Local youth find summer employment at Refuge

Summer employment opportunities for Youth Conservation Corps were announced in several local newspapers. During Career Fairs offered by area schools, a sign was posted at the Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) booth: “We hire four Youth Conservation Corps for eight weeks in the summer. Have you applied?” There were 18 applicants; only four are randomly chosen.

Four local youth were chosen for summer employment for Youth Conservation Corps.
From left to right are Tevin Mills, Vance Renaud, Miranda Haire, Cassie Manz, and Jason Coates.

Miranda Haire (Cedar Key School), Cassie Manz (Trenton High), Tevin Mills and Vance Renaud (both of Chiefland High) didn’t miss the opportunity to participate in the Youth Conservation Corps 2009. They will assist each discipline of the Refuge (Forestry, Fire, Visitor Services, Maintenance, and Law Enforcement), and learn about other Refuges by taking a field trip to Crystal River and Chassahowitzka Refuges. Each will serve as Lead YCC for a two week period helping gather equipment for projects and recording the day’s accomplishments. This broad exposure to the many facets of Refuge operations will be advantageous in a year or two while job hunting and choosing a career.
Staff members team up with the Youth Conservation Corps, so the students can learn not only the jobs performed, but the required education, career paths, and anecdotal experience from employees. Today they paint a building, tomorrow they help photo-document the condition of prescribed fire transects being studied, next week they pull non-native invasive plants.
Miranda Haire says, “I like working at and learning about the way things are run at the Refuge. I may, in the future try to work at a wildlife refuge.” Her Cedar Key School teachers are particularly proud their student is one of the four randomly chosen.
Cassie Manz feels at home at the Lower Suwannee NWR. “I love the Refuge! The people are awesome and so nice. I’ve had a blast working here,” she said flashing a big smile.
In the coming weeks, all four of the Youth Conservation Corps will serve as day camp counselors for youngsters taking advantage of the Kids with Cameras Day Camp and the Discover Shell Mound Day. Not many high school students gain such a wide variety of experience in only eight weeks. What a great job reference to claim for their future employment!
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 547 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also oversees the Federal Assistance program, which distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.