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Bill would give veterans opportunities

The Southwest Conservation Corps, a Durango-based program of Conservation Legacy, would like to thank Sen. Ellen Roberts for introducing Senate Bill 205, which would enable the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention & Control to utilize the state’s wildfire preparedness fund to create and/or sustain firefighting and fuels-mitigation crews consisting of post-Sept. 11-era U.S. veterans. The bill does not increase the funding available to DFPC, but rather it adds Veterans’ Fire Corps programs as another potential use of existing funding. On behalf of the Colorado conservation corps serving veterans, staff from the Colorado Youth Corps Association testified on the combined impact that Colorado corps programs have had working with veterans and the resulting improvements to public lands that these veterans have achieved.

As an organization that has been serving this demographic since 2009, Conservation Legacy has provided wildland fire training, certifications and job skills to more than 200 post-Sept. 11 U.S. veterans through it Veterans Fire Corps programs. This experience, coupled with career support services provided by SCC, has successfully assisted more than 90 individuals in landing seasonal and permanent jobs with local, state and federal agencies in wildland fire and natural-resource management. Additionally, more than 3,800 acres of fuel breaks have been created in the wildland-urban interface in Southwest Colorado, furthering the safety of our communities against catastrophic wildland fire.

Conservation Legacy is a national nonprofit organization established in 1998 that is dedicated to supporting locally based conservation service programs that empower individuals to positively impact their lives, their communities and the environment. In 2014, Conservation Legacy served more than 800 youth, young adults and recent era U.S. veterans. More than 240 of these individuals worked and served in the state of Colorado this past year. Sen. Roberts continues to be an advocate for veteran and youth programs in Southwest Colorado, and SB 205 will allow for important career opportunities for valued veterans in our state.

Kevin Heiner

Durango



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