The Public Land Corps was authorized by the National and Community Service Trust Act on May 27, 1993, H.R. 2328, as a combination of the Youth Conservation Corps and the defunct Young Adult Conservation Corps. With this program, the National Park Service expands youth service opportunities to carry out needed repair and restoration projects in national parks. Funding for the PLC programs are derived from the collection of the 20% Recreational Fee Demonstration Program, which initiated PLC in 1997.

While working in partnership with nonprofit youth organizations, Youth Programs provides the opportunity for environmental education, mentoring, counseling, and career development curricula, as well as accomplishing needed work in the parks. The nonprofit organizations also help the NPS in its efforts to reach out and attract more diverse audiences to parks by recruiting youth of all socioeconomic, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds. The age range for the PLC program is 16-25, and the participants may serve either in crews or as individuals. Older participants with appropriate qualifications may serve in a supervisory position for younger participants.

The uniqueness about this program is that it is managed and recruited for by nonprofit organizations, such as the Student Conservation Association (SCA) and the Corps Network, and a variety of partners from local communities such as Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, local high schools, and job training youth organizations. These organizations in turn receive funding from NPS. The projects must be on the park's backlogged maintenance, restoration, repair or rehabilitation list in order to qualify for a $20,000 grant for each project.

For more information concerning this program, contact the Youth Programs Division at (202) 513-7146.