Federal Programs Support Diverse Environmental Workforce Opportunities for Veterans

The document outlines several federal programs that leverage veterans' skills for roles in land management, agriculture, and conservation. Key initiatives include the Veterans Fire Corps for wildland firefighting, the BattleGround to Breaking Ground program for farming and ranching in Texas, and the VetsWork and NOAA Veterans Corps Fisheries programs for natural resource management and habitat restoration across multiple U.S. states.

• The Veterans Fire Corps (VFC) trains veterans as AmeriCorps members to become certified type 2 firefighters, focusing on hazardous fuel projects and wildland fire suppression. In the California program, 53% of graduating veterans reported they have gained or are pursuing employment in wildland fire suppression.
• The Texas-based BattleGround to Breaking Ground (BGBG) program provides a three-phase training sequence in farm management and agriculture practices to help veterans start careers as farmers or ranchers. Since 2008, the program has served 712 veterans, and 100% of its graduates have either started or expanded agriculture operations.
• The VetsWork initiatives include 'Environment', a 45-week internship covering the Northwest and Southeast/Central U.S., and 'GreenCorps', a 13-week program based in the Umatilla National Forest focusing on wildfire landscape management and natural resource careers.
• The NOAA Veterans Corps Fisheries Program operates in California, Washington, and Oregon, providing training in habitat restoration and fisheries research. In California, participants have supported 279 restoration projects since May 2020, with some veterans subsequently securing employment with CAL FIRE, the USFS, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

APA

Yang, C. (2021). Federal Programs Support Diverse Environmental Workforce Opportunities for Veterans. Environmental and Energy Study Institute. https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/federal-programs-support-diverse-environmental-workforce-opportunities-for-veterans

Chicago

Yang, Celine. Federal Programs Support Diverse Environmental Workforce Opportunities for Veterans. Environmental and Energy Study Institute, 2021. https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/federal-programs-support-diverse-environmental-workforce-opportunities-for-veterans.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Yang |first1=Celine |title=Federal Programs Support Diverse Environmental Workforce Opportunities for Veterans |publisher=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |date=24 March 2021 |url=https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/federal-programs-support-diverse-environmental-workforce-opportunities-for-veterans |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{yang2021federal, author = {Yang, Celine}, title = {{Federal Programs Support Diverse Environmental Workforce Opportunities for Veterans}}, institution = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, year = {2021}, month = mar, url = {https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/federal-programs-support-diverse-environmental-workforce-opportunities-for-veterans}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }