YCC Program a Success on Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge

ANAHUAC, August 14, 2003 - A lot of heat, mosquitos, hard work and an occasional snake, or two, didn't keep the 2003 Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) crew from doing a lot of good work for the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge.

"We put these kids to work! Worked them hard and they did a great job," said Kelly McDowell, Refuge Manager for the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge. "They helped accomplish a lot of things that are of tremendous benefit to wildlife, and the people who come here to enjoy it."

During the eight week paid program, five highschool students pulled water hyacinth, fixed fences, dismantled dilapidated sheds, hauled brush, banded mottled ducks and much more. Kenneth Hill, Ryan Kirkwood, Stacey Monteau, Raymond Rivon and Jeremy Watson, from the Anahuac/Hankamer area, were randomly selected to be part of the YCC program on Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge.

Her first job in the outdoors, Monteau learned something about southeast Texas wildlife and issues facing these coastal areas. "Before I got that job I'd never really gotten dirty and I didn't know much about plants or birds." she said. "Now I see water hyacinth everywhere and it bothers me because I feel like I have to go down there and pick it all so it won't hurt any more of the wildlife. My parents didn't know about it either until I told them and now they see it too."

Through YCC, participants help accomplish much needed conservation work on public lands. The program provides gainful employment for 15 through 18 year old males and females from all social, economic, ethnic, and racial classifications.

YCC is a federal program that is administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service and the U. S. Department of Interior's Fish and Wildlife and National Park Service. The stated purpose of the program is to "further the development and maintenance of the natural resources of the United States by America's youth, and, in so doing, to prepare them for the ultimate responsibility of maintaining and managing these resources for the American people."

"I liked tearing down the barn because you got to tear down stuff," saidRyan Kirkwood of Hankamer. "But I'd like to come back and check on the sidewalk and the cordgrass plantings we did."

To help participants develop an understanding and appreciation of the environment, the YCC crew went on field trips as part of their job training. These ranged from a canoe trip in bottomland hardwoods of Lake Charlotte to a field trip to the Houston Museum of Natural Science to site visits of NOAA's sea turtle research facility and tours of eroding
southeast Texas coastal areas.

When asked what he enjoyed most, Kirkwood said, "Canoeing. Because it was something to do in the water and I've never been before." For Monteau, it was field trips in general. "The trips were the best because we were all there togther and got to learn some interesting stuff. We had a lot of fun."

August 1st, 2003, the last day of the YCC program, staff and volunteers hosted a BBQ for the fiver-person crew. "We are glad they had the chance to have this experience and hopefully they learned something aboutthemselves and the refuge," said McDowell. "My hope is that some time soon they'll come back out here and check on their work."

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish and wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people.

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