Youth, 15-18 years of age, can now apply for Mark Twain National Forest summer jobs on the Salem Ranger District (Salem, Mo.) and Eleven Point Ranger District (Doniphan, Mo.) through the Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) program. Applicants are not required to live in the local area but must be capable of reporting daily to the job location. The application window is open now and will close April 12. Individuals selected for the program will be notified by April 17 about next steps. Selectees will then work June 5 through July 28.
The YCC program is a paid summer work program for youth, both male and female, designed to develop an understanding and appreciation of the environment. Enrollees will be paid minimum wage, $12.00 per hour, for a 40-hour work week. Work duties include building trails, clerical/office support, maintaining and cleaning up campgrounds, and improving wildlife habitat. Each selected applicant must provide work boots, proper work clothes and their own lunches.
YCC applicants need to be prepared for physical work in an outdoor environment under potentially adverse weather conditions and rough terrain. The program requires participants to provide their own daily transportation to the assigned Forest Service work location meeting at the District Office in the morning. From the office, they will carpool in a Forest Service vehicle to an outdoor worksite on most days.
If you are the appropriate age for the program and would like to work outdoors, please download and complete the YCC application at fs.usda.gov/goto/mtnf/YCC and return it to the Forest Service office in Salem or Poplar Bluff:
• Salem Ranger District: 1301 South Main; Salem, MO 65560.
Phone: (573) 729-6656.
• Eleven Point Ranger District: 4 Confederate Ridge Rd, Doniphan, MO 63935.
