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Monday, June 13, marked the arrival of five Youth Conservation Corps members at Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge in Milton, De. For eight weeks, the YCC program will provide opportunities for the youths to gain knowledge and work experience in the biological, public use, and maintenance programs at the refuge. In their three weeks of service, the YCC crew already has put up tree protection tubes at a reforestation site, recorded water level readings in impoundments, manually removed invasive species, banded ospreys, surveyed horseshoe crabs, and responded to a stranded loggerhead sea turtle. It has built picnic tables and trail benches, repaired boardwalks, and maintained public use areas. It has also provided routine maintenance, dug trenches for cables to the new shop area, dismantled an old boat dock for future repair, cleaned vehicles and performed preventive maintenance on equipment. The crew has worked with several members of the staff from each program area and, in the process, has gained considerable knowledge and new skills. In the coming weeks, the crew will continue to learn more about their local environment and the National Wildlife Refuge System, while providing invaluable service to the refuge.