Youth Conservation Corps asks LTAC for two weeks of crew funding to support restoration work

Mike Rosekranz, representing the San Juan Islands Conservation District, presented outcomes from the Youth Conservation Corps program and asked LTAC for $20,000 to fund two weeks of crew leader wages and stipends for 40 youth participants. He described the program as an eight‑week flagship summer program that expanded to year‑round work and now runs three crews across the islands.

“We enrolled 39 crew members in the summer program. They had a collective 5,200 hours of time spent outdoors,” Rosekranz said, summarizing 2026 program metrics and describing projects including Scotch broom removal, eelgrass restoration and kiosk construction for national monument sites. He said the requested $20,000 represents roughly 10% of the program’s annual budget and would pay leader wages and stipends for two weeks of field work.

Committee members asked about outcomes and anecdotal impacts on participants’ career paths; Rosekranz offered examples of former crew members using YCC experience for college or jobs and noted ongoing partner support from BLM, Washington Trails Association and preservation groups.