Green Lakes in January. Photo courtesy of Mary Rand.
We used to build things. In 1933, as part of President Franklin Roosevelt’s program to put Americans back to work in the midst of the Great Depression, men from the Civilian Conservation Corps traveled to Fayetteville with a purpose: the construction of Green Lakes State Park.
While the preservation of natural land for public use was nothing new, the state park was a fresh idea in 1933. Separate from the utilitarian needs of the National Forest system, and not as grandiose or selective as the National Park system, the state park was meant to serve as a more egalitarian outdoor meeting space. Individuals from local communities were provided fresh air, clear water and lush woods to enjoy, at a short car ride away.
The mission of the CCC was similar. While intended to complete needed work across the country, the program was just as meant to build confidence and working skills in otherwise listless young men left adrift by the depression. Workers in the CCC were paid, in today’s money, 600 dollars a month and given full room and board at their assignments. (For comparison, a full time New York minimum wage worker makes 2,000 dollars a month.)
One can imagine the voice and energy those men must have had, given the opportunity to hike, camp and live in a close-knit group for a year, near to home but still in connection to nature. They would spend their days swinging tools and building cabins, and their nights telling stories and eating hearty dinners. They must have formed lifelong friendships, built strength and skills and saved money to start fledgling careers that often lasted the rest of their lives. Many went on to serve in World War II. For the people in and outside of it, the CCC was such as success it was “too popular for criticism,” according to Rexford Tugwell, an advisor to Roosevelt.
The mission of the CCC was similar. While intended to complete needed work across the country, the program was just as meant to build confidence and working skills in otherwise listless young men left adrift by the depression.
Today, it is undeniable that the work of the CCC was well invested. Green Lakes sees over a million visitors annually, making it one of the most popular in Central New York. I visited the park three times in the summer, fall and winter of 2020. I saw a bustling green space that offered easy strolls, rigorous hikes, fun play areas, biking paths and natural wonders. The park preserves two of the nation’s few meromictic lakes, which are still lakes formed by glaciers that do not mix layers of water. These lakes are not only unique, but valuable evidence of geologic history, and their undisturbed bottoms may be used to observe climate trends in the distant past. Their preservation is in start contrast to the the winding farming fields of idyllic Central New York. I stood on Round Lake’s shore, among old growth woods, and could imagine the massive glacial water falls that formed the lakes in a time long gone.
In each visit, I came to reconnect with old friends, see family or adventure with my significant other. Each visit was also in the midst of scary, isolating events. For me, it was the upheaval of moving to Syracuse for the first time, weathering a worse-than-ever COVID spike, and witnessing an unpredictable, if brief, upheaval of political transition. The people around me came to the park to push strollers, enjoy fresh air, stay fit, run, camp and see the earth. They spoke different languages, represented different ages and had differing purposes, but we all shared the space with respect and ease. They too were likely troubled by events in the world and their own lives. The park represented both an escape from the outside world and a return to reality, for a simple couple of hours. We were all lucky to be in good health and to have the freedom to walk and share the air on a weekend afternoon, on land that had been held and crafted for our enjoyment.
While we enjoy Green Lakes today, we have forgotten the connection to crisis that built it. National unemployment is only half of the summer highs of 15%, but that is still nearly double compared to the rate in December of 2019. Students, who fit the 18-25 age range first employed by the CCC, are continuing to see losses in work study employment during COVID-19. Though eviction moratoriums are in place, without income relief for lost wages they are only deferring what will be a greater issue down the line.
The corps may secure another century of enjoyment and preservation for Green Lakes, or find and protect other natural areas that may become loved as much as Green Lakes. It would be a strong, visible figure of the fight against climate change, especially if staffed by young people, for whom climate change is a leading issue.
For those with or without work stoppage, students are experiencing elevated rates of social isolation and poor mental health. The stressors of college are only exacerbated by increased amounts of time indoors and behind a screen. While medically necessary, students are being denied social lives, family visitation and working relationships that are vital for development.
Now, more than ever, the lessons of the CCC must be taken to heed. President Joe Biden’s January 27th executive order mandates the creation of a Civilian Climate Corps that shall “mobilize the next generation of conservation and resilience workers and maximize the creation of accessible training opportunities and good jobs.” Such an investment must be handled well, and it must be instituted quickly. The program would do much to shine a light in the midst of the ongoing pandemic. According to the CDC, COVID-19 spreads less easily in the outdoors compared to poorly ventilated indoor spaces, making work in the outdoors a safer choice. There is no shortage of climate issues to be addressed as soon as possible. This is especially true close to home in the Adirondacks, where overuse and originally poor planning are causing degradation and erosion on some of New York’s best natural features. Invasive species, such as the Hemlock Wooly Adelgid are encroaching further into the Adirondack park, representing a serious threat to the otherwise well preserved ecology there.
Further, this corps must pay at least a 15 dollar minimum wage and it must be as broad as it possibly can be with its positions. While successors to the CCC exist, they are selective nonprofits that cannot offer the same width of experience as a government program might. It must have provisions for women, POC and LGBT applicants to be fully integrated (a failing of the original CCC.) Terms offered both for a summer and for a year could accommodate all that want to work while finishing their education. Particularly for those in Syracuse proper, a new conservation corps may bridge the gap between people isolated in the university bubble and people from the larger community.
The corps may secure another century of enjoyment and preservation for Green Lakes, or find and protect other natural areas that may become loved as much as Green Lakes. It would be a strong, visible figure of the fight against climate change, especially if staffed by young people, for whom climate change is a leading issue. Good wages would ensure a recoup of lost time during COVID and provide support for rent and living expenses. Lastly, it would allow a growing population of unemployed, disaffected young people trapped in their dorm rooms and apartments to reconnect with one another and their natural heritage.