SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) – The Higher Education Coordinating Commission announced Monday that Oregonians can support the community impacts of the Oregon Conservation Corps through a unique public-private partnership, where funds will be used to reduce the risk of wildfire by employing young Oregonians to clear our land of hazardous fuels.
In 2021, the Oregon Legislature established The Oregon Conservation Corps (OCC) to create fire-adapted communities, while training the workforce of tomorrow, and HECC launched this program in 2021-23.*
The OCC has embarked on a fundraising campaign to unlock $1 million dollars in matching state funds approved by the 2021 Legislature. The funds will be used to reduce the risk of wildfire by employing young Oregonians to clear our land of hazardous fuels.
For every $1 donated in private funds before June 30, the state will invest $5 until the $1 million goal is reached. Learn more on the OCC fundraising, visit their website here: www.OregonConservationCorps.org.
The OCC grants funding to organizations across the state to aid in reducing wildfire risk to communities while providing workforce training to the next generation of land managers. It is the newest of numerous Oregon Youth Works programs youth and adult workforce programs administered by the HECC Office of Workforce Investments.
In 2022, OCC program partners employed over 250 of Oregon’s youth experiencing economic hardship and/or other barriers, providing them with professional training in skills that are critical for employment in the natural resource and fire prevention industries.
Kai Chotard, director of the Community Wildfire Protection Corps of Northwest Youth Corps, says “Fire chiefs and fire stations don’t have the human power to do this work—and yet, our communities need it. Oregonians can take pride in how quickly the State got this highly effective program up and running.”
In just one season, these young adults treated over 1,300 acres, addressing 268 worksites and over 733 homes and businesses in 14 Oregon counties.
“Some of these youth were homeless. Now they have apartments, a steady paycheck, and they are contributing to the community,” says Marko Bey, executive director of Lomakatsi Restoration Project. “There’s an abundance of young people that want this opportunity. We have triple the applicants that we can hire based on the funding.”
Access to additional funds for prevention will support OCC crews and the properties they treat. This mitigates the impact of future wildfire events and saves Oregon taxpayers money. Jennifer Case, a natural resource specialist from the Oregon Department of Forestry says, “If we’re not spending it beforehand then we’ll be spending during a fire. And that’s a lot more money.”
Individuals can learn more and donate to the OCC through Oregon Community Foundation on the fundraising website here: www.OregonConservationCorps.org
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*Continued 2023-25 state funding for the OCC is contingent upon decisions of the Oregon Legislature.
