The CCC's and the dawn of conservation

Published in the Idaho State Journal and Blackfoot Morning News week of April 24, 2010


As we say goodbye to another Earth Day, I am captivated by the story of how conservation and environmental-mindedness got started in the US. What takes this story over the top, at least for me, is it is also the story of a dynamic and powerful employment movement. While short-lived, this conservation and labor experiment saved the spirits of hundreds of thousands of unemployed people and their families during the Great Depression, while also saving and preserving the environment for future generations of farmers and outdoor enthusiasts. This project was the Civilian Conservation Corps.

It was the mid-1930’s and economic and environmental crises wreaked havoc on the entire country in a perfect storm. A dust storm, to be exact. A dust storm that started in Oklahoma and ended in the Atlantic Ocean after darkening the skies of Washington D.C. Due to naïve farming practices (Erosion control? Crop rotating? What’s that?) and the false lure of perennially lush farmland, drought and wind over the course of a few short years blew all the topsoil away. Blew it into the sky, into homes, into schools, into deep drifts that buried fences and tractors.

The Dust Bowl of the Depression era spurred environmentalist and President Franklin Delano Roosevelt into action. He developed the Civilian Conservation Corps as one of his “alphabet soup” employment programs to get people back to work, and to get the states affected by the Dust Bowl back from the brink of environmental disaster. Workers in the CCC received $5 for themselves and $20-25 for their families each month. They carried out erosion control initiatives, they planted trees. All across the West, CCC units built trails, cleared natural debris, cut ridges into hillsides to improve water retention and reduce flooding. They slept in army barracks, dressed in military clothes, woke up early and broke a sweat all day long in the great outdoors—an outdoors they were protecting with their own two hands.

CCC alumni are in their 80’s and 90’s now—and they’ll tell you their time with the CCC was the best of times. Sure, there was no money. So what? Their families were getting needs met, they were working hard and taking pride in a job well done. They felt valuable, they felt good about themselves, they felt a part of something important. What a wonderful, if rare, example of government helping the common citizen where it really, really counts. What ultimately pulled us out of the Great Depression was WW II, but the CCC was a unique moment in time where we were shown that what is good for the planet is good for the country, and good for the soul.

As we put away the Earth Day presents, take down the Earth Day decorations, and shop the Earth Day clearance sales, think about how taking part in appreciating and healing the planet might be an activity in healing yourself in some way. Maybe you’ll plant a veggie garden and eat healthier food as a result. Maybe you’ll volunteer some time to pull an elderly neighbor’s weeds from the lawn, improving a relationship and improving your neighborhood. The CCC experience was that of living simply and living well, while improving this country’s human and natural resources. Whatever you choose to do to this end, do it with passion and commitment, and your inner and outer worlds will be better as a result. Onward!


Nancy Goodman is a licensed counselor with an emphasis on life and career coaching. For questions or to schedule a free consultation (in person or over the telephone), please contact Nancy at 208-478-1414 or goodnanc@yahoo.com. Past columns available at http://vocatusidaho.blogspot.com.