California Conservation Corps

Employer Description

Our program provides young adults 18 – 25 years old a year of paid service to the State of California. During their year of service, Corpsmembers work on environmental projects and respond to natural and man-made disasters. Through this work, they gain skills and experience that lead to meaningful careers. Our motto is ‘Hard Work, Low Pay, Miserable Conditions and More!’  We are dedicated to developing our Corpsmembers into citizens with character, credentials, and commitment.

The Corpsmembers

• 1,623 Corpsmember positions are available
• Approximately 3,000 Corpsmembers enroll each year
• Corpsmembers must be between the ages of 18 and 25 and California residents
• At the present time, the CCC is about 76% men, 24% women
• Corpsmembers come from all over the state and reflect the diversity of California. The top three counties where Corpsmembers come from: San Diego, Los Angeles and San Bernardino
• The average length of stay is about nine months

Locations

• The CCC has two dozen residential and non-residential locations throughout the state
• It is the only state program with year-round residential centers

Natural Resource Work

• Since 1976, the CCC has provided 74.1 million hours of natural resource work throughout the state
• The CCC is a cost-effective labor force, working for more than 250 local, state and federal agencies each year
• Statewide, crews tackle more than 900 projects annually, generating more than $26 million for the CCC

Here are a few accomplishments since the program began:

• Trees — More than 24.6 million trees have been planted by Corpsmembers throughout the state
• Fish Habitat — More than 1.6 million hours of fish habitat improvement work
• Trails — More than 11,621 miles of backcountry trails built or maintained in California national parks and forests, with many more miles for trails in city, regional and state parks
• Parks — More than 11 million hours of work improving rural and urban parks and recreation areas
• Energy Conservation — More than three decades of energy conservation work. The CCC likes to say “Conservation is our middle name”

Emergency Response

• The CCC has provided 11.3 million hours of emergency response on nearly every major California natural disaster — floods, fires, earthquakes and more — since 1976
• Corpsmembers have filled more than 3.5 million sandbags during floods and storms

Education

• Along with their natural resource work, all Corpsmembers advance their education in the CCC. In the last five years, more than 3,000 Corpsmembers worked to complete their high school diplomas
• The CCC offers two different scholarships for use after the CCC