met on the road. I

think that shows the need

for more Washington

Office employees to get

in the field and get their

nails dirty. I also think it

means more people from

the field need to pull out

Sunday’s best and get to

the Washington Office.

This detail was a way for

me to see how the poli-

cies initiated in my office

affect those who imple-

ment them on the

ground. I saw the

“disconnect” in action.

—Michaela Hall

Program Specialist

it seems like this title raised

suspicions of many I met on the

road. I think that shows the

need for more Washington Of-

fice employees to get in the field

and get their nails dirty. I also

think it means more people

from the field need to pull out

Sunday’s best and get to the

Washington Office. This detail

was a way for me to see how the

policies initiated in my office

affect those who implement

them on the ground. I saw the

“disconnect” in action.

There is still much work to be

done, but with these kinds of

details, employees are able to

develop an appreciation for the

work of other employees. And

learning to appreciate the work

of other employees is a good

policy for the Forest Service. It

fits better than a hardhat with a

chinstrap.

The Forest Service is facing critical shortages of workers. Job Corps is an ideal source from which to recruit

and improve the diversity of its permanent workforce. The partnership between the Forest and JCCCCs can

benefit both parties through development of work-based learning (WBL) opportunities that provide on-the

-job training for students and help the Forest Service meet mission critical project goals. Looking to add

professional, trained, youthful, diverse staff to your project or office? Forest Service Job Corps Civilian

Conservation Center students or Mobile Corps can be a valuable addition to your next project.

Mobile Corps projects are larger scale, multi-student and/or multi-center projects. These projects have

ranged from painting/maintenance at Grey Towers Historical site, building smaller buildings and

campsite projects, to the construction of ranger stations and staff housing. A formal application process

must be completed for project consideration.

Job Corps students are eligible for federal employment. As students they can be hired using the Pathways

Program. They may also qualify for the Public Lands Corps Act (PLC). Students are able to compete

through the traditional federal hiring but using these two authorities might expedite JCCCC student hiring.

Contact Cyndi Szymanski at 303-275-5074 or e-mail at :[email protected] for additional

information.


What Can Civilian Conservations Centers Do For Your National Forests or Grasslands?

Sample Work

Forest Service Job Corps


National Forest Systems

Recreation

Trail construction, trail maintenance

Recreation Site improvements: painting (signs, picnic tables),

facilities maintenance, construction, brush removal, mowing,

trailhead maintenance)

Installation of picnic tables, fire rings

Kiosk construction and installation

Forestry

Pre-commercial thinning, tree planting, timber marking

Stream maintenance -gabion installations

Nursery work -tree lifting and packing, seedling planting

Cone Collection

Wildlife/Fisheries/Hydrology/Soils

Install Inserts for Red Cockcaded Woodpecker

Boundary marking of Red Cockcaded Woodpecker area

Snag/Grouse drumming log creation

Mid-story removal

Gabion installations

Infestation surveys

Engineering

Carpentry, painting

Heavy equipment repair and maintenance, auto maintenance

Electrical, plumbing, welding

Brick and concrete masonry

Fashion stone foundations for forest portal signs

Stream inventory

Boundary/landline location, marking, inspection and mainte-

nance

Road Maintenance - sawing and chipping for site clearance on

FS roads

Greening of Job Corps Centers, Research Stations, and District

Offices

Administrative

Front desk operator /services

Data input, clerical, computer installation (Job Corps IT Team),

record keeping

State and Private Forestry

Fire suppression, rehab, mop-up, catering

Prescribed fire

Research

Data collection

Inventory

Pine Ridge camp crews traveled to Boulder, Colorado to assist victims of

the 2013 Colorado Flood. Photo courtesy of Pine Ridge Job Corps.

Oconaluftee Job Corps forestry students analyze

and determine the best method to remove tree

branches. Photo courtesy of Oconaluftee Job

Corps.

Curlew Job Corps painting students make sure that Colville National

Forest signage looks new and shiny. Photo courtesy of Curlew Job Corps.

Anaconda Job Corps constructs an impressive bridge as part of “Make a

Difference Day.” Photo courtesy of Anaconda Job Corps. Columbia Basin Facilities Maintenance student

installs underground drainage pipes. Photo

courtesy of Columbia Basin Job Corps.

http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-authorities/students-recent-graduates/

http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-authorities/students-recent-graduates/

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-109publ154/pdf/PLAW-109publ154.pdf


natural resources, continued

education or military service.

The JCCCCs provide a unique

opportunity for at-risk youth to

take control of and steer their

lives in a positive direction and

contribute to the conservation

of the nation’s public natural

resources. JCCCCs are associ-

ated with national forests or

grasslands and are operated

by the United States Depart-

ment of Agriculture (USDA)

Forest Service in partnership

with the Department of Labor

(DOL).

1964 — 2014

Conserving America’s

Natural Resources

for 50 Years

Job Corps is the nation’s

largest residential, educa-

tional, and career technical

training program that pre-

pares economically disad-

vantaged youth, ranging in

age from 16 to 24, for pro-

ductive employment. USDA

Forest Service operates 28

Job Corps Civilian Conserva-

tion Centers (JCCCCs) with a

capacity to house, educate,

and train over 5,200 enrol-

lees. Students attend aca-

demic and vocational clas-

ses and learn critical life

skills in preparation for long-

term employment, careers in

Alicia D. Bennett

Public Affairs Officer/Editor

USDA Forest Service Job Corps

740 Simms Street

Golden, CO 80401

Phone: 303-275-5934

Fax: 303-275-5940

E-mail: [email protected]

To subscribe to the Courier, send your

e-mail address to:

[email protected]

We’re On the Web:

http://fsweb.jc.wo.fs.fed.us/

vol. 2 issue 1 2015 job corps civilian conservation center courier

Documents