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YAKIMA – Native plants, shrubs and trees are going in along the banks of the Yakima River, thanks to a new crew of young adults working on environmental projects in the Yakima Valley.
The five-member Washington Conservation Corps (WCC) crew is putting in 12,000 plants in an effort to restore a stretch along the river near Harlan Landing south of Selah as part of a revegetation project sponsored by the Washington State Department of Transportation.
An area where frequent flooding occurs, the site is the first project to be taken on by the WCC crew, recently stationed in the Yakima area by the Washington State Department of Ecology. Other projects are planned throughout the region over the next year.
"Not only do corps members gain job skills while working outdoors, they are contributing to their local communities by taking on environmental restoration projects that otherwise would not be completed," said Gary Graff, crew supervisor.
Across the state, some 150 young adults ages 18-25 are working to upgrade campgrounds, construct recreation trails and boardwalks, restore vegetation in forests and along streams and assist with salmon recovery projects.
In addition to earning minimum wage and medical benefits, corps members are eligible to earn an optional 20 college credits and certification as an environmental habitat restoration technician. After completing 1,700 hours of service in the WCC program, corps members are eligible for a $4,725 AmeriCorps Education Award that may be applied toward tuition to a trade school or college or to an existing student loan.
For more information about joining the conservation corps or information on sponsoring a WCC project, please call Nick Mott at (360) 407-6946.
Contact: Joye Redfield-Wilder, public information manager, (509) 575-2610
For more information: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/sea/wcc/index.html
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
