SERVICE AND CONSERVATION CORPS PROGRAMS CELEBRATE NATIONAL PUBLIC LANDS DAY; HONOR LEGACY OF FDR’S CIVILIAN CONSERVATION CORPS

Corps Nationwide Celebrate by Planting Trees, Removing Invasive Species
and Restoring Ecosystems on Public Lands

Washington, DC. September 29, 2007 – Today Service and Conservation Corps across the nation are planting trees, removing invasive vines and weeds and improving our nations public lands. In doing so, they seek to honor their predecessors, the more than three million members of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Civilian Conservation Corps, who did similar projects in the 1930s and 1940s.

Today’s Service and Conservation Corps are direct descendants of the Civilian Conservation Corps. Sally Prouty, President and CEO of The Corps Network, said “Modern Service and Conservation Corps continue the work of the CCC. Like the “CCC boys,” our Corpsmembers—now both male and female—receive small stipends for their labor, but receive larger rewards in pride, hope, and a sense of fellowship. Long hours of hard work in service to their nation also gives them valuable skills, just as in the CCC so many years ago.”

To honor this legacy and support the continued stewardship of public lands, National Public Lands Day made The Corps Network, the national voice for Service and Conservation Corps, and the CCC Legacy organization, national partners for National Public Lands Day 2007.

Joan Sharpe, President of the CCC Legacy, said, “I am thrilled to see young men and women across the nation protecting and restoring our public lands like the original members of the CCC. National Public Lands Day is a wonderful platform to honor the alumni of the CCC and connect these gentlemen with modern Corpsmembers.”

Service and Conservation Corps around the country are celebrating National Public Lands Day today:

• The Citizens Conservation Corps of West Virginia, Earth Conservation Corps (DC) and Montgomery County Conservation Corps (MD) will remove invasive species and plant trees at the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens in Washington, DC, a National Public Lands Day “featured event.”
• The Coconino Rural Environment Corps (AZ), in partnership with the Arizona Trail Association, will host an event at the Mormon Lake lodge to construct a half mile interpretive trail that will be used as an outdoor environmental lab.
• The Montana Conservation Corps is hosting events in Bozeman, Kalispell, Lincoln, and Missoula, to engage volunteers in service and connect CCC alumni with modern Corpsmembers.
• Southwest Conservation Corps will host two separate events in partnership with the Friends of Sabino Canyon and the Arizona Trail Association to work on trail maintenance and invasive species removal.
• The Student Conservation Association is partnering with the National Parks Conservation Association on restoration projects at Rainier State Park in Washington State, an area severely impacted by recent storms and flooding.
• The Utah Conservation Corps will have a crew in the Rainbow Park area of Dinosaur National Monument removing tamarisk from the banks of the Colorado River.
• WSOS Quilter Civilian Conservation Corps (OH) will dedicate a butterfly garden with CCC alumni attending as honored guests.

About The Corps Network
The Corps Network is the voice of the nation’s 113 Service and Conservation Corps. Currently operating in 41 states and the District of Columbia, Corps annually enroll more than 21,000 young men and women who contribute about 13 million hours of service per year. In 2006, Corps mobilized 190,000 community volunteers who contributed over 1.8 million additional hours of service.

Established in 1985 as the National Association of Service and Conservation Corps (NASCC), The Corps Network was at the forefront of the national service movement and remains so today. Corps are state and local programs engaging primarily young adults (ages 16-25) in service. The majority of Corpsmembers come to Corps looking for a second chance to succeed in life. In return for their efforts, Corpsmembers receive guidance by adult leaders who serve as mentors and role models, a modest stipend and a wide range of member development services including significant educational opportunities, employment and training, life skill development, and the opportunity to invest in their communities.

For more information, visit www.corpsnetwork.org or contact: Patrick Fitzgerald, The Corps Network at pfitzgerald@corpsnetwork.org or at (202) 737-6272.

About National Public Lands Day and the National Environmental Education Foundation
The National Environmental Education Foundation provides objective environmental information to help Americans live better every day. We work with professionals in health, education, public lands and media to connect the environment to everyday choices and actions so the public can live well while protecting and enjoying nature. Through our signature programs like National Public Lands Day, Environmental Education Week, Earth Gauge and our Pediatric Environmental History Initiative, we offer Americans knowledge to live by. To learn more, call (202) 833-2933 or visit www.neefusa.org.

National Public Lands Day partners include the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, Department of Defense, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, USDA’s Forest Service, the U.S. Invasive Species Council, over 30 states, numerous local agencies, and nonprofit groups such as the National Parks Conservation Association, International Mountain Bicycling Association, Boy Scouts of America, and Girl Scouts of the USA.

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