By Gabe Kohler
The Forest Stewards Guild’s Forest Stewards Youth Corps (FSYC) summer program recently ended successfully by offering employment and training for twenty 16- to 19-year-old youth.
The fall Fire and Fuels program kicked off on August 16 with a COVID-safe training and runs through October.
Fifteen fall FSYC crew members, ages 18 to 25, will attend the two-week training at Cottonwood Gulch Foundation’s basecamp in Thoreau, New Mexico. The three crews will then spend the following 12 weeks working on U.S Forest Service (USFS) and Pueblo of Jemez lands learning from natural resource professionals.
The FSYC program is a work-earn-learn program for young people to help restore New Mexico’s forests and watersheds. Throughout the fall, program participants learn the fundamentals of forest and fire ecology, receive on-the-job training and certifications in prescribed fire and fuels management, and earn a salary while completing projects on National Forest and Pueblo of Jemez lands. The fall crews will leave the program as “Red Carded” firefighters and be ready for competitive employment.
“The combination of engaging youth and restoring our forests is really powerful” said Matt Piccarello, the Forest Stewards Guild Southwest Director. “Crews work on conservation projects including wildlife habitat improvement, forest restoration, and recreation trails. They develop a solid work ethic, leadership skills, and get an opportunity to work together with other youth of diverse backgrounds.”
For over 20 years, the Guild, the Pueblo of Jemez, and the USFS provided youth training and an introduction to natural resource management through our successful FSYC program. During a typical year, crews complete over 12,000 hours of natural resource management projects and over 2,000 hours of educational sessions. More than 700 rural youth went through our program to date, many of whom attained higher education degrees and have successful careers.
The 2021 program is made possible through support from the New Mexico Youth Conservation Corps Commission, the National Forest Foundation, the Taos Ski Valley Foundation, and many others. The program is a success due to the strong partnership between the Guild, the Pueblo of Jemez, Region 3 of the USDA Forest Service, the Cibola National Forest, and the Santa Fe National Forest. Fall crews are stationed at the Espanola and Mountainair Ranger Districts as well as at the Pueblo of Jemez Natural Resource Department.
About the Forest Stewards Guild
The Forest Stewards Guild is a national organization of foresters, natural resource professionals, and supporters that practice and promote ecologically, economically, and socially responsible forestry to benefit forest ecosystems and the human communities dependent upon them. www.forestguild.org/fsyc
Gabe Kohler is Southwest Program Coordinator, The Forest Stewards Guild.