Pieces of Hickory Run State Park are being revitalized by Pennsylvania’s youth this summer.

Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps is a statewide conservation program created through a partnership between the Student Conservation Association and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry.

Throughout the state, there are 17 youth crews consisting of two team leaders and 10 members. Crew members are between age 15 and 18 while the team leaders are 21 and older.

The six-week program runs from July 1 through Aug. 9. Youth crews work at different state parks and other outdoor locations during the six-week cycle.

Youth crew began work at Hickory Run on July 8. Currently, they are adding new timber boards near the base of the Boulder Field trail and making the trail more accessible leading to Hawk Falls.

To review their progress, Secretary of the DCNR Cindy Adams Dunn, Deputy Secretary for Parks and Forestry John Norbeck and Manager of Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps Michael Piaskowski visited the youth crew on Wednesday.

The program, which began in 2016, serves to accommodate the state’s natural landmarks, but it also allows the crew members to gain soft skills and become employable in whatever field of work they choose to enter.

“We want you to be successful in whatever you do in life,” Piaskowski said.

After the review, park ranger and supervisor of the youth crew Mark Scarpitti led Secretary Adams Dunn and the others in a shaded area full of rhododendrons for everyone to talk and learn about their different backgrounds.

“This program is about conservation work, but it’s also about what you do. Everyone has a different plan, and it’s important for us to network and follow up on each other,” Piaskowski said.

The visit from the secretary wasn’t a surprise — one of her duties is to visit every crew throughout the commonwealth.

“Some of my favorite days are to see the youth outdoor crew,” Secretary Adams Dunn said. “Engaging with young people is important — conservation is forever.”

The teenagers participating in the crew come from diverse backgrounds with varying future plans. All of them have a passion for the environment, but some of them plan to go to college, enter in a trade or join the military.

Crew members, who have only been together for a couple weeks, have developed friendships with each other. They enjoy the time spent together, but understand when it’s time to go to work. Many of them said they are no slackers on the crew which helps tremendously.