SAFFORD — With support from United Way of Graham and Greenlee Counties, Arizona Community Foundation of the Gila Valley and the National Forest Foundation, the SEAYLS are coming back.
“(It’s) the Southeast Arizona Youth Land Stewardship program,” said Dr. Sarah Sayles, executive director for the Gila Watershed Partnership. “So it’s like a youth Conservation Corps, but just for local, area kids to participate. Anyone between 16 and 22 can apply.”
The youths selected will work three week with Bureau of Land Management in Graham County, doing fish and pond work. Then three weeks in Greenlee County with Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest on trail and camp work.
On the Fridays during those six weeks, participants will also be asked to perform a community service project at their home, or in partnership with another participant is his or her community.
Participants will be compensated $520 per week, with the crew lead receiving $600.
Interviews will take place the week of May 6. To apply e-mail enedelia@gwpaz.org.
“We also are really encouraging kids who don’t have those (outdoors) opportunities to apply for this. To get that experience they might not otherwise get,” Sayles said. “This isn’t just for the kids who have the privilege of being to do that with their families all the time already, this is also a way to try and get kids from some of these underserved communities, to have that opportunity they may not already have. To get out in nature, learn about natural resources jobs (and) make these connections with people. If this is the kind of work they want to do, these are the connections they want to be making with people. These are people who will write letters of recommendation for their college applications or help them get jobs in the future.”
