Forest Service partners with Heart of Oregon Corps on Indian Youth Service Corps projects in Central Oregon

PORTLAND, Ore. (KTVZ) — The USDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest Region, in partnership with the Nez Perce Tribe, Heart of Oregon Corps and Lomakatsi Restoration Project has been awarded more than $1 million to launch Indian Youth Service Corps projects on the Deschutes National Forest, Ochoco National Forest, Crooked River National Grassland, Fremont-Winema National Forest and Umatilla National Forest.

These projects will provide meaningful education, employment, and training opportunities for Tribal youth and young adults while fostering cultural connections to nature through conservation projects on Indian and public lands.

“These partnerships are an exciting step in our ongoing efforts to honor our commitments to strengthen capacity to enhance co-stewardship, and advance Tribal relations in the Pacific Northwest Region,” says Deputy Director for the Office of Communication and Community Engagement, Heather Zissler.

Implementing these IYSC programs within the region will foster valuable relationships with local Tribal communities and provide career opportunities for Native American and Alaska Native youth young adults while also contributing to the priorities of the agency through reforestation, restoration, and hazardous fuels reduction work.

“There is a real benefit to providing hands-on experience and opportunities for Tribal youth and young adults,” says the interim Pacific Northwest Region’s Tribal Relations lead, Doreen Ethelbah-Gatewood. “These partnerships will also provide opportunities for Tribal youth to inform our land management strategies with their deep connections to their ancestral homelands and traditional practices.”

IYSC was initially established in 2019 via an expansion of the Public Land Corps (PLC) Act. Program guidelines were released in 2022 and focus on engaging Native American and/or Alaska Native youth and young adults aged 16-30 (up to 35 for Veterans) through partnerships with Tribes. IYSC programs are crucial components in furthering the agency’s overall goal of helping to increase Tribal engagement in environmental stewardship activities, including the participation of individual members of Tribes.

Participants that complete 640 hours in the program are eligible for the PLC non-competitive hiring authority, which provides career opportunities with the Federal government and allows participants to apply for permanent positions that they otherwise may not be eligible for. Federal jobs can be permanent, term, or temporary-seasonal. Some permanent year-round federal jobs are open to the public, but many are limited to current and former employees or applicants with “special hiring authorities” such as the PLC non-competitive hiring authority.

To learn more about Indian Youth Service Corps, visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/working-with-us/careers/Indian-Youth-Service-Corps 

For more information about the USDA Forest Service and its work in the Pacific Northwest, please visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/r6.