Impact on Lives and Landscapes


Youth conservation corps don’t just conserve Colorado’s land, water, and energy resources – they change lives.

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In 2022, here was our impact on Lives:

60%

Of corpsmembers were low-income

29%

Of our members belonged to an ethnic minority

49%

Of corpsmembers served in AmeriCorps

  • 291 corpsmembers earned First Aid and CPR certifications
  • 57 corpsmembers earned Wilderness First Aid or Wilderness First Responder certifications
  • 307 corpsmembers certified in S-212 Wildland Fire Chainsaws
  • 73 corpsmembers certified as wildland firefighters

And in 2022, here was our impact on Land:

12,487

Trees and plants planted

335

Miles of trail built or maintained

  • 1,678 households received energy and water-saving measures in their homes
  • 1,007 feet of trail bridges constructed
  • 71 miles of fencing constructed, maintained, or removed
  • 9,279 feet of rock wall constructed
  • 5,294 acres thinned to reduce threat of uncontrolled wildland fire
  • 993 rock and wood steps constructed
  • 118 campsites maintained
  • 16,429 invasive weeds removed
  • Energy and water savings from these measures is equivalent to taking 150 cars off the road and 25.8 million gallons of water saved – equivalent of 39 Olympic-size pools of water!
  • These measures reduced air pollution equal to 8,526 acres of forest-absorbing CO2

Since Our Founding:

$36 Million

Raised to support conservation efforts by corps in Colorado

45,897

Miles of trail built or maintained by corps

626

Miles of fence built or maintained by corps

425,000

Hazard trees removed

$7.4m

Value of CYCA’s AmeriCorps grants that have provided more than 4,850 Education Awards collectively for future tuition or to pay down existing student loans


Additional Report Statistics

“The economic benefits of Great Outdoors Colorado and the Conservation Trust Fund” by The Trust for Public Land, January 2018

Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) has invested $1 million each year in corps since 2011; as of January 2018:

  • 321 projects complete
  • 50 miles of trail construction
  • 85 miles of trail improvements
  • 100 miles of fencing construction and maintenance
  • 13,600 trees planted
  • 200 acres of invasive tamarisk mitigation

From 2011 to 2016, TPL conservatively estimates that the GOCO/CYCA partnership has resulted in the following savings to communities through the GOCO investment in corps:

  • $127,000 for trail construction
  • $216,000 for trail maintenance
  • $67,100 for fence construction
  • $264,000 for fence maintained
  • $40,700 for trees planted
  • $46,000 for hazard trees removed
  • $711,000 for tamarisk removed
  • $1,471,800 in total savings to local communities over 6 year period

2013 Public Lands Service Coalition Evaluation Report, Winter 2013, Brigham Young University and North Carolina State University

As a result of their corps program experience:

  • Corpsmembers’ growth over comparison group was 369% in community engagement
  • 386% more growth in environmental engagement
  • 569% more growth in leadership
  • 248% more growth in self-responsibility
  • 336% more growth in critical thinking
  • Corpsmembers identified the opportunity to gain new knowledge and skills as most important to them about their experience
  • Corpsmembers demonstrated growth in interest in obtaining additional education
  • Corpsmembers demonstrated growth in confidence to gain employment

2012 Public Lands Service Coalition Evaluation Report, Winter 2012, Brigham Young University and North Carolina University

As a result of their corps program experience, corpsmembers’ growth over the comparison group was 400% higher in community engagement, teamwork, leadership, and critical thinking.


“Conservation Corps Project Analysis”, Fall 2012, conducted by Booz Allen Hamilton on behalf of National park Service Facility Management Division

  • On average, using conservation crews instead of NPS crews saved 65%
  • The savings using conservation corps instead of contractor crews showed an average savings of 83% and over $130,000 per project
  • In general, conservation corps crews were consistently the least expensive alternative