On July 17, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn was joined by First Lady Lori Shapiro for a visit with members of the Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps Youth Crew at French Creek State Park.

The Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps is a signature program within DCNR that was created in 2016.

More than 1,200 young people have participated in the program, which provides opportunities for paid work experience, job training, leadership skill development, and environmental education to help corps members become successful stewards of our natural resources and conservation leaders.

The Corps is managed by DCNR and the Student Conservation Association and is supported through funding provided by the Department of Labor and Industry, as well as private philanthropic partners.

“I’m inspired to see young people in the Commonwealth getting their hands dirty to protect our natural beauty and gaining job skills for their future careers,” First Lady Lori Shapiro said. “In our family, we love getting out to Pennsylvania state parks and enjoying Pennsylvania’s natural beauty, so it’s a pleasure to join the Outdoor Corps and recognize those who do hard work to maintain our parks and public spaces.”

The corps offers young people the opportunity to serve on a team and complete conservation projects that protect, enhance, and restore Pennsylvania’s public lands.

It also teaches participants about public service and provides job skills, interpersonal communications, and ethics to prepare them for the modern workplace.

In 2016 the program started with just five youth crews. This year there are 26 crews with 181 participants across the Commonwealth:

-- Eighteen, six-week youth (age 15-18) crews based in: Allentown, Altoona, Bradford, Chambersburg, Erie; Greensburg; Harrisburg; Hazleton; Norristown; Pittsburgh (two crews: community and American Sign Language); Reading; Renovo; Ridgeway; Wellsboro; Wilkes-Barre; Williamsport; and York.

-- Ten 10-month young adult (age 18-25) crews are based in Altoona; Dubois; Harrisburg; Meadville; Pittsburgh; Wilkes Barre; and Williamsport. Statewide Natural Resource and Cultural Resource crews round out the adult crews.

“I enjoy these visits with the Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps and am happy to spend time with future leaders,” Dunn said. “We at DCNR are hopeful that this summer experience provides the spark that creates lifelong conservationists. We also recognize that it is important to provide our youth opportunities to learn and build skills they can take forward into whatever career path they choose to follow. Thank you to DCNR and SCA staff that keep this incredible program running each year, as well as our partner agencies that support its operations.”

Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps members this year are working in more than 100 parks, forests, and communities across the state on projects including--

-- Trail work

-- Habitat enhancement

-- Improving park and forest assets such as buildings, drainage structures and landscaped areas

-- Tree planting

-- Storm damage restoration

-- Inventorying trees planted in communities

-- Assisting with surveys for historic and cultural preservation on public lands

Alumni of the Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps have obtained employment with conservation organizations including DCNR, SCA, National Parks Service, National Forest Service, and other conservation organizations, thanks in part to experience with the corps.

For more information on this program, visit DCNR’s Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps webpage.

Visit Explore PA Trails and Get Outdoors PA for recreation areas near you.

For more information on state parks and forests and recreation in Pennsylvania, visit DCNR’s website, Visit the Good Natured DCNR Blog,  Click Here for upcoming events, Click Here to hook up with DCNR on other social media-- Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr.

NewsClips:

-- NextPittsburgh: Pittsburgh Hiking Meetup Group Finds Camaraderie On The Trails

-- Observer-Reporter: Beaver County Boy Scouts Make 100-Mile Trek To Fayette County Camp

-- TribLive: Hays Woods Officially Designated A Pittsburgh Park

-- LancasterOnline: Completed Long’s Park Wetlands Project Will Improve Water Quality, Expand Nature Areas

-- Beaver County Times: Summer Views In Buttermilk Falls Natural Area

-- Keep PA BeautifuL July Newsletter: Seeking High School Young Ambassadors; Land & Water Stewards; Community Pride Award Winner; Healing The Planet Grant Awards; More!

-- NextPittsburgh: Ohiopyle Offers Every Level Of Laurel Highlands Adventure

-- NextPittsburgh: What’s In The Basement At Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater?

Related Articles:

-- DCNR Conservation & Natural Resources Advisory Council Meets July 26 On State Forest Strategic Plan; Update From Fish & Boat Commission; Seeking New Council Members  [PaEN]

-- DCNR: PA First Lady Lori Shapiro Joins DCNR Secretary For PA Outdoor Corps Visit At French Creek State Park [Berks, Chester Counties]

-- US Dept. Of Interior Announces $8.8 Million Grant To PA For Land & Water Conservation Fund Recreation Projects

-- DCNR Blog: Creating A New Toolkit To Create Outdoor Connections For Older Adults

-- DCNR Opens Survey For Public Input On Plans For New Big Elk Creek State Park In Chester County  [PaEN]

-- Charity Checkout For Conservation Raises Funds For PA Wilds State Parks, Forests From PA Wilds Conservation Shop, Online Sales  [PaEN]

-- Fish & Boat Commission Awards $187,625 Grants To Support Education Program To Retain, Recruit, Reactivate Interest In Fishing & Boating

-- Stroud Water Research Center: Family Day Engages Latino Community; Denlinger Farm Tour Focuses On Stewardship; Profiles Of Delaware Watershed Community Scientists; Laura Turner Seidel Freshwater Excellence Award Winner [PaEN]

-- WeConservePA: Federal, State, And Local Officials, Land Conservancy Of Adams County Celebrate Preservation Of Over 1,700 Acres  [PaEN]

-- Manada Conservancy Recognizes Laudenslager Family With Conservation Award In Dauphin County  [PaEN]

-- Bay Journal - Ad Crable: Two Susquehanna River Islands Preserved Off Harrisburg Shoreline

-- Winners Named In Susquehanna Greenway Partnership 12th Annual Photo Contest; Vote For People's Choice  [PaEN]

[Posted: July 17, 2023]

7/24/2023