Conservation Camp chronology

1947 ~ 19581959 ~ 1960196119621964 ~ 1968 Conservation Centers 1969 ~ 1971 1972 ~ 19881989 ~ 2007

1946

Rainbow Camp in San Diego County opens 10/1/1946

1947

Minnewawa Camp opens near Jamul in San Diego County 5/1/1947

1948

1949

Parlin Fork near Fort Bragg in Mendocino County on 8/17/1949

Oak Glen Camp east of Beaumont in San Bernardino County opens 9/13/1949

Miramonte Camp in eastern Fresno County opens 9/15/1949

Slack Canyon Camp near San Miguel in Monterey County opens 10/3/1949

Magalia Camp near Paradise in Butte County opens 10/10/1949

Iron Mine Camp near Auburn in Placer County opens 11/1/1949

1950

1951

1952

Parlin Fork CDC Blasingame CYA Slack Canyon CDC

Magalia CDC Miramonte CDC Ben Lomond CYA

Pine Grove CYA Coarsegold CYA Oak Glen CDC

Dew Drop CYA Mariposa CYA Minnewawa CDC

Iron Mine CDC Hammond CYA Rainbow CDC

Blanchard CYA Mt. Home CYA

1954

Mt. Home Camp opens near Springville in Tulare County in the summer only 3/9/1954

Mt. Home Camp closes in the winter and the men and equipment relocate to the Coalinga CDF Forest Fire Station in the winter.

1955

Camp 1 Minnewawa 63 IM 9 miles from Jamul San Diego Co

Camp 2 Rainbow 64 IM 10 miles from Temecula

Camp 3 Oak Glen 60 IM

Camp 4 Slack Canyon 63 IM 20 miles east of San Lucas

Camp 5 Miramonte 60IM

Camp 6 Parlin Fork 64 IM

Camp 7 Iron Mine 63IM 8 miles N/E of Auburn

Camp 8 Magalia 12 miles north of Paradise

Camp 9 Morena 60IM 6 miles north of Campo

Camp 10A Mountain Home 15 miles N/E of Springville

Camp 10B Coalinga 32IM ½ mile west of Coalinga

Camp 11 High Rock 32 IM

Camp 12 Vallecito

Camp 21 Harvey Valley 38 miles north of Susanville

Camp 22 Grizzley 22 miles NW of Davis Creek Modoc Co.

Camp 23 Graeagle 8.6 miles from Vinton, Plumas Co.

Camp 24 Strawberry 2 miles from Pinecrest in Tuolumne Co.

Camp 25 Eureka Diggins 10 miles from Downieville in Sierra Co.

Camp 36 Burnt Ranch 64IM 15 miles east of Willow Creek Trinity County

Camp 37 Cedar Springs 86IM Div of Hwys 39 miles east of La Canada on Hwy #2

Camp 39 Davis Creek 55 Inmates

C.A. Brown Rainbow CC

J.N. Clark Miramonte

Jack Cullumber High Rock

Neil Edmonds Magalia

R. A. Groninger Oak Glen

W. R. Hunt Parlin Fork

W.E. Merle Iron Mine

Stanley Moe Minnewawa

H.C. Rowland Morena

C.W Wilcher Slack Canyon

E. Pennington Ben Lomond

Oliver Huberty Pine Grove

James Stokes Coarsegold CYA

1956

Camp 11 High Rock

Camp 12 Vallecito

Camp 12S Beaver Creek 3 miles SE of Arnold

Camp 25 21 Miles NE of Groveland Tuolumne Co.

Camp 42 Preston Ranch 14 miles NE of Blue Lake Humboldt Co

Camp 37 39 miles E/O La Canada

Camp 41 Clear Creek 8 Miles SW of Happy Camp

CDC Administrative Manual Inmate Wages

$25.00 per month for project labor

$18.00 per month for assignments requiring overtime or special sills, such as second cook, kitchen helper, clerk and maintenance man

$20.00 per month for first cook or other assignments requiring unusual skill, responsibility and overtime.

Forestry camp inmates who engage in fire-fighting activities shall receive additional compensation at the rate of $.30 for each hour worked in excess of the regular eight hours.

1957

Camp 21 8 miles n/o Susanville 6IM June 15-Oct 15 1957

Camp 22 22 miles n/w of Davis Creek Modoc Co 56 IM June 15-Oco 10, 1957

Camp 23 Peterson Ridge Yuba Co. near Eagleville 56 IM June 7-Oct 10, 1957

Camp 24 Glen Meadows 8 miles from Pine Ridge Fresno Co 31 IM July 1- Sept. 30

Camp 25 8 miles NE of Buck Meadows Tuolumne 31 IM June 15-Oct 15, 1957

Camp 26 Sugar Pine 14 mi NE of Foresthill 31 June 15-Oct 15

EFF Crews 1957

CIM Chino 60 men

CIM Tehachapi 60 men

San Quentin 100 men

Folsom 35 men

Soledad 95 men

Men’s Colony San Luis Obispo 100 men

Administrative Bulletin 56/7

Inmates may be recommended by the Institutional Classification Committee at several prisons for the camp program………………

(D) If the inmate is serving a life sentence, he has completed three or more years in prison.

1959

THE NAME

The “camp” program underwent many important changes during the year ending December 31, 1959. The title “Honor Camps” was replaced with the more appropriate “Conservation Camps”. The change is in recognition of the primary function of the camps, to deal with the conservation and development of both natural and human resources.

THE CAMPS

Five new permanent camps were established during the year - Crystal Creek, Puerta La Cruz, Chamberlain Creek, Pilot Rock and Los Gatos Canyon. This brings to 18 the number of Conservation Camps operated with the Department of Corrections. Three main camps and 3 “spike” camps are operated with the Department of the Youth Authority. The 1594 inmates and 265 wards, a total of 1859 men, are assigned to the following camps which were in operation on December 31, 1959.

In cooperation with the California Department of Corrections

Camp Name Town County Est. Population

Rainbow Temecula San Diego 10-1-46 64

Minnewawa Jamul San Diego 5-1-47 84

Parlin Fork Fort Bragg Mendocino 8-17-49 108

Oak Glen Yucaipa San Bernardino 9-13-49 84

Miramonte Miramonte Fresno 9-15-49 84

Slack Canyon San Miguel Monterey 10-3-49 84

Magalia Magalia Butte 10-10-49 84

Iron Mine Auburn Placer 11-1-49 84

1959 Continues

Mt. Home (Summer) Springville Tulare 3-9-54 (30)

Coalinga (Winter) Coalinga Fresno 3-9-54 30

High Rock Weott Humboldt 8-16-54 84

Morena Campo San Diego 10-1-54 84

Beaver Creek (S) Arnold Tuolumne 4-26-55 (60)

Folsom Lake (W) Represa Sacramento 12-1-59 80

Vallecito Angels Camp Calaveras 3-17-58 104

Crystal Creek Whiskeytown Shasta 4-1-59 104

Puerta La Cruz Warner Springs San Diego 4-1-59 124

Chamberlain Creek Fort Bragg Mendocino 6-8-59 104

Pilot Rock Crestline San Bernardino 12-1-59 104

Los Gatos Cyn. Coalinga Fresno 12-1-59 104

Total Inmates 1,594

In Cooperation with the California Youth Authority:

Camp Name Town County Est. Population

Pine Grove Pine Grove Amador 9-25-45 70

Smartsville Spike Yuba 3-14-52 20

Ben Lomond Ben Lomond Santa Cruz 5-1-47 70

Mt. Bullion Mariposa Mariposa 5-1-56 65

Coarsegold Spike Madera 9-1-45 20

Blassingame Spine Fresno 11-50 20

Total Ward Strength 265

Total Population all Forestry Conservation Camps 1,859

This is an increase of about 80% over the population at the start of the year. A substantial portion of this increase was the result of opening the five new camps. The remainder of the increase was the result of both temporary and permanent expansions in the existing camps. The 60 man camps, except Rainbow, went to 80 and then 84, the 80 man camps went to 100, then 104, with Puerta La Cruz increasing to 124. The permanent expansions at Miramonte, Morena, Iron Mine and High Rock included additions to the dining rooms and inmate barracks.

THE WORK

In 1959, nearly 3 million man hours of ward and inmate labor were pent on various conservation projects. 22% or almost 650 thousand of these man hours of effort were devoted to the control of forest fires which stands out as the most extensive single activity. Projects other than fighting forest fires include:

Develop and maintenance of State park and forest camp and recreational areas. Erosion Control.

Forest insect control work.

THE FUTURE

Camps under construction include;

Plum Creek (Ishi) in District II, to open May, 1960

Don Lugo in. District VI, to open September, 1960

Mt. Home in District IV, to open Sept., 1960.

Alder in District I, to open in December, 1960.

Washington Ridge in District III, to open in May, 1961.

Intermountain in District II, to open in April, 1961.

Sites are being processed

Fort Spruce Grove Conservation Camp in Lake County.

Deadwood Conservation Camp in Siskiyou County.

Three complete mobile camps, each consisting of 19 trailers to provide complete facilities for camps of 40 men, are scheduled to open in Districts I, II and IV during the summer of 1960, Bids have been let for the manufacture of these units which were designed specifically for this use. These camps will permit work in isolated or other areas where the continuity of workload will not justify setting up a permanent camp.

Another innovation in the Conservation Camp program is the plan to transport at least part of the regular crews in buses. Twenty-four buses are now on order. These units, specially designed for the job, will be added to the transportation fleet in the camps to provide more effective movement of the Conservation Camp crews

1961

THE DIVISION OF FORESTRY IN THE CONSERVATION CAMP PROGRAM 1961

The California Conservation Camp Program in which selected wards of the Department of the Youth Authority and inmates of the Department of Corrections are employed on conservation projects under supervision of the California Division of Forestry continued to expand in 1961.

