The US Forest Service piloted the American Climate Corps that “mobilizes a new, diverse generation of Americans to work conserving and restoring our lands and waters, bolstering community resilience, deploying clean energy, implementing energy efficient technologies, and advancing environmental justice, all while creating pathways to high-quality jobs in public and private sectors.” Unfortunately, new priorities at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) signal the end of this program
, as AmeriCorps funding also seems to be at risk
. The Department will use
Climate Corps and AmeriCorps as a model for developing our own
state-funded service program. The Department will partner with organizations that have a proven
track record of hosting service members, including Eco
-Servants and
Conservation Legacy. The Department will also partner with post-secondary educational institutions, building on our current forestry career pathway pilot program with ENMU-Ruidoso.