Lake Conservation Corps crew installing a rain garden on Back Lake in
Pittsburg last summer to prevent pollution from storm water runoff
between the lake and the road.
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Concord, NH – Just in time for the busy lake season, the New Hampshire Lakes Association (NH LAKES) has been chosen to receive American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Workforce Investment Act Youth stimulus funds to provide participating disadvantaged youth with six weeks of academic and occupational learning focused on lake protection and “green jobs” in the communities of Laconia, Lebanon, Meredith and Pittsburg.
"We're so proud to have been chosen as part of ARRA's efforts on the ground here in New Hampshire," said NH LAKES President Jared Teutsch, "it's a wonderful opportunity to reach out to a new group of kids interested in protecting our lakes. Getting youth involved in environmental issues within their own communities is really the key to keeping lakes healthy in the long run. ”
From late June to mid-August, NH LAKES’ “Summer Youth Employment Program for Lake Protection” will employ approximately 36 youth for 15 hours a week through its existing Lake HostTM Program (conducting courtesy boat inspections and boater education to prevent the spread of invasive exotic aquatic weeds), and as Crew Members of current and future Lake Conservation CorpsSM projects (improving water quality of lakes through hands-on shoreline and watershed restoration). The youth will also be provided with five hours of academic instruction each week, learning about lake ecology, watershed management and protection, and green jobs.
Working in partnership with schools in the four target towns, NH LAKES staff will coordinate job sites at local boat ramps, and bring in respected lake management and environmental professionals to meet with the crews each week. “It’s a neat way for kids to earn money and it’s a great educational opportunity to do something real,” explains Andrea LaMoreaux, Education Director for NH LAKES, “I think the aspect of having environmental professionals come in to lead hands-on activities and training is going to give them a new perspective on what they each can do to protect our state’s natural resources. It’s great career training—these jobs are important jobs to New Hampshire.
A recent economic study coordinated by NH LAKES revealed that the economic impact of swimming, fishing and boating in our surface waters generates $378 million in sales, $134 million in income annually and provides 5,990 jobs.
This summer, make that 6,026 jobs.
NH LAKES is a statewide, nonprofit, member-supported organization headquartered in Concord. The organization is dedicated to protecting New Hampshire's lakes, which are integral to the quality of life and economic health of the State. NH LAKES serves as a source of information about lakes and lake issues through educational materials and programs, and through its work with state legislators advocating on issues of water quality, boater education and boating safety, invasive species prevention, appropriate public access and a balance of lake uses.
For more information on the organization’s lake protection efforts across the state, please visit www.nhlakes.org.
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