· Don Lugo Conservation Camp near Chino, completed in 1960, was opened and received the first of 80 inmates on January 16, 1961.

· Alder Conservation Camp near Klamath in Norte County, a current standard 80 man camp, was opened on March 18, 1961.

· Washington Ridge Youth Conservation Camp near Nevada City in NevadaCounty, built to accommodate 80 wards in structures patterned after the Mt. Bullion Youth Conservation Camp design, was completed and first occupied onSeptember 11, 1961. Dedication ceremonies were conducted on November 4, 1961, at an "open house" attended by over 300 interested citizens from the areain which this camp's influence will be felt.

Lt. Governor Glenn M., Anderson was principal speaker at the Washington Ridge Dedication. Other, were: Reverend Noble; Richard McGee, Administrator Youth and Adult Corrections Agency; Senator Ronald G. Cameron; Heman Stark, Director, Department of the Youth Authority; Ed Bolder, Deputy Director, Department of Conservation; Harold A. Berliner, District Attorney, Nevada County; Reverend Daly; Francis H. Raymond, State Forester.

Adjustments were made in the total population by the elimination (with three exceptions noted below) of "temporary increases" which had resulted in some uncomfortable overcrowding made necessary by the expansion of the program in 1959.

Magalia Conservation Camp in Butte County, built in 1949 to accommodate 60 inmates remains at 80 with provision being made for a permanent expansion to this capacity in the near future.

Vallecito Conservation Camp near Angels Camp in Calaveras County continues to maintain a temporary population of 100, 20 over the normal capacity.

Oak Glen Conservation Camp near Yucaipa in San Bernardino County remains at80 although designed to accommodate a 60 man work force. All other camps at the end of 1961 were at their normal population level, as originally designed or modified. There were, operated jointly by the Division of Forestry:

In cooperation with the Department of Corrections:

21 permanent Conservation Camps with 1620 inmates

3 mobile Conservation Camps with 120 inmates

In cooperation with the Department of the Youth Authority:

4 permanent Youth Conservation Camps 285 wards

3 spike Youth Conservation Camps

60 wards TOTALS 31 2,085

The Department of Corrections also placed 207 inmates in 3 Highway camps for work on projects supervised by the Division of Highways and 93 inmates in 3 seasonal United States Forest Service Camps.

Cedar Springs Highway Camp in Los Angeles County Completed the project assignment in that area and was permanently Closed on October 1, 1961. Preston-Ranch Highway Camp in Humboldt County and Clear Creek Highway Camp in Siskiyou County continued in operation throughout 1961.

Mt. Home Conservation Camp, completed and first occupied in December 1960, was host to a number of local and regional dignitaries and interested Citizens at an open house dedication on July 8, 1961.

The three 40-man mobile Camps remained at the same locations during 1961; one at the future site of the Konocti Camp, one on the grounds at Deadwood Camp, and one near California Hot Springs in Tulare County. Conservation Camps under construction to provide for the continued expansion of the program include the following:

Intermountain, in Lassen County, where Construction of Camp buildings was Completed late in December 1961, in preparation for opening in 1962.
Deadwood, near Fort Jones in Siskiyou County, where construction continues on schedule that should permit opening the new Camp prior to the 1962 fire season.
Antelope, is being built into and will operate as a part of the Conservation Center under construction near Susanville in Lassen County. A Forestry Superintendent has been appointed to develop an adequate work program and direct the procurement of equipment, tools and supplies necessary for the operation of the Forestry program undertaken by Antelope Conservation Camp which is scheduled for activation late in 1962.

Acquisition continues on sites for the

· Konocti Conservation Camp near Lower Lake in Lake County,

· Mono-Inyo Conservation Camp near Bishop in Inyo County,

· Black Mountain Conservation Camp near Cazadero in Sonoma County, and

· Cuesta Conservation Camp, a special arrangement which will permit Forestry to work an 80 inmate complement directly out of the Correctional Institution known as "Men's Colony" at Los Padres in San Luis Obispo County. Forestry is in the process of leasing buildings and space at the now inactive U. S. Army Camp San Luis Obispo to provide office, warehouse, shop, and vehicle storage for the various functions associated with the Forestry Work Program.:

TRAINING

Indoctrination to the camp program, counseling and on-the-job training are important factors in the individual's success in the camp program. Training is a continuous program - some is formal where new techniques or processes are explained to large groups - much is informal, on-the-job, as a regular part of the Foreman's normal duties.

A new approach to the inmate training program was developed in 1961. Under agreement with the Department of Corrections, two Forestry instructors (Assistant Forestry Superintendents) were assigned to the Southern California Conservation Training Center at Chino Institution for Men which was established on June 12th with a class of 16 inmates.

Training is given to inmates prior to their assignment in any of the 7 camps served by C.I.M. The course includes subjects designed to create an appreciation for the camp and work program and to train inmates to work safely and effectively on fires and other projects after their assignment to camp.

The training, which was equally divided between "on-the-job" and classroom sessions was completed by 264 men during 1961.

1962

State Foresters Report

Conservation Camp Program

The California Conservation Camp Program serves a dual purpose. The Division of Forestry is provided with manpower to perform the labor involved in a variety of public conservation projects. Selected inmates of the Department of Corrections and wards of the Department of the Youth Authority are provided the benefits to be derived from healthful living and the development of new habits associated with dignified employment in outdoor work.

The success of this combination of men and work in the cooperative Conservation Camp Program is evident in its continued expansion.

Growth in 1962

Intermountain Conservation Camp near Bieber in Lassen County received the first of 80 inmates from Folsom State Prison on January 4, 1962.
Deadwood Conservation Camp near Fort Jones in Siskiyou County (only 16 miles from the Oregon State Line) opened on June 1, 1962, with inmates from San Quentin State Prison.
Cuesta Conservation Camp near San Luis Obispo in San Luis Obispo County, a completely new kind of operation in the California Conservation Camp Program, opened on May l, 1962.The Forestry administrative offices, foreman's quarters, and warehouse facilities are located in leased military buildings adjacent to the Men's Colony, a Department of Corrections Institution. The correctional functions and living facilities for "camp" inmates are provided as part of the normal operation of Men's Colony. The camp crews are received by Forestry personnel at an institution gate each work day, taken to the various projects or functions and returned to the institution at the end of the work period. This arrangement is lacking in the advantages normally associated with the "camp" atmosphere but does provide an essential camp work force in a geographical area where facilities for a separate permanent camp have not yet been made available.

The 345 wards and 1980 inmates, a total of 2325 men, are assigned to California Conservation Camps of the following sizes:

3 camps of twenty men,
3 camps of forty men (mobiles),
4 camps of sixty men,
1 camp of sixty-five men,
2 seventy man camps,
20 camps of eighty men, and
1 one-hundred man camp.
These 34 camps are now in operation after 17 years of cooperative effort.

The District II Mobile Conservation Camp was moved twice during 1962.

A semi-permanent seasonal location was established at Latour State Forest in Shasta County to which the Mobile Camp was moved in May to provide a summer work force for conservation activities on the Forest. The camp was moved to a winter location at MacArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park, also in Shasta County, in November.

The othertwo Mobile Conservation Camps were not moved during the year; District I remained at the future site of the Konocti Conservation Camp in Lake County, and the District IV Camp remained on Deer Creek near California Hot Springs in Tulare County.

1963

Four additional camp operations are scheduled for activation in 1963.

Antelope Conservation Camp, under construction as a part of the California Conservation Center, a major institution of the Department of Corrections, is to open in February of 1963. Antelope will provide a 100 man work force for conservation activities in an area which has not been accessible to previously established camps.
A similar operation will open later in the year as a part of the Conservation Center to be established at Chino Institution for Men in Southern California.
Construction of the Inyo-Mono Conservation Camp near Bishop in Inyo County is progressing satisfactorily and should be ready to receive the first of 80 inmates by mid year.
Konocti Conservation Camp, a standard 80 man camp being constructed near Lower Lake in Lake County should also open about mid year. A summary of the total work program reveals that the 679,214 man days of effort expended by Conservation Camp workers in 1962 were divided as indicated on the following page.

1963

The camp program continued to expand in 1963. Three-hundred and sixty inmates were added to the population in two new camps and two new camp operations. A 80 inmate camp was deactivated making a net gain of 280 inmates in 1963

Antelope, a 100 man work force operating out of the California Conservation Center near Susanville opened on March 7.
Prado, a similar 100 man operation out of the Southern Conservation Center near Chino, Riverside County, was activated on October 1. Prado, like Antelope, provides living quarters within an institution of the Department of Corrections for work crews that go each work day to conservation projects under supervision of Division of Forestry personnel.
Inyo-Mono Conservation Camp near Bishop in Inyo County opened and received the first of 80 inmates from the California Conservation Center on August 7.
Konocti Conservation Camp, seven miles west of Lower Lake in Lake County was first occupied on October 25 and reached its full strength of 80 inmates from San Quentin State Prison by mid September.
Oak Glen, an 80 inmate Conservation Camp near Yucaipa in Riverside County was de-activated on October 31 to be re-designated on November 1 as California's first Youth Conservation and Training Program Camp.

The Mobile Conservation Camps Mobile I Conservation Camp was moved from its location adjacent to the Konocti Camp to Hendy Woods State Park near Philo, in Mendocino County, beginning October 27, 1963. Four truck tractors were used in moving trailers and all trailers were in place and ready for occupancy by the evening of November 1, 1963. Inmates assigned to Mobile I were quartered at the Konocti Facility during the move and were transported to the new site on November 2, 1963. A major effort is being made to locate a suitable Mobile Camp site in the Covelo area as a summer base for this unit.

The District II Mobile Conservation Camp moved on June 5, from Burney Falls State Park to the established summer location on Latour State Forest. It was moved again on October 23 to a new winter location near Whitmore in eastern Shasta County.

The District IV Mobile Conservation Camp remained all year at a site on Deer Creek near California Hot Springs in Tulare County. At the close of 1963 there were, operated jointly by the Division of Forestry:

In cooperation with the Department of Corrections

24 permanent Conservation Camps 1880 inmates

3 Mobile Conservation Camps 120 Inmates

3 Conservation Camps operating from Conservation Centers or Institutions 280 Inmates

Totals 2280

In cooperation with the Department of the Youth Authority

4 permanent Youth Conservation Camps 285 Wards

3 permanent Spike Youth Conservation Camps 60 Wards

Total 345 Wards

37 Total number and population, all Conservation and Youth Conservation Camps

285 wards

2625 wards and inmates

1963

(State Foresters Report)

The success of the California Conservation Camp Program in 1963 is derived principally from the foundation on which the program is built. That foundation includes boys, men, plans, facilities, leaders, loyalty, understanding, and work - lots of work on the part of everyone associated with the program. To understand the greatness of the program requires a brief review of its history and a feeling for circumstances which existed prior to and since its inception and rapid growth.

In the decade preceding World War II many thousands of young men in the CCC worked almost exclusively on wildland conservation projects. It was clearly demonstrated that real progress could be made in the conservation of both human and natural resources with a program which intelligently guided men who were otherwise unemployed into an almost unlimited number of conservation projects which obviously would not be accomplished in the normal course of events.

The Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930's was one of many federal programs resulting from a national recognition of society's responsibility in the conservation of our natural and human resources. The population of CCC enrollees in camps in California was 14,000 at mid-1933, increased to 22,000 in 1935, and declined steadily to the close of the program in June of 1942.

The CCC program is citied here because of its importance, as one of many government program of the time, in pioneering an action program in the two vast areas in which the present conservation camp program excels- the conservation of human and natural resources

An improved economy, which resulted in a reduction of the population in the CCC program after 1935, brought more pressures on the forest and other wildland resources. The economic recovery resulted in a real need for more lumber, more agricultural products, more water, more recreational facilities - more of all the resources our forest and wildlands had to offer. All this was needed with a diminishing number of men to perform the projects so essential to the conservation and protection of these resources.

The importance of the forest improvements developed by CCC was labor recognized as an important contribution to our war effort in

"It immediately develops that a large number of projects which were undertaken for peacetime use, administration, improvement or protection of the forests of California are potentially and actually of tremendous importance under the conditions of war. Previously inaccessible forest products, such as timber and strategic minerals are now within reach, when needed, as a result of 7,970 miles of CCC built roads that also provide easier access for the control of fires, an important military objective."

The end of World War II brought further demands on the forest and wildland resources. The need for lumber in the post-war building boom and the increase in outdoor recreation - the citizen need to "get away from it all" placed additional demands and values on the forest and wildland resources. A very real need for conservation was evident throughout the forest and wildland areas of California.

The State Departments of Youth Authority and Corrections had problems too. The war effort started a mass migration of people from all over the nation into California; the increased population, by simple mathematical percentages, the various social conditions associated with the waning years of the war, resulted in the incarceration of a great number of able-bodied men for whom no suitable employment then existed.

Wards and inmates had been assigned to work details outside the confines of the institutions on a limited scale for many years. The successful use of great numbers of these men in suppressing forest fires throughout the State during the war years of 1942, 1943, and 1944, when other sources of manpower were not available, prompted leaders of the day from these two widely separated functions - Forestry with responsibilities for the conservation of natural resources and Youth Authority and Corrections with responsibilities for the rehabilitation and conservation of human resources - to get together with their problems to form the present conservation camp program.

The expansive conservation camp program had a very small, but sound, beginning. Of the 37 camps which were in existence at the close of 1963:

Two were established in 1945. These were Coarsegold and Pine Grove, both operated jointly by the Department of the Youth Authority and the Division of Forestry. The rehabilitation of youthful offenders was of first priority which explains why the earliest camps provided facilities for the employment of wards of the State.

One in 1946, Rainbow, the first Forestry adult inmate camp.

Two in 1947, Minnewawa (adult), and Ben Lomond (a youth camp).

The structures which provided housing for the men and equipment at these five locations, and at Whitmore which will be described later, were all of "temporary" construction. At Coarsegold, Pine Grove, and Minnewawa buildings had been left standing at the close of the CCC program. All of the Ben Lomond buildings were acquired from "surplus", dismantled at Sharp Park and moved to the existing camp site. The CCC recreation building at Pine Grove was retained. All other CCC buildings were replaced with surplus buildings from Sharp Park which had been erected and used briefly as a summer camp in Calaveras Big Trees State Park.

Rainbow was established in used metal structures acquired as surplus from the Military.

Generally speaking, these same structures, with additions, alterations and a lot of maintenance, were still standing and serving the same purpose in 1963. The Rainbow structures, now beyond repair, have been temporarily moved to an adjacent site to permit the construction of entirely new quarters on the original site.

Mountain Home was established in 1947, as a "spike camp", with a summer population of 20 wards from the Coarsegold Camp. Quarters were provided first in the abandoned Rouch Sawmill Camp. High priority projects during 1947 included the erection of a 20 ward barracks, kitchen-dining room and staff quarters.

Mountain Home was maintained as a 20 ward summer camp through 1953. With the first snows this "spike" was moved out of Mountain Home State Forest. It was quartered one winter at the Hammond Forest Fire Station and another winter at Fountain Springs Forest Fire Station. By the time these seven camps were established and operating, it was quite evident that the program was well on its way as a successful venture in the conservation of our human and natural resources.

L. T. Petersen was appointed Deputy State Forester on the staff of the State Forester in 1949 to direct and coordinate the Forestry functions in the expansion of the program. Immediately plans were developed for the construction of a "standard" 60 man camp. Sites were located, materials were purchased, men were moved into temporary quarters at or near the sites, and construction got underway on camps at Parlin Fork, Miramonte, Oak Glen, Slack Canyon, Magalia and Iron Mine, all of which opened in 1949.

These six camps were unique in that, unlike the earlier camps, they were designed specifically for this purpose, on selected sites and constructed by inmates and Forestry personnel including carpenters and construction specialists..

The $1,800,000 budget for these six camps was based on a policy of using inmate labor under Forestry supervision in the construction of the camps. During the course of construction there developed strong objection by organized labor to the use of inmates where free labor could be used.

Parlin Fork, Miramonte and Oak Glen were completed with the use of inmate labor. Construction at Slack Canyon and Magalia was started with inmate labor but completed by union artisans. Iron Mine was built entirely by hired artisans.

One camp was built in 1950, Blasingame, a permanent 20 man spike camp out of Coarsegold.

One camp was built in 1952, Smartville, another 20 man spike camp operating out of Pine Grove. These spike camps were both established at existing Forestry stations.

Three camps came into being in 1954. Mountain Home, a 30 man inmate operation, which replaced the 20 ward summer camp, spent the summers in the "high" country on Mountain Home State Forest and winters at the Coalinga Forest Fire Station. High Rock and Morena were completed, the last to be built to the 60 man "1949" standard plan. Construction at High Rock Conservation Camp was contracted out. Morena Conservation Camp was built by Forestry employed artisans, the last to be built by Forestry forces. A thorough study of the many factors involved resulted in adoption of the policy that in all future camp construction Forestry would prepare the site and that the erection of structures would be performed by contract, a policy still continued.

One camp was established in 1955. Beaver Creek, located to perform projects in Calaveras Big Trees State Park was, and still is, of temporary construction. Because of severe winter weather it remains a summer location. The alternate location was one winter at Dew Drop Forest Fire Station and two winters at Altaville Forest Fire Station before completion of a permanent winter camp in 1959 at Folsom Lake State Park.

One camp was completed in 1956, Mt. Bullion, which was unique in many ways. Designed and built to house 80 wards it was the first camp to be operated jointly by Forestry and Youth Authority in "permanent" structures. It replaced Coarsegold as a "main" camp, Coarsegold then became and still remains a 20 man "spike" camp.

It was in 1956, also, that Parlin Fork was expanded to accommodate 80 inmates, the first camp operated jointly by Forestry and Corrections to reach the current standard population.

A State Forest Ranger Grade I was assigned to Forestry District VI on July 1, 1956, to assist in the administration of the camp and work program associated with their four established camps. This was the first assignment of Rangers who have since come to be known as "Camp Coordinators".

An Assistant Deputy State Forester was added to the State Forester's staff in 1957 to assist in the staff leadership in the growing camp program.

One camp was opened during 1958, Vallecito, the first camp of a new design to accommodate the current "standard" 80 inmate population.

Six camps were opened in 1959, a banner year in camp expansion. Four, Crystal Creek, Puerta La Cruz, Chamberlain Creek and Pilot Rock were built with only slight variations from the "Vallecito" plan.

Folsom Lake, the permanent winter location for the Beaver Creek Camp was built to a 60 man capacity from a new design developed to permit dismantling of structures to relocate and reassemble on another site. Folsom Lake Conservation Camp was established on the grounds of and adjacent to Folsom State Prison, the first camp with complete facilities to be erected and operated as a separate function on the grounds of the "parent" correctional institution. Murietta was established in an old camp formerly operated as a Fresno County "road camp".

