Officials at the Forest Service informed staffers on Friday that at least nine of the agency’s 25 Job Corps Civilian Conservation Centers would be closing.
The conservation centers, which are run by federal employees, help train youth in wildland firefighting, forestry, disaster recovery and other outdoor jobs. Their official mission is to educate 16- to 24-year-olds, many of whom are from disadvantaged backgrounds, while helping U.S. conservation efforts on public lands.
Many kids end up with vocational and GED certificates as a result of the program. Working in different units of the Forest Service, apprentices in the program also help first responders during national emergencies and disasters.
Most of the centers are clustered in the South and West on national forest lands. Those slated to close are in Montana, Wisconsin, Arkansas, Virginia, Washington, Kentucky, North Carolina and Oregon.
A union representing workers at the sites said […]
The last days of Rome could not have been much more corrupt. And to think of all the dumb ass Americans who crave a strong white man to MAGA when he is doing just the opposite. On the other hand things have been sliding downhill for sometime before trump arose. Corporate, mic, security/intelligence state has dramatically grown since 9/11 with no push back from our “elected” representives. What are we the masses to do? Oh, that’s right go shopping as W recommended after 9/11…