SOUTH DAKOTA—Sometimes hidden deep in national forests but often in plain sight, there are remnants of our nation’s history scattered across 193 million acres of national forests and grasslands. The USDA Forest Service is responsible for the management of over 468,000 recorded cultural resources on national forests and grasslands. Under the auspices of the Forest Service Heritage Program, HistoriCorps joined forces with Forest Service Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center students to restore and bring new life to the historic structures at the Tepee Work Center on the Black Hills National Forest over five weeks in June and July in an on-going, collaborative partnership.

The is the second of four projects where HistoriCorps has partnered with Job Corps to improve national forest recreation sites through hands-on preservation training. Supervised by HistoriCorps professionals, six Boxelder and Pine Ridge Job Corps Center craftsmen, enrolled in the facilities maintenance, painting and carpentry trades, learned traditional wood conservation techniques by restoring siding on a district ranger residence, bunk house and garage. They repaired siding and shutters, removed deteriorated, oil-based coatings from the wooden structures and, to prevent future deterioration, recoated the wood with a Heritage Natural Finish.

“I’m happy they chose me to kind of leave my mark on history,” said Pine Ridge Job Corps facilities maintenance student Trenton Allman, who was grateful for the opportunity to gain new skills while working on the restoration.

This effort to protect this treasured resource, constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, was welcomed by the Black Hills National Forest. The Tepee Work Center is an important reminder of the aesthetic cultural history of the Black Hills and it is one of four projects the forest selected for funding through the Great American Outdoors Act.

"GAOA is providing the Forest Service with the ability to realize much-needed historic preservation and deferred maintenance projects through the partnership," says Forest Service Heritage Program Manager Doug Stephens. "When completed, these projects will have long-term positive effects by contributing to heritage tourism and supporting local economies."

There is a significant need for craftsmen working in historic preservation and HistoriCorps’ partnership with the Job Corps Program engages young people—the next generation of stewards—in saving places for the public benefit. The students, in addition to learning hands-on preservation skills, are exposed to Forest Service lands which many of them have never experienced. Job Corps students learn first-hand about the historic recreational facilities on public lands while learning the skills necessary to repair and maintain them for all Americans to enjoy.

Job Corps students participating in this partnership also have the opportunity to earn a Historic Preservation Training Certificate from Bucks Community College. The students, all of whom are earning certification in a construction trade, earn college credits and complete a minimum of one historic preservation project field session. The combined activities of construction trade training, community college course work, and real world experience provide students with additional skills and credentials that could put them on a path to a career in historic preservation. Students also earn Public Land Corps hours on these projects, which puts them on a path to gain non‐competitive hiring status for career positions with the Forest Service.

For his part, Pine Ridge Job Corps painting student Alan Delano enjoyed achieving something tangible—something he could touch and feel that will be there for future generations. “I would like to learn as much as possible about preservation and the historic value of buildings,” said Delano. “I want to know what makes it historic and how to go about making  sure the building will be here for another 100+ years and then some.”

HistoriCorps enlisted Angell and Wolf Creek carpentry, bricklaying, masonry and facilities maintenance students to restore the Longbow Organization Camp on the Willamette National Forest last April. From July through September, Angell and Wolf Creek Job Corps crews are scheduled to complete work at the Santiam Pass Ski Lodge on the Willamette National Forest, another GAOA-funded project, and the International Order of Odd Fellows Cabins on the Deschutes National Forest.

These historic preservation projects are another example of how Forest Service Job Corps students support and conduct work that enhances the nation’s public lands while providing training and pathways to prosperity for underserved youth. The work of Civilian Conservation Centers directly supports Forest Service outcome-oriented goals of delivering benefits to the public and excelling as a high-performing agency while sustaining our nation’s forests and grasslands.