YCC offering summer jobs

The Central Oregon Youth Conservation Corps (COYCC) is currently accepting applications for nearly 100 summer jobs, and one of the crews will be based here in Sisters. Amy Racki, the Forest Service's recreation team leader for the Sisters Ranger District, made the local announcement and said that applicants must be 16 to 18 years of age.

"These programs offer youth a great opportunity to be employed, work in and learn about the management of their national forests, and provide a sense of accomplishment and confidence," said Racki. "In addition, the Forest Service is able to complete additional projects on the ground that benefit both the public and the environment."

COYCC operates under the auspices of Heart of Oregon Corps, a local Bend-based nonprofit, which provides natural-resource employment and on-the-job education for conservation projects on the Ochoco and Deschutes National Forests and the Crooked River National Grassland.

The COYCC jobs will pay minimum wage, and work will be nine hours a day, Monday through Thursday for a total of 36 hours per week from June 27 to August 18. Racki said that the work will include projects such as stream channel restoration, trail maintenance and construction, road decommissionings, hand-thinning of trees and reforestation, bridge repairs, maintaining fences, piling hazardous fuels, restoring campgrounds, improving wildlife habitat, and other types of conservation work.

"The Sisters Ranger District does a fantastic job of diversifying the hands-on experience that the youth take part in," Racki said. She emphasized that the program not only provides work experience for the area's young people, but it also directly benefits the community and the local environment.

COYCC applications are being accepted now through May 1. In addition to work experience and wages earned, the program also offers opportunities for school credit and college scholarships, while also exploring post-high-school opportunities and careers. In addition to Sisters, crews will also be based in Crescent, La Pine, Bend, Redmond, Prineville, Madras, and Warm Springs. Applicants are also required to attend a one- to two-hour orientation prior to employment.

Applications are available online at http://www.heart

oforegon.org. The Central Oregon Youth Conservation Corps program is operated by Heart of Oregon Corps, in partnership with the Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council and the U.S. Forest Service. Funding for the 2016 program includes support from the United States Forest Service, United Way of Deschutes County, and the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs.

For further information, contact COYCC Summer Program Coordinator Yancy Wilkenfeldt at 541-633-7834, extension 24, or Forest Service YCC Coordinator Paul Smith at 541-416-6431. Questions may also be directed to [email protected]