Tennessee Youth Finish Valuable Work This Summer at the Big South Fork

Source: NPS

News Release Date: August 11, 2014

Contact: Wallace Linder, 423-569-9778

Contact: Dave Carney, 423-569-9778

Eight high school students from Fentress and Scott counties recently finished the summer working on a Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) team at the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area.

The Youth Conservation Corps is a summer employment program for young men and women, ages 15 through 18, to work on projects to protect public lands. The Youth Conservation Corps program is one that trains young people and provides outdoor work that is supervised by a trained crew leader. Participants gain valuable professional experience working on National Park Service lands, and get to learn how to use tools, safe work habits, team work, and how conservation projects benefit the environment, and protect cultural and historical resources.

The crew members were selected from the York Institute, Oneida High School, and Clarkrange HighSchool and included Victoria Bertram, Melissa Copeland, Katlin Evans, Rodney Hall, Lucas Massengale, Dalton McCoy, Matthew Phillips, and Taylor Slaven. The young adults spent two months this summer working alongside crew leaders Don Philips and Cody Karsner and other National Park Service employees. The YCC crew finished a number of projects including 20 miles of trail rehabilitation, clearing brush from the area around an old Civilian Conservation Corps cabin, and repainting numerous park directional signs.

For further informationabout this program and its accomplishments call Dave Carney at [phone].