Anaconda, MT—The Anaconda Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center (JCCCC) is being recognized for its donation of $340 for 3,400 seedlings to be planted on National Forest land such as that of its associated Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest within which the JCCCC lies.

Members of the Anaconda JCCCC Green Team – including its Junior Garden Club – spent many hours collecting for the ‘Penny Pines’, a reforestation/forest education program designed to sustain national and urban forests.  Under a Conservation agreement, the Forest Service will do the planting, using such donations together with Federal funds, and will provide to the plantation the same protection from fires, insects, and disease given other forested areas. These plantations provide soil protection, watershed protection, soil stabilization, future harvestable timber, as well as beauty and shade for recreation.

Anaconda JCCCC Green Team and Junior Garden Club was the single largest contributor to the Penny Pines Program in Montana in 2012.  The student group raised $340 – 3,400 seedlings – that will reforest five National Forest acres that have been damaged by fire, insects, or disease.

“If you’ve ever visited our Center, you know we have a breathtaking view of Mount Haggin and we live in the middle of the forest that surrounds it,” proclaims Scott Hankins, President of AJCCCC’s Junior Garden Club. “As students, we know that living and working among such beauty comes with a responsibility and expectation to take care of what we’ve got, and that’s why our club wanted to hold the Penny Pines Fundraiser.”

The Anaconda JCCCC serves nearly 200 students who, along with the staff, take pride in the work that they do and eagerly share their accomplishments and future projects.  The Green Team and Junior Garden Club proudly look forward to seeing their 3,400 donated seedlings breathe new life and restoration.

The USDA Forest Service operates 28 Job Corps Civilian Conservation Centers across 18 states with a capacity of 6,200 students. For more information, visit: http://recruiting.jobcorps.gov/en/home.aspx.

The mission of the USDA Forest Service is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the Nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. The Agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to State and private landowners, and maintains the largest forestry research organization in the world.

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