It was in 1959 also that two State Forest Ranger I positions were added to the staff in the "Camps" section of the State Forester's Office and Ranger I positions were established in Forestry Districts I, II, III, and IV to assist in the coordination of the expansion and operation of the growing camp program.

Five camps were opened in 1960. Two, Plum Creek and Don Lugo were built from the "Vallecito" plan - Don Lugo on the grounds of, and immediately adjacent to, California Institution for Men at Chino, the second camp to be established on the grounds of the parent institution.

Three are "Mobiles", one assigned to each of the Forestry Districts I, II and IV. A "Mobile" Camp provides accommodations in heavy, commercial type trailers for 40 inmates and Corrections and Forestry staff. Mobiles were built to permit the moving of camp forces into areas where the planned work load did not justify the development of a permanent camp or to make camp forces available to prepare remote sites for the construction of future permanent camps.

Mountain Home, a 30 man summer location from 1954 to 1960 was established in December 1960 at a new location in a new 80 man camp of the "Vallecito" design. The new location, 15 miles northeast of Springville, permits year-round operation on high priority projects in and adjacent to the 4,560 acre Mountain Home State Forest.

A State Forest Ranger position was created in July of 1960 to provide a "Camp Coordinator" in District V.

Two camps were opened in 1961 - Alder, an 80 man camp of the "Vallecito" design and Washington Ridge, an 80 ward camp of the Mt. Bullion design.

Two camps were opened in 1962 - Intermountain and Deadwood, both of "Vallecito" design - probably the last to be built of that type.

Two camps were opened in 1963 - Konocti and Inyo Mono - both new and different. Inyo Mono, conceived originally as a "branch conservation center" to be administered as an institution in the Department of Corrections was designed for the Department of Corrections to be used as a Conservation Camp with expandable features not found in any other existing camp. The kitchen and other service facilities in the camp would accommodate an additional 80 inmates and increased staff. The existing 80 man barracks, like the new Konocti design, is divided into "crewsize" sleeping quarters - an arrangement which appears to offer many advantages to the men and to camp staff. Appendix "D" shows the crew size barracks arrangement typical of the Konocti design.

In addition to these 34 camps there are three camps in operation where inmates are housed in correctional facilities and are taken by Forestry camp personnel to projects and activities much the same as the work program at an established camp.

The first of these, Cuesta, established in 1962, operates an 80 inmate force out of California Men's Colony in San Luis Obispo County. Forestry facilities; office, warehouse, equipment service and storage and related structures are obtained under lease from the U. S. Army at another part of the military reservation on which Men's Colony is located.

The second, Antelope, opened in 1963, provides a 100 inmate work force out of the California Conservation Center in Lassen County, a Department of Corrections institution. Forestry facilities: office, warehouse, and vehicle storage yard are provided on the institution grounds. Work crews are provided housing and custodial treatment inside the institution and are checked out to Forestry each work day for assignment to conservation projects. Like Cuesta, the inmates assigned to Antelope are on a permanent camp assignment.

The third, Prado, a 100 man operation, was opened late in 1963 operating out of the Southern Conservation Center, a facility of the Department of Corrections located on the grounds of the California Institution for Men at Chino. Prado, like Antelope, takes men each work day to Forestry projects in the area.

Sites have been acquired for two camps to be activated in 1964. Black Mountain in Sonoma County is under construction. A site is being prepared on Cuyamaca Rancho State Park in San Diego County for the new Cuyamaca Conservation Camp.

Training of inmates and camp orientation, always an important function in the administration of the camp program, now is concentrated, principally, in two "Forestry Training Units". One, established at California Institution for Men in 1962, and moved to the administration of the Southern Conservation Center in 1963, provides a 16 week training-testing-work-orientation program for inmates considered for assignment to the seven camps now served by the Southern Conservation Center. The second, at the California Conservation Center, was established in 1963 to provide trained, tested, physically conditioned men to the camps served by the California Conservation Center. These two units provide training to develop skills needed to accomplish the many and varied types of work and emergency activities to which the inmates may later be assigned. In both units the "forestry" training is conducted by Division of Forestry employees under agreement with the Department of Corrections.

Expansion and changes in the total program resulted in changes in the administration of the program and the camps. The establishment of a staff in the State Forester's Office and a Ranger Coordinator in each of the six administrative Districts has been noted. It is important also to note changes in the "staffing pattern" at the camp level.

The Forestry programs at camps established in the early days - 1945, 1946, and 1947 - were administered by a local Forestry employee who was selected for his ability to perform the job. Of the seven camps in operation during this period - prior to 1948 - four were opened under the immediate supervision of Assistant State Forest Rangers, one (Mountain Home Spike Camp) under an Assistant Forest Technician, and two under Forest Firefighter Foremen The position of Forestry Work Project Supervisor was established in February, 1947 at the then Associate State Forest Ranger level. The position of the Forestry Administrator in the main camps remained at that level until October, 1959 when the position was upgraded to Forestry Superintendent, Conservation Camp. It was at that time also that a new classification of Assistant Forestry Superintendent, Conservation Camp was established with one position in each main and mobile camp.

Project supervision was provided by the assignment of Forestry employees in the Forest Fire Fighter Foreman class until recruitment problems resulted in the establishment in May of 1952 of a new class of Forestry Work Project Foreman. There were approximately 280 Forestry employees in this class in 1963, allocated on the basis of one Foreman position per each 10 wards or inmates to be supervised.

Typical staffing of a standard 80 inmate camp in 1963 was: one Forestry Superintendent, Conservation Camp; one Assistant Forestry Superintendent, Conservation Camp; eight Forestry Work Project Foremen; and one Forestry Equipment Operator.

The use of the word "Conservation" was officially accepted in the name of the camps in 1959. Camps employing inmates of the Department of Corrections became "Conservation Camps". Camps employing wards of the Department of the Youth Authority, to be distinguished, became "Youth Conservation Camps". The total program became the "Conservation Camp Program". The new names replaced the official title of "Honor Camp Program" and the commonly used designation of "CDC" (California Department of Corrections) and "CYA" (California Youth Authority) - names which did not adequately describe the camps or the program.

This story of the development of the conservation camp program, must also include those two camps which have since been deactivated.

Whitmore, one of the original three camps, opened in September of 1945 in quarters previously used by the CCC at the same location. The camp was ideally located in relation to the work program, but in a small rural community with relatively close neighbors.

There was increasing discontent among the citizens of the community because of a number of escapes from the camp. An incident involving two escaped wards near Redding, 30 miles away, created sufficient concern among the townspeople to cause Forestry, in the fall of1951, to close the camp. This was the only camp ever to be closed because of public reaction.

Oak Glen, opened in 1949, got off to a good start and developed and maintained a fine reputation among personnel of the various agencies responsible for the work program and the citizens of the community who accepted the camp and the many benefits it provided the local area. In 1963, Governor Edmund G. Brown sponsored legislation which established a youth conservation and training program - a Forestry camp work-training experience for young men, law abiding but out of school and unemployed. A budget for operation but no provision for camp construction posed a problem which was finally solved by closing Oak Glen as a conservation camp on October 31, 1963, and reopening on November lst as California's first Youth Conservation and Training Program Camp.

The population quota of individual camps is a subject which has received much consideration. The permanent nature of the camps demands a permanent work program - a factor which bears on the number of men provided to perform the work. In general, the work program includes projects located within 1-1/2 hours travel from the camp since it is felt 3 hours driving a day is an economic limit for this type of crew. The men occupying the camps - their needs, their care, their treatment, their welfare - have a bearing on the establishment of a 'standard" population.

The first 12 camps established, those in existence through 1949, were operated with an average population of 60. The spike camps, Mountain Home (1947), Blasingame (1950), Smartville (1952), and Coarsegold (1956), were established and, except for Mountain Home, have been maintained at populations of 20 wards each.

Mountain Home (1954) was established as a permanent camp with a population of 30, the limit determined by living quarters at both summer and winter locations.

High Rock (1954), and Beaver Creek (1955) were Morena (1954), established as 60 man camps.

Vallecito (1958) and all permanent camps built or acquired since then provide for an average population of 80, except Folsom Lake (1959) which is the 60 man alternate location for Beaver Creek, and the three Mobiles (1960) which house 40 men each.

Camp populations were increased in 1959 at the Governor's request to put more inmates in camps - a move considered necessary to move more inmates from idleness in crowded prisons and to expand the conservation work force.

Miramonte, Iron Mine, High Rock and Morena; each of these "1949" camps was expanded in 1960 to accommodate their present capacity of 80.

Magalia to 80 men with plans for structural expansion still pending because of land acquisition problems.

Crystal Creek, Parlin Fork, Chamberlain Creek, Pilot Rock and Murietta, each to 100, which was reduced in 1961 to the current standard of 80.

Vallecito, to 100, a temporary quota which is intended to remain until the opening of Baseline, a new camp at the Sierra Conservation Center in Tuolumne County.

Forty inmates were added, temporarily, to Puerta La Cruz to make a quota of 120 which was reduced in 1961 to the original quota of 80.

Growth in 1963

Antelope, a 100 man work force operating out of the California Conservation Center near Susanville opened on March 7.

Prado, a similar 100 man operation out of the Southern Conservation Center near Chino, Riverside County, was activated on October 1. Prado, like Antelope, provides living quarters within an institution of the Department of Corrections for work crews that go each work day to conservation projects under supervision of Division of Forestry personnel.

