Our country is facing its worst economic crisis in decades — and one that risks hobbling an entire generation of young workers unless our leaders act fast. One of the best solutions to help put young Americans back to work and to restore our public lands and wildlife is a 21st century Civilian Conservation Corps.
Collin O’Mara, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation, wrote about the monumental challenges facing youth and how a modern adaptation of one of President Franklin Roosevelt’s most important economic and conservation policies offers a potential solution:
In 1933, when President Franklin Roosevelt created the C.C.C., he was facing, as we are today, the possibility of a lost generation of young people. The conservation-minded president’s idea was to hire young unemployed men for projects in forestry, soil conservation and recreation. By 1942, the 3.4 million participants in “Roosevelt’s Tree Army” had planted more than three billion trees, built hundreds of parks and wildlife refuges and completed thousands of miles of trails and roads.
We can prevent a youth unemployment crisis from hobbling the next generation, strengthen local economies and bolster community resilience, but we must act now to put millions of young people to work restoring America’s natural treasures.
