Tennessee Youth Conservation Corps Accepting Applications for 2007
Nashville, Tenn. – The Tennessee Youth Conservation Corps (TYCC) is accepting applications from young people ages 16 to 24 for positions working in Tennessee State Parks and Natural Areas this summer.
Proposed by Governor Phil Bredesen and approved by the General Assembly in 2006, the program is designed to engage young people with a hands-on conservation experience at State Parks and Natural Areas. The new program was created in the tradition of the Civilian Conservation Corps that built parks and a range of public projects across the United States between 1933 and 1942.
“The Tennessee Youth Conservation Corps will help train our next generation of environmental stewards and provide young people with on the job experience doing meaningful work in a variety of natural resource management and restoration projects on state owned lands,” said Governor Bredesen.
Students who have an interest in protecting the natural resources of Tennessee and a desire to learn about resource management in State Parks and Natural Areas are encouraged to apply. The program is open to Tennessee residents who are high school or college students ages 16 to 24. Applicants should have dependable transportation, work well with others as part of a team, and be able to participate in projects often conducted outdoors that may require manual labor or considerable physical activity.
“This program is about much more than simply earning a paycheck or accomplishing projects for our parks and natural areas,” said Environment and Conservation Commissioner Jim Fyke. “It’s an opportunity for young people to explore career options in conservation and learn new skills in an outdoor setting where teamwork and an appreciation for our natural environment are essential.”
A complete list of projects is posted on the Department’s Web site at www.tdec.net/tycc/projects. Projects have been identified at parks and natural areas located in both urban and rural settings across the state, along with three special project teams. Applicants should apply directly to the TYCC project of their greatest interest. Project coordinators will be responsible for making the selection decisions for that particular TYCC team. Deadlines for application and work timeframes may vary for each program project.
Typical projects will include native plant restoration and invasive plant removal, trail construction and maintenance, restoring structures in historic areas, archaeological field work, collecting location data to build Geographic Information System (GIS) inventories for park trails and boundaries, and participating in a statewide project to inventory the state’s flora and fauna. Educational programming will be included as part of the program.
TYCC Project Sites for 2007 will include:
- Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park, Davidson County
- Booker T. Washington State Park, Hamilton County
- Cordell Hull Birthplace & Sgt. Alvin C. York State Historic Parks, located in close proximity to one another in Pickett and Fentress Counties, and Burgess Falls State Natural Areas, located in Putnam and White Counties
- Cumberland Trail State Park, the state’s only linear park, which will be 300 miles upon completion cutting through 11 Tennessee counties from Signal Point near Chattanooga to the Tennessee-Virginia-Kentucky border
- David Crockett State Park, Lawrence County
- Fort Loudoun State Historic Area, Monroe County
- Natchez Trace State Park, Henderson County
- Pickett State Park, Fentress County
- Tims Ford State Park, Franklin County
- T.O. Fuller State Park, Shelby County
Other TYCC Projects and Teams include:
- Link Farm Archaeological Project
- All Taxa Biological Inventory / Exotic Plant Removal Team
- Middle Tennessee Natural Areas Team
To apply for the Tennessee Youth Conservation Corps or learn more about the program, please visit www.tdec.net/tycc or call the TYCC Program Manager at (615) 574-5176.
For more information contact:
Dana Coleman
Office (615) 253-1916