Rocky Mountain Youth Corps Partnership
![[Photo]: Group of volunteers from the Youth Corps ©http://www.youthcorps.org/](/common/images/rocky_mountain_youth_corps.jpg)
The Rocky Mountain Youth Corps (RMYC) was founded in 1995 to develop
service projects for youth in the communities of New Mexico. The
organization is located in Taos, New Mexico, and its crews, comprised
of youth ages 16-25, travel to areas throughout the state to work
on service projects. In 1997, the RMYC entered into a formal partnership
with the Carson National Forest to contribute to restoration and
maintenance projects on the forest during the summer months. These
crews are supervised by Rocky Mountain Youth Corps staff under
a detailed operating agreement with the Forest Service that contains
regular reporting structures between the two partners.
Benjamin Romero, Forest Service
Public Affairs Officer on the Carson National Forest, describes
the partnership as “a win-win
situation for both sides because the youth learn land ethics, they
help us with the projects and we write that project off [our list
of things that need to be done] once it has been accomplished.” The
Forest Service develops projects that can be accomplished during
one season such as fence maintenance, thinning, brush piling, riparian
exposures, barrier construction, and other projects related to
watershed restoration. In addition, the crews are educated about
the forest ecosystem and land stewardship ethics.
This partnership was initiated by
the RMYC and then immediately seized upon by the Forest Service.
As Romero recalls, “we
jumped on this opportunity.” In 1995, the RMYC contacted
the Carson National Forest Supervisor because they were looking
to form local partnerships with organizations that had possibilities
for public service-oriented work. The Corps follows a model that
mobilizes crews of young people to complete projects with the purpose
of creating a stronger environment in the communities where they
operate. The Forest Service was a natural partner because of the
proximity of RMYC and the Carson National Forest in Taos, and because
the agency manages a tremendous natural resource base.
The partnership was formalized through
a Memorandum of Understanding and a formal Participating Agreement
between RMYC and the Forest Service. They have a five-year participating agreement that can
be extended after the initial five years.
Visit the University of
Michigan's website for more information about this project. The
complete Rocky Mountain Youth Corps case write-up is available for you to print or view in pdf format.
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PARTNERING WITH THE FOREST SERVICE
