October 10, 2022 3:30 a.m.

The newly founded Oregon Conservation Corps of the Umpqua Valley is now hiring.

The organization is seeking young adults ages 16 to 26 to work on fuels reduction projects around Douglas County. Crew members wages start at $16 an hour. Those enrolled for the fall term will be working 36-40 hours per week during a 12-week service term.

A release from Phoenix School said it was awarded a nearly $1 million grant from the Higher Education Coordinating Commission via funds appropriated by Senate Bill 762. The legislation was passed in 2021, and established the Oregon Conservation Corps Program. Its purpose is to reduce the risk wildfire poses to communities and critical infrastructure, create fire-adapted communities and engage youth and young adults in workforce training. The release said the OCC grants funding to organizations across the state to aid in reducing wildfire risk to communities while providing workforce training to the next generation of land managers.

Phoenix will be hiring work trainees for service terms in the fall, winter and spring. Crewmembers can work as many service terms as they wish. All crewmembers will receive training and certifications making them very desirable applicants for future forestry positions, according to the release.

The OCC of the Umpqua Valley was founded this year to help landowners reduce hazardous fuel buildup on private property in the area. The organization works with partners in the State Fire Marshal’s Office and the Douglas Forest Protective Association and has identified certain areas in the county that are very susceptible to catastrophic wildfire.

For more information or to apply, go to: https://phoenix.roseburg.k12.or.us/about-us/employment/occ