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Department of Ecology News Release - September 28, 2004
04-179
OLYMPIA - A new round of environmental restoration, research and education work will soon get under way in Washington, thanks to a $1.5 million federal grant to the Department of Ecology's Washington Conservation Corps.
About three dozen projects have already been identified, which will employ 125 full-time employees for a year and 20 more for six months. Each project has a sponsor that provides about half of the funding as matching money for the federal grant.
Some of the projects planned for the coming year include restoring damage caused by the pipeline explosion in Bellingham in 1999, restoring streams and fish habitat in the Yakima area, working on trails and campgrounds at Mt. Rainier, restoring habitat along the Green River in Kent, building trails in Olympic National Park, helping the Skagit Fish Enhancement Group with fish monitoring, working on stream buffers for the Spokane and Skagit conservation districts, and surveying bull trout and doing restoration work in the Hood Canal area.
"The WCC attracts energetic, enthusiastic people who want to do something good for the world around them," said WCC manager Rob Spath.
The Washington Conservation Corps (WCC) hires young adults aged 18 to 25 to build trails, restore habitat, teach environmental stewardship, and assist with research and monitoring projects. In addition to earning wages, the crew members also earn money for college tuition: $2,363 after six months of service, and $4,725 after a year of service.
The WCC is affiliated with the federal Americorps program, and members sometimes are deployed to help with disaster relief, such as the aftermath of Florida's hurricanes Charley and Frances in August and September.
"As much as our crews love working in the environment, they also get charged up about helping people survive disasters," Spath said. "Working for the WCC produces personal rewards that outlast the paycheck and education funding."
WCC was modeled after the Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930s and '40s, and was created in 1983 as a program within the Washington Department of Ecology.
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Media contact: Sheryl Hutchison, Communication Director, 360-407-7004
WCC Web page: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/sea/wcc/wcc_history.htm
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
