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Rancho Cucamonga awarded $1.6M Californians for All Youth Service grant
Environment Jun 21, 2024
Redlands, San Bernardino, Colton, Fontana, and Rancho Cucamonga can be seen from Panorama Point. | Photo by Don Graham CC BY-SA 2.0
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The City of Rancho Cucamonga has been awarded the 2024 Youth Service Corps grant from the State of California Office of the Governor. With this $1.6 million grant, the city, in collaboration with the Southern California Mountains Foundation Urban Conservation Corps of the Inland Empire (UCC), will be launching a new program, “Fostering a Climate Ready Workforce,” on June 24, 2024.
This initiative aims to strengthen the capacity of the city to meet long-term climate-related outcomes, address public sector work shortages in the urban forestry and fire service workforce, and create career pathways to train skilled workers for urban forestry and fire service. Using a conservation corps model approach, the program will provide on-the-job field training on industry standards and best practices for urban forestry and (fire service) vegetation fuel management, along with support services for 41 underserved youth from the Inland Empire. These young individuals will contribute to the city’s long-term climate-related strategic goals while creating opportunities for future public service employment.
“We are thrilled to receive this grant which will not only enhance our environmental stewardship but also provide valuable career opportunities for our youth,” said Carrie Rios, community improvement manager, City of Rancho Cucamonga. “This program is a significant step towards building a more resilient and climate-ready community.”
The work will take place at high-need locations throughout the city and the Wildland Urban Interface and will focus on fuel reduction, trail and landscape maintenance, brush removal, and vegetation and litter abatement to ensure safe accessibility for the community and to reduce fire risk.
By engaging in these activities, participants will gain hands-on experience and industry-recognized certifications in urban forestry and vegetation management. This program is expected to significantly impact the participants by equipping them with skills that are in high demand, thereby enhancing their employability in public service and environmental conservation sectors.
