The Veterans Green Corps: An Opportunity to Engage Returning Veterans in Bureau of Land Management Outdoor Conservation Projects
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIORBUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENTWASHINGTON, D.C. 20240http://www.blm.gov/ December 13, 2009 In Reply Refer To:1115, 1200, 8300 (172) P EMS TRANSMISSION 12/16/2009Information Bulletin No. 2010-021 To: AFOsFrom: DirectorSubject: The “Veterans Green Corps”: An Opportunity to Engage Returning Veterans in Bureau of Land Management Outdoor Conservation ProjectsVeterans Green Jobs (VGJ) is a non-profit organization that provides “green” jobs, as well as education and career development opportunities, for military veterans aged 21 and older, particularly in the fields of energy independence, ecological restoration, and community renewal. Recently, the organization partnered with the Southwest Conservation Corps (SCC), a national leader in conservation service, to create the Veterans Green Corps (VGC). The VGC’s goal is to provide transformative opportunities that allow veterans to leverage their prior conservation leadership experience. The VGC program directly supports the President’s Veterans Employment Initiative, which was announced by Executive Order on November 9, 2009. The initiative is intended to compel the Federal government to “lead by example in promoting veterans’ employment.” Together, VGJ and SCC have launched VGC conservation crews who camp onsite and complete conservation projects on public lands. Each crew is comprised of two experienced crew leaders and six members. The first VGC crew successfully completed an eight-week program of backcountry trail maintenance on the Rio Grande National Forest in Colorado during the summer of 2009. Three additional crews were placed in other National Forests in the fall to conduct fire hazard reduction, trail maintenance, and associated land stewardship activities. During 2010, the VGJ and SCC will field nine more VGC teams. The SCC and VGJ are now offering the BLM an opportunity to engage the services of VGC teams in completing outdoor conservation projects on BLM public lands. We encourage you to consider using available American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding to host one or more VGC crews for the accomplishment of appropriate BLM conservation projects. Crews should be reserved approximately three months in advance of project commencement, although “emergency” crews are also available.Please visit the VGJ website at http://veteransgreenjobs.org/green-jobs-training/veterans-green-corps for additional information and program highlights. To hire a crew, please contact Garrett Reppenhagen, VGJ Director of Veterans’ Development, at e-mail garett@veteransgreenjobs.org or telephone 1-866-984-8452, or Harry Bruell, SCC President, at e-mail harry@sccoprs.org or telephone (970) 403-0143. Should you have any questions, please contact Mary Tisdale, Chief, Division of Education, Interpretation, and Partnerships, at (202) 912-7450. Signed by: Authenticated by:Robert V. Abbey Robert M. WilliamsDirector Division of IRM Governance,WO-560