To put Alaskans back to work, look to a 21st-century Conservation Corps

Federal investment in our public lands and waterways plays an essential role in supporting local economies, creating jobs, and protecting and improving our natural heritage. This is especially true as we look to help communities and families recover from the current economic shock while providing more opportunities for all Americans to get outside. One solution being discussed among lawmakers on Capitol Hill to simultaneously achieve both goals – helping unemployed Americans find work while promoting conservation and environmental stewardship – is through a 21st century Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC).

The concept of the Civilian Conservation Corps is not a new one. In fact, President Franklin D. Roosevelt first created it as part of his administration’s New Deal plan for promoting social and economic progress during the Great Depression. The Alaska Outdoor Alliance recommended reviving the concept in a Jobs Stimulus Package championed by the Anchorage Economic Development Corporation and other business leaders around the state. Anchorage become the second city in the state to embrace the idea by investing $4.5 million in CARES Act funding to create what it calls a Public Lands Work program.

Meanwhile, the coronavirus pandemic continues to create record levels of unemployment around the country, including leaving four million young people without a job. Alaskans have not been spared from the economic effects of the pandemic – with the state recording a 10.8% unemployment rate in July. Now, with federal pandemic unemployment benefits having expired, approximately 52,000 Alaskans are left wondering where they can find a job to provide for themselves and their families.

Establishing and expanding a modern Civilian Conservation Corps nationwide is a practical solution to help more people get back on their feet, kickstart local economies and build support for a thriving planet.

In the Senate, the ’21st Century Conservation Corps for Our Health and Our Jobs Act’ would authorize $9 billion for a land and conservation corps and increase job training. Similar legislation has also been introduced the House of Representatives.

We can look again to the outdoors and the CCC as a blueprint to help the economy recover. We especially encourage Sen. Lisa Murkowski, in her key roles as Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and member of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, to build on her support for the outdoor recreation sector and consider this proposal as another meaningful contribution to pandemic recovery efforts.

Nearly 90 years later, Roosevelt’s words could ring true once again for a nation looking to lawmakers and each other for answers: “It is my belief that what is being accomplished will conserve our natural resources, create future national wealth and prove of moral and spiritual value not only to those of you who are taking part, but to the rest of the country as well.”

Lee Hart is the Executive Director of the Alaska Outdoor Alliance, an Anchorage-based organization working to build the best outdoor economy in the world.

Lise Aangeenbrug is the Executive Director of the Outdoor Industry Association, the leading national trade association for the outdoor industry.

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