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NRE Under Secretary Wilkes visits Trapper Creek Job Corps Center

June 24, 2022

Homer Wilkes, a student at Job Corps Center, center director & national job corps director on front porch of administration building.
Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment Dr. Homer Wilkes, Trapper Creek Job Corps Student Government Association President Brennan Williams, Trapper Creek Job Corps Center Director Bryan Wilson and Job Corps National Director Jerry Ingersoll on the porch of the center Administration Building at the start of a center tour June 7, 2022. USDA Forest Service photo by Brian Shay.

COLORADO—Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment Dr. Homer Wilkes visited Trapper Creek Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center in Darby, Montana, June 7 and received a warm reception from its students and staff. They were honored that Wilkes carved out hours out of his hectic schedule to explore their center so soon after being sworn in on Feb. 11.

Welcomed on-center by Trapper Center Director Bryan Wilson and Job Corps National Director Jerry Ingersoll, Wilkes arrived with a contingent of executive level NRE staff eager to learn more about the Forest Service Job Corps program.

Homer Wilkes and others observe students in the masonry trade.
Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment Dr. Homer Wilkes (wearing ball cap) learns more about the masonry trade as he watches students Benito Cortez and Francisco Palma prepare to construct concrete steps for a dormitory entrance under the supervision of masonry instructor Clint Skinner. USDA Forest Service photo by Brian Shay.

Prior to the initial meet and greet, all arriving first had to answer screening questions and have their temperatures taken as part of COVID-19 safety protocols. That taken care of, Wilson provided an overview of center operations before turning the tour over to Student Government President Brennan Williams.

Wilkes witnessed first-hand the transformational impact a center can have on a young person’s life. When he questioned students about what kept them at Trapper, they responded popcorn style with a range of answers. The disparate answers could be crystallized down to having the opportunity to not only train for a career, but to transform their life.

“I’m glad I got the opportunity to meet and speak with Under Secretary Wilkes,” said Welding student Brandon Roy. “It’s been a long journey for me. I was immature when I arrived at Trapper and thought about leaving the program. Staff and student leaders had long conversations with me about the benefits of staying and graduating from the program. I’m thankful they did.”

Roy walked down the aisle to graduate and receive his high school June 13. He happily shared a fist-bump with Wilkes.

Wilkes asked SGA President Brennan Williams to explain the advantages of Trapper Creek for disenfranchised youth. Williams responded that it was a place for them to change their lives. Even living just down the road from Trapper, he did not know what to expect when he enrolled. Williams quickly realized that he had found a home. “Trapper Creek is full of opportunities and full of people—both staff and students—that care for each other and help each other grow.”

Homer Wilkes talks to student government president at Trapper Creek Job Corps.
Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment Dr. Homer Wilkes (wearing ball cap) speaks with Trapper Creek Job Corps students Devin George and Casey Montoya during a center tour June 7, 2022. USDA Forest Service photo by Brian Shay.

Not only did Williams find success in his trade, but he also spent summer 2021 working as a Wildland Firefighter Type 2, going out on seven assignments. Williams has a pending enlistment into the U.S. Coast Guard with plans to become a rescue swimmer.

Wilkes and his entourage learned how all centers are called on to assist national forests and grasslands with completing critical project work that would otherwise go undone in such areas as facilities maintenance, recreation and wilderness stewardship. At this very moment, the program is displaying its surge capacity with 118 students deployed across the country as FFT2s, expanded dispatchers and camp crew members.

Welding instructor Kris Johnson described the vast array of welding projects his students completed for forest, including gates, cattle guards and fire pits. “The kids here make it worth it. Watching the light come on and watching them learn and grow,” said Johnson. “It’s not the money. Here you have to be part counselor, part life coach and part instructor and make it all work for each student to the best of your ability.”

“Thank you for your drive in pushing students and teaching them,” Wilkes responded. “The students need this. I’ve been very impressed with what I’ve seen today at the center!”

Trapper Creek Job Corps Center has the capacity to serve 185 students who support and conduct work that enhances the nation’s public lands. The Forest Service Job Corps program provides leading-edge social, educational and conservation training for underserved youth who go on to begin successful careers and support the nation’s economy.

Group photo outside Trapper Creek Job Corps Center administration building.
Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment Dr. Homer Wilkes (fourth from the left) and NRE executive staff participate in a group photo with Job Corps National Director Jerry Ingersoll (sixth from the left) and Trapper Creek Job Corps students and staff June 7, 2022. USDA Forest Service photo by Brian Shay.
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