Inyo-Mono Conservation Camp near Bishop in Inyo County opened and received the first of 80 inmates from the California Conservation Center on August 7.

Twenty inmates were added in late 1959 to:

Minnewawa and Slack Canyon to populations of 80 which were maintained until 1961 when each was reduced to its present 60.

Konocti Conservation Camp, seven miles west of Lower Lake in Lake County was first occupied on October 25 and reached its full strength of 80 inmates from San Quentin State Prison by mid September.

Oak Glen, to 80 which was maintained until reassignment of the inmates.

Oak Glen, an 80 inmate Conservation Camp near Yucaipa in Riverside County was de-activated on October 31 to be re-designated on November 1 as California's first Youth Conservation and Training Program Camp

1964

CONSERVATION CAMP PROGRAM

The program of establishing new Conservation Camps continues. Site preparation was nearly completed for the new Cuyamaca Camp in San Diego County. The Sierra Conservation Center in Sonora neared completion. Out of that institution the Division of Forestry will work a 100-inmate camp, to be known as Baseline. Budgeted funds are available for three additional adult camps and two Youth Authority forestry camps.

Black Mountain Conservation Camp was activated on October 5, 1964. This 80-man inmate camp is near Cazadero in Sonoma County.

Rainbow Camp buildings were replaced with the present up-to-date structures.
Mount Bullion Youth Conservation Camp was increased by fifteen Youth wards in July of 1964.

As of December there were 31 adult camps with 2,360 ^-inmates and three youth camps with 360 wards. These camps represented a total population of 2,720 inmates and wards in all forestry camps.

On fire control work during 1964 there was contributed by camp inmates and wards a total of 655,000 man-hours. However, this effort represented only 10.2 percent of the labor of these camps. Much repair and maintenance of Division roads, telephones and similar facilities was accomplished. There was general fire hazard reduction, forest insect abatement, nursery operation and maintenance, improvement of fish and game habitats. And during the "flood fight" over Christmas and New Years, some 70,000 man hours of inmate time was devoted to this emergency.

THE YOUTH CONSERVATION AND TRAINING PROGRAM

After a full year of operation the Oak Glen Youth Conservation and Training Camp was in a position to point to a substantial installation and to report successful progress in the program. The camp was created by a special law of 1963, quite largely as an experiment in training and orienting young men so that they might achieve a sense of responsibility to themselves and society. The camp is in no sense a penal institution. Five Departments of State Government were given specific responsibilities under the law, while the State Forester was charged with management and operational responsibility of the camp. The qualifications of the entering Trainees varied considerably, but all had a problem or they would not have found themselves in the camp. No safe generalities could be made as to any common characteristics for the first year's 363 enrollees. Most had a lack of self-confidence and showed it by withdrawal or a pugnacious attitude. However, within a few months the improved esprit de corps was remarkable. Good food, exercise, instruction by competent practical and academic instructors, assigned responsibility within the group, team effort on the fire line, a personal sense of work achievement, school credits earned.

1965

Another Forestry Training Unit was placed in operation in 1965. This unit is located at the Sierra Conservation Center of the Department of Corrections, near Sonora, in Tuolumne County.

The Training Unit, manned by California Division of Forestry personnel, trains 100 inmates in a 5-week course in basic skills, i.e., how to use a shovel, an axe, and the various other hand tools; the fundamentals of fire suppression and its various tools and equipment are also presented. Physical conditioning of the inmate is directed at the Conservation Center by Department of Corrections personnel. They have certain standards that must be met by all inmate personnel assigned to the Conservation Camp Program. This training program also provides for a staff appraisal of the inmate's acceptance of such a program: will he be a good camp man? can he live in and accept the camp community? what are his attitudes and ability to live in a camp situation? The classification screening of the inmates and daily observance by the instructors make it possible to eliminate most of the inadaptable inmates from the program. Experience has shown that this works to a greater degree than the previous system of seeking volunteers that was art of the classification process from the ''typical prison''.

FUTURE PLANS

Eel River Conservation Camp is now well into the building program with 1966 summer completion planned. This camp is being built in conjunction with a program for the establishment of the North Coast Branch Conservation Center. It will begin with an 80-man camp and a 20-man replacement pool until a complete 1200-man center can be budgeted.
Cuyamaca Conservation Camp, located in Cuyamaca State Park in San Diego County, has its activation schedule advanced to 1966. This facility will be an 80-man adult camp.
Bautista Youth Conservation Camp, near Hemet in Riverside County, is also scheduled for 1966 activation. It will be filled with 80 wards from the Department of the Youth Authority.
Cuesta Conservation Camp in San Luis Obispo County is acquiring another site and the plans are to build a complete camp. The camp office is presently operating from leased military equipment sheds and the inmates are picked up and returned daily at the ''Men's Colony'' institution.
Ben Lomond Youth Conservation Camp planned rebuilding is progressing and property acquisition is in the hands of the Department of General Services. It will be rebuilt on the same site.

POPULATION

Number of Camps Camp Type Population

Adult Inmates 2,440

Youth Authority 360

Fire Control

The constant improvement of fire control methods, the use of chemicals, aircraft and other specialized equipment still leaves the one job that seems will always be with us--take the ground (fire) and keep it! The long hours and days of patrol, the unglamorous search for hot spots long days after the excitement of the running fire--this type of work is a constant need. Someone has to do it. The assignment of camp crews permits the return of field units to their stations so they are again ready for fast initial attack.

FOREST FIRE SUPPRESSION

The basic concept of the Conservation Camp Program is to supply a trained fire fighting force together with their leaders and equipment. This force is capable of being dispatched at any time, to any fire, anywhere in the State of California. All project work is secondary to the fire control emergency.

1966

(State Foresters report)

The Cuyamaca Conservation Camp in San Diego County was activated on October 1, 1966. This was the only new camp opened this year. The basic workload for this camp will be fire prevention and hazard reduction and work on the Cuyamaca State Park. This camp adds 80 men to the conservation force.

The rapid pace of the camp development has met the inmate population growth; and construction has slowed to a pace of programming one camp per year. In some years, the camp constructed will be a replacement for a superannuated camp or one for which a new location has been selected, due to workload.

Trained inmates are now being supplied from three conservation centers:

California Conservation Center, near Susanville;
Sierra Conservation Center, near Sonora; and
Southern Conservation Center, near Chino.

A concerted effort of these facilities is being made to supply trained inmates to all camps. These centers, collectively, will produce approximately 3,000 inmates each year. All crews are equipped to meet any emergency threatening public safety with the quickest dispatch. They may leave from a job or project, from a conservation camp, or from one fire and be dispatched to the second fire. This work force consists of approximately 150 crews -- 75 to be dispatched within the first 30 minutes, and the remaining 75 crews to be dispatched within one hour. These crews are available day or night, seven (7) days a week, in the summer or during the declared fire season, and are also on call for winter emergencies, such as floods or other disasters.

FUTURE PLANS

In the next few years, we will have four new camps activated to add work force to the present conservation crews. Two of the old camps will be replaced and the manpower increased by 15 percent.

Two of these new camps in District III are scheduled for Youth Authority wards;

one is an adult camp at Growlersburg in District III; and the fourth is the conservation camp on the Eel River in District I. The Eel River Conservation Camp is located on the site of the North Coast Branch Conservation Center, operated by the California Conservation Center at Susanville. The Branch Center is the administrative and supply headquarters for all the north coast camps.

The youth camps in District 111 (Bautista and Ortega) are developed as far as completion of the rough site grading; the plans are being approved, and they will be scheduled for construction within the next year.

1967

Conservation Camp Program

During 1967, use of nine facilities was terminated, and two new ones were activated. The camps which were closed included Minnewawa, Murietta, and Folsom-Beaver Creeks; three mobile camps; and three youth conservation spike camps. The two new installations were Eel River in Humboldt County-100 inmates; and Growlersburg in El Dorado County, which is an 80-man camp. One camp name change, from Cuyamaca to La Cima, was made in San Diego County.

At the close of 1967, there were 33 conservation camps in full operation. A total of 2,680 wards and inmates were housed at these locations in a rural out-of-doors environment; this is about 200 less than the population at the end of 1966.

Distribution of the 33 conservation camps among the six Administrative Districts is as follows: Seven camps each in the North Coast and Southern California Districts; six camps each in the Sierra-Cascade and Central Sierra Districts; four in the San Joaquin District; and three in the Central Coast.

The task of replacing two youth conservation camps was begun. All old structures have been removed and sites were prepared for new buildings. Several trailer units from the mobile camps, which were deactivated in 1967, were moved to Ben Lomond and Pine Grove, where they are being utilized by wards during the period of construction. Erection of new buildings at Ben Lomond was started in 1967, while construction is expected to begin at the Pine Grove site during the early part of 1968.

A total of 6,721,712 man hours was worked by inmates and wards assigned to conservation camps. Forest fire suppression activities accounted for 7.58 percent of the total. A small but significant number of man hours (5,296) was spent on search and rescue operations. The useful work of the 2,680 wards and inmates was spent in fifteen activities (table).

Work Performed by Conservation Camps During 1967

Planning for future changes in the Conservation Camp Program continues. Five camp sites are in various phases of preparation so inmate and ward capacity can be expanded soon after the need arises and funds become available.

Oak Glen Job Corps Conservation Center

The Oak Glen Camp in Riverside County continued as a job Corps Conservation Center during 1967. This camp is operated under provisions of a contract between the State of California and the U.S. Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO).

In general, the contract calls for the Division of Forestry to operate Oak Glen as a job Corps Conservation Center with full reimbursement of costs to the State provided by OEO.

