2017 Youth Conservation Corps

This summer the Ridgefield wildlife refuge welcomes the 2017 Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) team for the season! YCC is a long standing national program aimed to help students ages 15-18 to gain first-time job experience while working hands-on in the National Wildlife Refuge system. Students work around the refuge conducting field projects such as public trail maintenance, road and sign maintenance, bridge upkeep, and invasive species control. While working, the students are also introduced to environmental education through practical conservation work with local biologists, educational discussions and trips to other nearby refuges and conservation programs.

Within our YCC program, students have been actively involved in sustaining the Ridgefield wildlife refuge. Several students have continued on as active volunteers long after their work term ends and are pursuing higher environmental education at the university level. The YCC program offers opportunity for students across the county to practically participate in the conservation and care for their local natural environment. By the end of the program, students not only learn how to navigate a professional environment, but also learn how to understand the value of the natural environment around them.