Open fires are prohibited throughout the park from midnight to 4 p.m., beginning Feb. 15 through April 30, per the 4 p.m. Burning Law. This includes wood and charcoal. Gas is permissible. Campground fires are allowed during the restricted time if a camp host is on duty and signage to that effect is posted in the campground. Failure to observe the 4 p.m. Burning Law can result in a fine. Contact the Park Office for additional information.

Youth Conservation Corps


Youth Conservation Corps

Photos

Flicker photos for YCC

Overview of the YCC

Virginia State Parks Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) is a two-week, residential program consisting of work projects during weekdays and environmental education and adventure opportunities on weeknights and weekends. Ten Crew Members live at each park with three to four adult Crew Leaders. Crews are divided into male and female groups. The crew learns to live and work as a team of diverse individuals.

  • Session 1: June 15-28, 2025
  • Session 2: July 6-19, 2025

Applications for the Youth Conservation Corps program can be completed electronically. Navigate the side menu tabs to learn more about YCC opportunities and stay connected via Facebook at @VAStateParksYCC.

** Join us for a Crew Member Application Session! Friday, Feb. 28, 2025, 5 p.m. on Microsoft Teams. Join here.

  • Applications for Crew Member positions will be accepted from January 1, 2025, to March 15, 2025.

  • Applications for Crew Leader positions are now open and will be reviewed on a rolling basis until all positions are filled.

YCC members at York River State Park

HISTORY OF THE YCC

YCC was developed after the success of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) program, created by Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933. This program for men, ages 18 through 25, provided a paid opportunity to travel and complete projects on public lands. CCC crews built much of the original infrastructure in Virginia’s six original state parks that opened in 1936. Like their CCC predecessors, YCC crews work on public lands maintaining trails and constructing legacy projects that will serve Virginia State Parks’ guests for years to come.

Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation’s Division of State Parks adopted a two-year pilot YCC program in 2000. During each of those two years, there was only one crew at one park, but the program expanded to upwards of sixteen crews each summer. The pilot program informed the Virginia State Parks Youth Conservation Corps (VSPYCC) as it was until 2022. In 2023, the program was updated and shortened to two weeks, and a greater emphasis was placed on career development and conservation education.

The mission of YCC is to connect Virginia's youth with the natural world through a structured program of meaningful service projects on public lands. Youth build trails, friendships, environmental literacy and self-confidence as they work to preserve access to the outdoors for generations to come.

YCC members at Natural Bridge State Park