1968

The Conservation Camp Program became stabilized during the year with the operation of 33 camps. If 1967 could have been characterized as one of readjustment due to the phasing out of nine installations, then the past year can be called one of "settling down". Of the total of 33, twenty-nine adult camps were in use plus four youth conservation camps for juvenile wards of the Department of the Youth Authority. This is the same number of installations that was in operation during 1967.

CONSERVATION CENTERS

At one time the inmates in the camp program were volunteers from the prison population. Many changes have come to the Conservation Camp Program in recent years which have necessitated a change from this system. On June 26, 1961, the first important step in the accomplishment of a beneficial change was taken when the Forestry Training Unit at the Southern Conservation Center at Chino was activated. It was followed by the training unit at the California Conservation Center in Susanville. Next the Sierra Center at Jamestown began functioning in 1965.These three centers furnish inmates to 28 of the 29 adult camps. The men for the Cuesta Conservation Camp come from the California Men’s Colony which is located near the camp.

When the ground breaking ceremonies took place for the Sierra Conservation Center on September 16, 1960, the Director of the Department of Natural Resources, Mr. DeWitt Nelson, spoke on the subject Our Dwindling Natural Resources.One of his statements from that presentation emphasizes the importance of the conservation centers to the economy of California.

"We are in a transition period. I am confident that our resources will serve us during the next 100 years as they have during the past century. There is, however, one difference--100 years ago these resources were here for the taking, during the next 100 years it will be up to us to help nature produce the crops upon which we are dependent.

"This Conservation Center and the conservation camps which it will serve is one major step in building for the future."

Wards for the four youth conservation camps will soon be furnished by the DeWitt Nelson Youth Conservation Center, which is part of the Northern California Youth Center at Stockton. The physical plant was completed and was partly staffed in late 1968. The planned capacity is for 400 wards, 100 of which will be assigned to a three or four week training course which will greatly assist the boys when they finally arrive at camp.

The three adult centers at Susanville, Jamestown and Chino operate a six week course which emphasizes not only the basic skills of how to use an axe, a shovel, and the various other hand tools, but also the fundamentals of fire control. Physical conditioning of the inmate is directed at the conservation centers by Department of Corrections Physical Educational Instructors, who have certain standards that must be met by all inmate personnel who are assigned to the camp program. This training program also provides for a staff appraisal of the inmate's acceptance of the concept of camps, e.g.: Will he be a good camp man? Can he live and work in the camp community? What are his attitudes and his ability to adapt in a camp situation? The classification screening of the inmates and the daily observance by Forestry instructors make it possible to eliminate most of the un-adaptable inmates from the camp program. Experience has shown that this process works better than the previous system of seeking volunteers.

The 28 Division of Forestry camps are listed under the Conservation Center which supplies the inmates for them. The California Conservation Center send men to two Forest Service seasonal camps. One is at Clear Creek in Siskiyou County, the second is at Hobart in Nevada County. The Sierra Center provides inmates for one seasonal camp operated by the U. S. Forest Service at Greek Store in Placer County. The camp at Elkins Flat has been discontinued.

CONSERVATION CENTER

California

Sierra

Southern

Parlin Fork

Baseline

Rainbow

High Rock

Vallecito

Morena

Alder

Growlersburg

Prado

Konocti

Iron Mine

Puerta La Cruz

Black Mountain

Inyo-Mono

Pilot Rock

Eel River

Miramonte

Don Lugo

Magalia

Mountain Home

La Cima

Crystal Creek

Slack Canyon

Intermountain

Chamberlain Creek

Deadwood

Plum Creek

Antelope

Two assistant State Forest Ranger (instructor) positions were deleted during the year. One at each of the two northern conservation centers was cut, namely, Sierra and California. Each of these two centers now has five instructors, while the southern center has four.

Forestry Training Program at Conservation Centers 1968

Locations of the nine camps which obtain trained inmates from the Sierra Conservation Center. The dotted lines indicate the administrative boundaries of the various centers in California. The area of Southern California is served by the Southern Conservation Center located at Chino, while all of Northern California is at present serviced by the California Conservation Center in Susanville. At some future date, the north coast counties will receive inmates from the North Coast (Branch) Conservation Center.

CAMP REPLACEMENT CONSTRUCTION

The new buildings at the Ben Lomond Youth Conservation Camp in Santa Cruz County were dedicated at special ceremonies held on October 18, 1968. At this time Assemblyman Frank Murphy presented the symbolic keys of the installation to Youth Authority Superintendent Frank White and to Forestry Superintendent Wilbur Wade.

Ben Lomond was the third youth camp to be established in California. It is operated jointly by the Department of the Youth Authority and the Division of Forestry, and was officially opened on May 1, 1947 with a complement of 40 wards.

In 1948 the camp complement was increased to 60, and then to 70 in 1956. With the completion of the new structures, the number of wards will be set at 80, which is the standard size for both adult and youth camps in California.

Construction work is progressing satisfactorily on the replacement structures at the Pine Grove Youth Conservation Camp in Amador County. The new buildings were ready for occupancy during May of 1969.

CAMP STRIKING FORCE

The thirty-three conservation camps normally will have a crew strength of 137 grade crews of 16 men each which are distributed as follows.

Conservation

Camp

District

Number

Camp

Total

of Crews

District

Total

Alder

I

4

Black Mountain

I

4

Chamberlain Creek

I

4

High Rock

I

4

Konoct i

I

4

Parl i n Fork

I

4

Eel River

I

4

28

Antelope

II

6

Crystal Creek

II

4

Deadwood

II

4

Intermountain

II

4

Magalia

II

4

Plum Creek

II

4

26

Baseline

III

6

Growlersburg

III

4

Iron Mine

III

4

Pine Grove

III

4

Vallecito

III

4

Washington Ridge

III

4

26

Inyo-Mono

IV

4

Miramonte

IV

4

Mountain Home

IV

4

Mount Bullion

IV

4

16

Ben Lomond

V

4

Cuesta

V

4

Slack Canyon

V

3

11

Don Lugo

VI

4

La Cima

VI

4

Morena

V I

4

Pilot Rock

VI

4

P rado

V I

6

Puerta La Cruz

VI

4

Rainbow

VI

4

30

State Total 137

Fifteen other specially trained crews such as those used to operate fire camp kitchens, are also available.

FUTURE PLANS

A. Two camps are immediately available for reactivation.

1. Folsom Lake in Sacramento County. 2. Mobile II

B.Other camps awaiting funds. Sites are available.

Bautista in Riverside County

Ortega in Orange County

Bratton Valley in San Diego County

Tamarack in Shasta County

C. To be operational in 1969.

DeWitt Nelson Youth Conservation Training Center, which is part of the Northern California Youth Center at Stockton. When fully operating there will be 200 wards of the Youth Authority assigned to conservation work. One hundred will be continuously involved in training for camp assignments at the four Youth Conservation Camps and 100 will be in

a conservation camp working out of the center.

FOREST FIRE SUPPRESSION

The crews of the Conservation Camp Program responded to 1,422 fires during 1968. There were 1,183 Division of Forestry fires, 92 U. S. Forest Service fires, and 147 fires for other agencies. A total of 92,864 man days were spent in fire suppression, mop up and patrol activities. This is 11% of the total annual workload. The percentage for 1968 is the highest since the calendar year 1966 when 12.4% was devoted to fire control assignments. During the six year period from 1963 through 1968 inclusive, this percentage has varied from a low of 2.6% in 7963 to the 1966 high point (12.4%).

FOREST FIRE SUPPRESSION

There are four Youth Conservation Camps which are operated cooperatively by the Department of the Youth Authority and the Division of Forestry. The wards from these camps were on the fire line for a total of 8,815 man days or 70,520 hours. The pictures below show one of the crews from the Ben Lomond Youth Conservation Camp on one of the 50 fires to which the crews were dispatched in 1968.

CAMP SERVICES

Eighteen percent of all the work produced by the inmates and wards assigned to the Conservation Camp Program is utilized in this category. This means that 152,630 man days went to the Department of the Youth Authority, the Department of Corrections, and the Division of Forestry in order to maintain an orderly and clean camp environment for the wards, inmates and employees who work and live at these installations.

Maintenance of buildings, grounds and vehicles, plumbing repairs and warehousing along with such personal services, which are of direct benefit to the inmates as laundry and barbering, are included here.

Growlersburg Conservation Camp, El Dorado County. Front view of the office shows retaining walls built by the inmates.

CAMP SERVICES - GROUNDS DEVELOPMENT

Eel River Conservation Camp, Humboldt County. Camp was activated on February 1, 1967. Landscaping, using native materials, takes much time after a camp is operational. Redwood rounds are used in top picture to make a sidewalk in front of the barracks.

1968 INCAMP PROJECTS

Auto Repair Class A Shop-Miramonte, Intermountain, Don Lugo, Iron Mine,Slack Canyon, Iron Mine, Konocti, Puerta La Cruz, Miramonte, Magalia

Body Fender Repair Slack Canyon, Iron Mine, Konocti, Puerta La Cruz, Miramonte, Magalia

High Rock, Slack Canyon, Chamberlain Creek, Inyo-Mono, Miramonte, Iron Mine, Crystal Creek, Rainbow

Furniture Refinishing-Chamberlain Creek, Magalia, Iron Mine, Rainbow

Pilot Rock, Slack Canyon, Inyo-Mono, Mountain Home, Iron Mine, Crystal Creek, Chamberlain Creek

Parlin Fork, Iron Mine, Vallecito, Miramonte, Pilot Rock

Sheet Metal -Morena, Deadwood, Parlin Fork, Slack Canyon

Fire Hose-Plum Creek, Rainbow, Magalia, Ben Lomond, Parlin Fork ,Chamberlain Creek, Mountain Home

INCAMP PROJECTS

Of the total statewide workload, approximately 6.2% of the man days available are devoted to Incamp Projects. These jobs are so classified because the items and services produced are for the benefit of another conservation camp, a ranger unit, a district office, the State Forester's office or another state agency, and not for the camp where the shop is located.

