ANACONDA, MT—National Public Lands Day (PLD) was last Saturday, September 24, 2011. As an integral part of the Forest Service, Job Corps Civilian Conservation Centers (JCCCC), such as the one west of Anaconda Montana, are available to support projects to improve national forests and grasslands.

Anaconda JCCCC and its associating Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest (BDNF) came together on the nationally designated PLD to reconstruct a portion of the Baldwin Parks Trail, which is situated in the Tobacco Roots of the Greater Yellowstone Area.  Among a number of volunteers from the general public, eleven Anaconda JCCCC student trainees helped rebuild the route because that section of trail was too steep.  

“The Baldwin Parks Trail is a non-motorized route that we are improving to provide better access for horses, mountain bikers, and hikers,” says Jonathan Klein of the BDNF Madison Ranger District recreation staff.

The students hiked four miles in to the project site, fully loaded with fire line gear and hand tools.  The group was prepared to assist with PLD as well as to train for wildfire situations such as efficiently digging fire line as a cohesive crew.  The eleven students, along with the Center’s electrician, make up the majority of Anaconda JCCCC’s fire suppression crew that has stepped up many times this season to help extinguish fires in various locations within the BDNF.

“We are always looking to learn and improve our skills,” tells Gary Shelton of AJCCCC’s Work Department.  Shelton leads the young firefighters as their crew boss.  “Public Lands Day is another opportunity to work with our associating national forest to conserve our natural resources in a way that is different from the fire suppression we’ve been involved with over the past couple of months.”

Anaconda JCCCC has a unique conservation mission and students volunteer time to help maintain the health and diversity of the BDNF while gaining invaluable employability training and experience. The best way to learn is to understand through personal participation and involvement.  That’s what the Anaconda JCCCC student-trainees are choosing to do when they enroll in the Job Corps program, sign up for fire assignments, and/or participate in PLD projects. 

Job Corps students conduct work that enhances wildlife habitat, revitalizes wildfire-damaged landscapes, restores watersheds, and improves recreational resources for the benefit of all Americans.  The talents of Job Corps students are enlisted in a diverse array of Forest Service programs, although Job Corps students are most widely known for their program contributions in urban forestry, hazardous fuels reduction, construction and firefighting.

The USDA Forest Service operates 28 Job Corps Civilian Conservation Centers across 18 states with a capacity of 6,200 students. For more information, you can 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.