Photo by Chase Anderson
The Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) program, which is operated under the San Juan Islands Conservation District, has been a whirlwind of activity this summer. In just the first half of the 8-week summer program, the 45 passionate crew members, ages 12–18, have worked on dozens of conservation projects across the islands.
You may have seen one of the three 15-person crews restoring habitat at Cattle Point with the Bureau of Land Management, cleaning up Otis Perkins Park after the 4th of July celebrations with the Land Bank, or building much-needed staircases in the Moran trail network with Washington State Parks.
Now in its 17th year of existence, YCC provides outdoor education and real-world career experience for San Juan County youth, facilitating practical hands-on opportunities in ecological restoration, teamwork, self-reliance and community engagement. YCC is a unique daily summer program providing education and supporting working families, filling a critical gap in affordable youth programs available to underserved students and families in the islands. Not only is the program free to participants, but it is one of few youth conservation programs in the nation to offer a $25 daily stipend to crew members, which for most youth, is their first real paycheck! Crew members can earn up to $800 in the summer program.
But as we all know, there is no such thing as a free lunch. The Conservation District is incredibly grateful to the fundholders at San Juan Island Community Foundation for sponsoring the summer stipends for our San Juan Island crew members. Special thanks to the donors behind the David F. & Nancy H. Jones fund, the Thistledown Fund (David Skinner & Catherine Eaton Skinner), and the Women’s Fund of the SJICF, for their generous contributions.
To support future YCC programming, consider donating to the Youth Conservation Corps Winter Stewardship Program through the 2024 SJI Cares County Fair Program. The donation link will be available at sanjuanislandscd.org/ycc for the duration of the campaign: August 15-18. Your contribution makes a real difference for these future environmental stewards!
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