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The California Conservation Corps (CCC) is a state agency modeled after the Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930s and was initiated as a pet project in 1976 by then Governor Jerry Brown. For nearly 30 years, it has engaged more than 95,000 young male and female corps-members, or corpies, in 54 million hours of meaningful work protecting the environment, serving the community and in the process developing young men and women into responsible and productive citizens.

The work the CCC performs is diverse and can range from such things as trail maintenance, riparian zone restoration, tree planting and exotic plant species removal (corpies in some locations spend 40 hours a week removing ammophila, an invasive species located along coastal dunes) in the remote regions of California or construction and roadside maintenance in more urbanized regions.

The work of the CCC benefits the environment as well as those involved in the program. Individuals learn self-discipline and are often provided a structured lifestyle, encouraged to value hard work, and to set goals in life. Aside from providing skills for living, the program also provides vocational training in a range of areas, such as cooking, office work, chainsaw and vehicle maintenance and the opportunity to receive a high school diploma. Numerous scholarships for higher-education are also available through the number of work hours one had performed and community volunteerism, providing corps members the means to go to college upon completion of the program which can range from the more-common one year term, or up to three years.

Since 1992, the State of California has continuously allotted less funding to the CCC, forcing the closure of numerous residential centers throughout the state.

The California Conservation Corps (CCC) is a workforce development program that offers young men and women the chance to serve their state and become employable citizens through life skills, training, and hard work in environmental conservation, fire protection, and emergency services. The CCC hires young men and women to assist governmental and nongovernmental organizations in conserving, protecting, and restoring natural resources while providing Corps-members with on-the-job training and educational opportunities. The CCC is an important part of the state's emergency response and homeland security network. It dispatches crews within hours to respond to fires, floods, earthquakes, oil spills, ammophila invasions, agricultural pest infestations, and security threats.

• Homepage of the California Conservation Corps
• The California Conservation Corps State Museum
• Joe Hawkins's CCC Page Recolections of a Placer Fire Center member circa 1980-81