Youth Conservation Corps Back on the Job

— from Mary Gropp —

The third season of the Orcas Island Youth Conservation Corps is underway, with 15 crew members, ages 12-15, providing valuable stewardship service around the island this summer. The mission of Orcas Island Youth Conservation Corps is to promote and foster environmental awareness and stewardship in Orcas youth through education, job and leadership training, community service and outreach, and engagement with the outdoors. OIYCC partners with public, non-profit, and governmental agencies to identify projects. Funding comes from our partner organizations, as well as from private donations, and grants from organization such as the Orcas Island Community Foundation and the Mountaineers Foundation of Seattle.

The 2015 season began on July 1, with members of the Lopez Island Conservation Corps travelling to Orcas for a First Aid/CPR certification course, provided free of charge by the Orcas Island Fire Department. The following day the training and orientation portion of our program continued, with tool use and safety demonstrations, and team building exercises on the Deer Harbor property of Bob & Meg Connor. For the crew, the favorite part of this day was hearing Bob’s stories of the history of early settlers on the island and the nearby Cayou homestead in particular. The crew practiced pruning techniques on the overgrown plum grove surrounding the remains of the old Cayou homestead.

Week 2 included a project in Buck Park for Orcas Parks and Recreation, where the crew removed alder, blackberry, and other vegetation from the overgrown retention pond behind the baseball backstop, and discussed the value of constructed wetlands in filtering storm water. The next day we gathered at the West Beach Creek restoration site to water, weed and mulch plantings along the newly exposed creek bed. Tina Whitman, Science Director for Friends of the San Juans, explained the history of the project and discussed the importance of the West Beach area in the life history of salmon, and the historical cutthroat trout run. This day was funded by the Mountaineers Foundation of Seattle.

In the coming weeks, crew members will be writing articles for Orcas Issues, giving their perspective on this summer program. More information about YCC programs in San Juan County can be found through the Madrona Institute, www.madrona2.com. Donations to help fund our program are always welcome, and can be made through the Orcas Island Community Foundation www.oicf.us, or through the Madrona Institute.