Vail Valley Soccer Club

Youth Conservation Corps (YCC)

Eagle County’s Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) is an investment in two of our most valuable resources: our youth and our environment.  Created in 2000 by the Eagle County Commissioners in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service, this innovative program for young people provides them an opportunity to learn about forest management and natural resource career opportunities while earning money for their groups and assisting public land agencies with much-needed work. The program receives financial support in the form of a grant from the National Forest Foundation*. This Ski Conservation Fund grant is made possible through visitor donations from Vail Resorts.

In addition to the White River National Forest, the program involves other project partners such as the Bureau of Land Management, Colorado State Parks, Eagle County municipalities, Vail Nature Center and private property owners. The partners identify work projects, youth power needed and age/skill requirements and provide onsite supervision, supplies and assistance to each group. Youth groups involved in past project seasons include local sports teams and clubs, Girl and Boy Scout troops, church groups, speech teams and more.

Rather than focusing on a set group of kids who work an entire project season, the program allows a greater number of young people to be involved and earn money for their group projects.  For their workday, groups are paid $10 per hour per individual youth participant. 

Many changes have been made to improve the program over the past eight years but our overall goals remain the same:

• Our youth are being educated in the basics of wise use and conservation of public lands
• We are providing valuable activities for and funding the efforts of youth groups
• Our public lands are receiving critical maintenance and improvements, which ultimately benefit the local economy  

For more information on the Eagle County Youth Conservation Corps, please contact program staff at 970-328-3712 or email ycc@eaglecounty.us. An application http://www.eaglecounty.us/uploadedFiles/Administration/application%202009.pdf for your youth group can be downloaded here and returned to Youth Conservation Corps staff at the email listed or mailed to: PO Box 850 - Eagle, Colorado - 81631.

*The National Forest Foundation, chartered by Congress, engages America in community-based and national programs that promote the health and public enjoyment of the 192-million-acre National Forest System, and accepts and administers private gifts of funds and land for the benefit of the National Forests.