Many employers say it is difficult to find experienced local help, particularly in natural resource management. In response, the Forest Guild sponsors a youth corps program in New Mexico each summer to train local youth in forestry work. The Forest Guild Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) works in partnership with all five of New Mexico’s national forests.

The mission of this youth program is to provide career training in natural resources for 16-25 year olds from areas of the state that have few employment opportunities. Through training from the Guild and working on the ground, crew members learn about forest management, fire ecology, watershed health, and wildlife ecology. Some crew members have gone on to pursue college degrees in natural resource management.

An important focus of the program is on field-based training that has real world applications. For example, crews have been involved in gathering monitoring data about fuels reduction treatments, assisting with feasibility studies of trout reintroduction, and rehabilitating forests after fire.

Forest Guild YCC – by the numbers

In the summer of 2011, the Forest Guild YCC crews:

• Noxious weed removal on 312 acres
• Fence built and/or repaired - 14 miles
• Trail built and maintained – 6.5 miles
• Land restored - 375 acres
• Fire line created - 1 miles
• Ecological monitoring conducted on 560 acres
• New campground grills installed - 5
• Wetlands restored - 7 acres
• Campgrounds rehabilitated - 5

In addition, the Forest Guild YCC crews in conjunction with the participating Forest Service districts completed a total of 16,200 hours of natural resource management training. Each crewmember was eligible to earn college credit for their summer experience through Northern New Mexico College.

For more information on the Guild’s YCC program, please contact the Forest Guild at 505-983-8992 x.13 or by email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it