http://action.sierraclub.org/site/MessageViewer?em_id=113303.0FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 8, 2009
Contact: Kristina Johnson,
541-914-9744
Sierra Club Applauds
Interior Dept. for Getting Kids
Outside
Salazar Establishes
Office of Youth in Natural Resources
Washington, D.C.-Today, Interior
Secretary Ken Salazar announced his agency
will establish a new office
dedicated to getting youth outdoors.
Salazar, joined by White House
Advisor Valerie Jarrett and hundreds of
children, signed a Secretarial Order
to officially establish an Office of
Youth at the Department of Interior. The
announcement followed a youth
fishing event at Constitution Gardens on the
National Mall.
“Salazar’s announcement signals a firm commitment by the
new administration
to get youth back outdoors,” says Carl Pope, Executive
Director of the
Sierra Club. “A modern Youth Conservation Corps will create
new
opportunities for underserved youth to explore and protect their
public
lands and will instill in them a lifelong affinity for the
outdoors.”
The creation of an Office of Youth is the first step toward
fulfilling
Salazar’s vision of establishing a 21st Century Youth Conservation
Corps.
The 21st Century YCC will be modeled after the Civilian Conservation
Corps
of the 1930s. The new Corps will encourage participation from women
and
minority populations.
“The next generation of would-be outdoor
enthusiasts is growing up watching
television and playing video games instead
of climbing trees, fishing
streams, and skipping stones,” says Sierra Club
National Youth Director,
Martin LeBlanc. “Secretary Salazar's message was
clear. Children benefit
from regular contact with the natural world. The new
Office of Youth will
improve the lives of youth across the nation while
preparing a new diverse
and dedicated generation of public lands employees
and enthusiasts.”
The Office of Youth in Natural Resources will be led by
Bob Stanton, the
new Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy Management and
Budget. For more
information, go to:
http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/060809a.html