Celebrating 30 years of service to California

Date: 11/20/2006

The first to lend a hand in saving a life or shaping one, the Association of Conservationist Employees (ACE) performs a public service unique among state governments anywhere.

The men and women of ACE train and supervise at-risk youths who come to the California Conservation Corps (CCC) looking for a better path to start out on in life. These ACE-trained 18- to 25-year-olds who are seeking guidance and direction in their lives are given a chance at developing skills and building self-esteem in some of the most life-threatening and back-breaking ways possible.

The CCC has become one of the most important components in the state’s disaster response efforts. ACE and the young adults it supervises assist in fighting fires, cleaning oil spills, and joining in flood and earthquake relief efforts. When not pitching in with disasters, ACE and its students also cut brush, thin forests, and reduce fuel loads. Some of the most satisfying work the CCC does is restore trails and bridges in state parks and make those scenic vistas accessible to the handicapped, as well.

Many a firefighter look fondly upon a CCC truck when it rolls up, since they too received a head start in their careers from the conservation corps. Not all CCC graduates go on to related fields; some even find their artistic side while in the corps, such as the rapper Coolio.

The California Conservation Corps is the oldest conservation corps in the world. Former Democratic Governor Jerry Brown created the CCC 30 years ago. Among its directors was Sacramento icon B.T. Collins, a Republican. For many, the CCC was considered a crown jewel of government and a model for other states to follow for its wise use of tax money to both give at-risk kids a hand up in life while using their labor to assist in the conservation of the state’s natural resources.

Legislative neglect and administrative unconcern, however, have imperiled the future existence of the CCC. Where it once operated 15 residential facilities, it now has only seven. When it once had more than 2,000 young adults enrolled in the program, it has around half of that today. The conservationists who make up ACE are down to 150 with another 20 losses expected by early 2007.

Conservationists are some of the longest-lasting employees in state government, putting in 15 to 30 years of service. The store of knowledge the members of ACE have is one of California’s greatest intellectual assets.