One example of the specialized incamp work is the Decal Shop located at the Rainbow Conservation Camp in San Diego County. Here, individualized insignias for each of the 33 camps are manufactured. These colorful emblems appear on the safety helmets of each inmate and ward who works on one of the conservation camp crews. The old Magalia decal was

printed in black and white. The new insignia emphasizes the number eight, since Magalia is Conservation Camp Number 8. A black eight ball forms the central design with a capricious brown chipmunk seated behind the

red number 8 which is on a white oval field. The lettering of MAGALIA is in contrasting yellow as is the beam of light from the animal's headlamp. The green canteen and belt add the final touch of color to the new emblem.

INCAMP PROJECTS - CONCRETE PRODUCTS SHOP

The Concrete Products Shop at the Plum Creek Conservation Camp in Tehama County is the only one of its kind among the 33 camps. The two photographs on this page show how the components of the concrete picnic table and its two benches, produced at Plum Creek, are assembled for use. The weight alone of the table and bench tops is sufficient to prevent recreationists from removing either of these components once they are in place. There is an almost complete lack of maintenance after this unit is installed on the picnic site.

INCAMP PROJECTS - SHEET METAL SHOP

Two conservation camps have a Sheet Metal Shop, namely Morena and Deadwood. The Deadwood Conservation Camp has an apprenticeship training program in conjunction with the incamp project work. The Forestry Foreman II who is in charge of the shop also has teaching credentials in the local school district. Those men who successfully complete the training here receive recognition from the metal workers union in obtaining employment after their release from custody. The quality of the items produced is much better and the material wasted is kept at a minimum as a result of the program.

Supervision for the program is given by the State Office of Apprenticeship Standards and by union officials from Redding. The course consists of 155 hours of academic work in addition to the vocational shop assignments. The men go to school two hours per night after the normal work day spent either on a grade crew or in the metal shop.

Two examples of the items produced at Deadwood Metal Shop.

1969

(State Foresters Report)

The Engineering and Conservation Camps activity performs in a dual role. Engineering and construction responsibilities are principally concerned with establishing and maintaining standards, and performance of necessary work related t o land acquisition; mapping and surveying; graphics; and design, construction, and maintenance of facilities.

The Conservation Camps are operated jointly with the Department of Youth Authority (wards), and the Department of Corrections (inmates). They are designed to provide a living-and-working experience in a beneficial outdoor environment that will be conducive to rehabilitation of wards and inmates assigned to the camps. In addition they function to provide an essential trained force that is highly effective for fire fighting and other resource protection and conservation work.

Major Projects for 1969

Pine Grove Youth Conservation Camp,

barracks-messhall and equipment building at the new Alturas Forest Fire Station in Modoc County; a

replacement equipment storage building at the Riverside Ranger Unit Headquarters in Perris;

fire station facility in Contra Costa County identified as the Sunshine Forest Fire Station;

new messhall for the Santa Rosa Ranger Unit Headquarters.

There were 33 conservation camps in operation in 1969.

At the 29 adult camps, a population of 2,380 inmates was maintained

320 wards of the Department of the Youth Authority were assigned to four youth conservation camps.

Although there were no changes in number of camps that were operational during 1969, as compared to 1968, there were three significant changes in the program last year.

After the new Ben Lomond Youth Conservation Camp was dedicated, the ward capacity was increased from 70 to 80.

Construction on the Pine Grove Youth Conservation Camp was completed in 1969 and with the new buildings, this camp also was brought up to the standard 80-ward size. This was an increase of ten wards.

With termination of the contract between the Division of Forestry and the Office of Economic Opportunity, the Oak Glen Job Corps Conservation Center was closed. The last Job Corps enrollee departed on May 13, 1969.

Rather than leave this camp vacant, the 80 inmates from Don Lugo were transferred to Oak Glen, effective August 1, 1969. The Don Lugo Camp is now inactive.

With completion of the Pine Grove Camp in Amador County, all the earliest camps, which consisted mostly of relocated military surplus buildings acquired immediately following World War II, now have been replaced with modern structures. The oldest camps which are currently in use date from 1949. Nearly all buildings presently in use were designed and constructed especially for the camp program.

The four Youth Conservation Camps are located as follows:

Pine Grove and Washington Ridge are in the Central Sierra District;

Mount Bullion Camp is in the San Joaquin District; and

Ben Lomond Camp is in the Central Coast District county of Santa Cruz.

One way to illustrate the diversity of activities of the Conservation Camp Program is to list the variety of emergencies in which inmates and wards were called upon for work during one month-February 1969. Within this period, crews from the camps worked on four different types of emergency projects in widely separated geographical areas of the state. These were forest fire, oil slick, flood fight, and snow removal: One camp--Vallecito, in Calaveras County-sent crews to work on three of these unusual assignments. Crews were dispatched to the oil slick, flood fight, and snow removal jobs, all within the one month period. Don Lugo, in the Southern California District, was the only camp which sent crews to fight a forest fire in February. The primary activity of forest fire control accounted for 65,267 man-days of effort. This represents 7.97 percent of the total effort of the camps.

1970

CONSERVATION CAMP REPORT

General

There were 33 conservation camps in operation during 1970. Of this total, the Division of Forestry and the Department of Corrections cooperatively ran 29 adult camps, while the Division and the Department of the Youth Authority jointly administered four Youth Conservation Camps.

Personnel Reclassification

In response to a request by the Department of Conservation, the State Personnel Board, on September 23, 1970, adopted a revised specification for the class of State Forest Ranger I. The class will now reflect the broader uses under the department's new reorganization and staffing plans, for the 23 ranger units and the 33 conservation camps.

The Board's approval will authorize the reclassification of the Division's superintendent positions, which are now in the specialized class of Forestry Superintendent, Conservation Camp, to State Forest Ranger 1 Most of these changes were effective on October 1, 1970.

Administration Changes

For the first time since the start of the camp program, there was a shift in its leadership on the State Forester's staff. L. T. Petersen was given a special assignment for the Department of Conservation in September 1970. He became the Program Coordinator for Career Opportunities Development. The main emphasis of this new federally supported position will be to develop ways of assimilating the disadvantaged and members of minority groups in the civil service system of the State.

When Petersen took up the duties of his new job, administrative and coordination responsibilities for the camp program were assumed by Assistant Deputy Wm. T. Jacobson, who had been Petersen's assistant in the program since 1959. When Jacobson retired at the end of 1970, he was replaced by Assistant Deputy George O. Phibbs.

With the elimination of the Central Sierra District, effective on December 31, 1970, there was a redistribution for administrative purposes, of the six camps that had been located within that district.

One youth camp, Washington Ridge, in Nevada County, and one adult camp, Iron Mine, were shifted to the Sierra Cascade District.

The other three adult camps, Baseline, Growlersburg, and Vallecito, along with the Pine Grove Youth Conservation Camp, went to District IV, the South Sierra District.

One conservation camp, Inyo-Mono, in Mono County, located on the east side of the Sierra Nevada Range, was changed to be under the administrative direction of the Southern California District. The camp had formerly been administered from Fresno.

CONSERVATION CENTERS

The three centers, which are located at Susanville, Jamestown, and Chino, continued to function throughout 1970. The three conservation camps which are operated in conjunction with the centers had the inmate complements reduced from 100 to 80, effective October 1, 1970. During the year, a detailed study of the operational procedures and the subject content of the courses offered at the three centers was completed. The report was entitled, Forestry Training Program Study Report.

The Forestry Training Program had been in operation for about ten years, without a formal review. This study fulfills the need for an evaluation. It will focus the attention of the two cooperating state agencies on those changes that are needed, if the centers are to continue to supply trained and physically fit men to the conservation camps.

CAMP REPLACEMENT CONSTRUCTION

In the early sixties, plans were made to rebuild the Pine Grove Camp. In 1962, 98 acres were purchased, including the original 40 acres, which had been under lease. A forestry mobile camp, consisting of 14 trailer-mounted units, was moved onto the site to house the wards while the old buildings were being demolished and the new ones constructed. When the area was clear, Forestry personnel and equipment graded and prepared the site. With plans prepared by the Office of Architecture and Construction, work was begun on March 4, 1968. Construction was completed and the buildings were occupied in May 1969. The final ceremonial act, following the completion of the construction work of the Pine Grove Youth Conservation Camp, was held on May 9, 1970. On this date, the installation was formally dedicated. State Forester Francis Raymond delivered the welcoming speech, while Mr. Allen F. Breed, Director of the Department of the Youth Authority, was the master of ceremonies for this special event. A highlight of the program was a short speech by one of the wards who told, in his own words, just what the Pine Grove Camp had meant to him up to then, and how it would benefit him after his release.

1971

One of the heaviest workloads of the large hand crews from the camps is the responsibility of constructing and maintaining portions of the prefire suppression facilities. The changing techniques in this area is reflected in the construction of only two miles of new telephone line. This, a few years in the past, was a major workload. Crews maintained 194 miles of existing telephone lines and 891 miles of existing truck trails. These truck trails are primarily access roads for fire suppression crews.

Service to Other Agencies As the conservation camp program grew, other state agencies learned of the existence of the program and the distinct advantage of having a work force delivered to their job with tools, supervision, transportation, and communication. The myriad jobs and projects assigned are too numerous to be listed here, but they range from installing game guzzlers to lopping superannuated deer browse plants to stimulate sprouting of reachable food source, or from flood fights to planting willow slips in flood basins to decelerate water flow.

In February 1971, in the early morning, an earthquake shook the San Fernando Valley area. Gas mains and water lines were broken, buildings tumbled, powerlines and freeway overpass spans snapped. By nightfall, the American Red Cross asked for help to feed the homeless and an inmate kitchen crew was dispatched. A kitchen was set up and served an estimated 2,000 meals per day. Five days later, temporary services were restored and families could occupy their homes again.

On Bottle Hill in Butte County, Magalia crews compete in various field events. This is a form of training and moral building for inmates and fire crew foremen.

Stream clearing is always an interesting project for wards and inmates. Although the pile of debris dwarfs the crew, they dig in with a will.

When darkness, stormy weather, or other factors delay the search or rescue of lost or injured persons, the county sheriff usually requests aid from the nearest conservation camp or ecology center. Crews can respond promptly to any request. The crews pride themselves in their ability to work against time and physical handicaps to accomplish a mission. During 1971, 38 such requests were made. Eleven persons were returned to safety. Ten bodies were recovered.

The men in a camp may turn out in mass in response to emergency calls for blood. In 1971, 646 pints of blood were given by camp crews in various areas.

The correctional agencies have the responsibility to house, train and rehabilitate the adult inmates and youth wards and the Department of Conservation, in cooperation with local and federal firefighting agencies, requires large numbers of men to fight wildland fires and to assist in other emergencies as well as to work for the development and operation of California's wildland areas.

In 1971, the County of San Diego became a partner in this operation by assuming the custodial aspect of county jail inmates committed to what formerly had been operated as a state inmate conservations camp.

The California Ecology Corps is yet another function and is entirely different in that corpsmen are young men who join the corps of their own volition to gain experience in conservation-related work. Although this report makes frequent references to the California Ecology Corps, because it serves a need similar to that of the conservation camps, the Corps is the subject of a separate annual report issued in September 1972 by the Office of the Administrator, California Ecology Corps. The cooperative effort now known as the conservation camp program was inaugurated in the late 1940's when the need for well-trained and well-led hand crews became evident as part of California's wildland firefighting forces.

The Department of Corrections and the Department of the Youth Authority needed the conservation camps as a work experience and for housing of minimum-security male felons and male wards in custody of the state. The peak population of the camps occurred in 1966, when there were 2,700 inmates and 360 wards.

How much more water is produced when a north coast watershed is logged': Are flood peaks increased? Are erosion and sedimentation increased': To answer these questions a cooperative study by the California Division of Forestry and the Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station is being made on the Caspar Creek drainage area on Jackson State Forest. Wiers (small dams that measure soil erosion) are cleaned every so often and comparative measurements are made of deposited earth and other debris.

Then came social changes and new concepts in penology and dealing with prison inmates. A new probation subsidy program was initiated in 1966, providing for payment to the counties in California on a per-case basis to encourage the courts to retain less serious offenders at home, rather than sending them to state prison. These were the offenders who formerly had eventually been assigned to man conservation camps in rural areas throughout the state.

The decrease in the total number of inmates available for camp assignment led to administrative decisions to phase out some of the conservation camps and so, on January 1, 1971, the Division of Forestry was operating 29 adult camps authorized to hold 2,190 inmates but which, in fact, had only about 2,000 inmates in camp. During the first five months of 1971, the inmate population was on a steady decline and reached 1,650 by June 1.

During this period, the four youth conservation camps continued to operate with a quota of 340 wards. The probation subsidy program also affected the ward population, but the Department of the Youth Authority was able to maintain the number of wards at the authorized figure during 1971.

As June 30, 1971--the end of the state's fiscal year--approached, it became apparent that because of the declining inmate population, as many as five of the conservation camps would have to be closed. The prospect of closing any of the camps was not satisfactory to Governor Reagan or the State Legislature.

In anticipation that some of the camps would close, the Division of Forestry began a review of possible alternative sources of manpower to man the conservation camp facilities. This would continue to provide an adequate supply of trained hand crews. Some of the alternatives included: additional youth conservation camps, use of state welfare recipients, establishment of county prisoner camps, federal prisoner camps, veteran readjustment training centers, narcotic addict rehabilitation facilities, and wayward youth facilities.

Alternatives Reviewed

After a thorough review of these alternatives, the Director of the Department of Conservation recommended to Governor Reagan the creation of the California Ecology Corps, a program designed for unemployed young men. Adoption of this program included the immediate employment of young men classified as conscientious objectors by the Selective Service System. Governor Reagan formally proclaimed creation of the California Ecology Corps in an Executive Order dated April 27, 1971, with an effective date of July 1, 1971.

The establishment of the Corps led to the conversion of four conservation camps into ecology centers. The camps involved in this change were:

Plum Creek Conservation Camp became the Tehama Ecology Center.
High Rock Conservation Camp became the Humboldt Ecology Center.
Vallecito Conservation Camp became the Calaveras Ecology Center.
lnyoMono Conservation Camp became the Inyo Ecology Center.

Working under the supervision of Division of Forestry Fire Crew Foremen, the corpsmen participated in a variety of projects similar to those formerly handled by the inmate crews.

Inauguration of the California Ecology Corps program enabled the Department of Conservation to continue four of the five conservation camps in operation.

A fifth camp was saved as a result of an agreement with County of San Diego. The 80-man La Cima Conservation Camp was converted to a county facility effective July 1, 1971. The work program remained essentially the same as it had been when state inmates manned this camp.

On December 31, 1971, the Division of Forestry occupied 33 conservation facilities. Twenty-four were classified as adult conservation camps, four were ecology centers, four were youth camps, and one was a county camp.

On January 1, 1971, the total adult inmate population of the conservation facilities was 1,577 and on
December 31, 1971, the total population was 1,489. Because of fewer crews and smaller crews, the Division of Forestry began investigating ways and means of increasing crew production through mechanization of crews.

Excess facilities at the Don Lugo Conservation Camp, closed in October 1969, were used by the Department of Corrections during 1971 to house a work furlough center for male parolees.

State Forester's Camp Staff

Sacramento - 916-445-4301 L. T. Petersen, Deputy State Forester George Phibbs, Assistant Deputy Fred W. Keast, Harold G. Nixon, Coordinators

California Ecology Corps Sacramento - 916-445-4048 Joe E. Griggs, Administrator

California Ecology Corps

(From State Foresters Report)

The California Ecology Corps was officially established by Governor Reagan on April 27, 1971.

The availability of minimum-security adult felons has been steadily decreasing for several years and in 1971 reached a point at which a reduction in adult conservation camps operated with Department of Corrections became necessary. During the 1971 calendar year the number of CDC adult camps was reduced from 33 to 24 with a budgeted inmate population of 1,640.

The declining inmate population in conservation camps since 1966 was the primary reason behind the state’s need to find an alternate source of trained manpower for the wildland fire problems in California. The continuing success of the Department of Corrections’ rehabilitation program made it plain that it was vitally necessary to establish a work force of free people to accomplish the Division of Forestry’s necessary .public projects into the years ahead. The ecology corps is one of the answers.

Originally, the centers were manned with conscientious objectors. Due to the change in the draft laws and subsequent new rules and regulations regarding induction in the alternate service program, recruitment of conscientious objectors did not occur rapidly as had been expected. On December I, 1971, a recruitment program for non-conscientious objectors, young men 18-31, was started. On July I, 1972, a total of 350 corpsmen were involved in the program.

The California Ecology Corps has been successfully established in less than a year and the recruits have been organized into productive crews. A look to the future indicates a substantial expansion in the program as other public agencies turn to these crews more and more to accomplish the purposes for which they receive public funds.

Further replacement of the lessening numbers of state adult felons was accomplished by the conversion of four adult state conservation camps to ecology centers as part of the California Ecology Corps.

To replace this loss the La Cima Conservation Camp was converted to the housing of San Diego County prisoners. The custodial personnel are San Diego County employees. The budgeted quota for this camp is 80 inmates.

1972

The California Division of Forestry is recognized nationwide as a very effective wildland tire fighting force. A totally indispensable element of this force is a highly mobile, well trained and well supervised complement of large hand crews. Commencing in the late 1940’s, a program was started which was eventually to become known as the Conservation Camp Program. It is the instrument that provided the hand crews needed by the California Division of Forestry.

The first conservation camps came about through cooperative efforts of the Division of Forestry with the Department of Corrections for adult camps and the Department of the Youth Authority for youth camps.

The two custodial agencies needed the camps for the good that often times accrues to those in custody from a clean outdoor environment and work experience and for the housing of minimum security male felons and male wards in the custody of the State of California. The peak population of the camps was reached in 1966, when there were 2,700 inmates and 360 wards on crews in a number of locations.

For several of the past years, there has been a trend toward a steady decline in the number of minimum security male felons available to man the adult camps. This trend assumed serious proportion in 1971 and continued into 1972 with a slight inclination to level off at 1,050 men in the last three months.

Despite the decline in numbers of suitable men for the adult camps, there has remained a heavy dependence on them in 1972 and they continued to provide the same service to California they have provided for many years.

The factor causing the decline in the adult conservation camp population is a probation subsidy program initiated in 1966. This came about through social changes and new concepts in the rehabilitation of prisoners. It provided for payment to counties in California on a per-case basis to encourage the courts to retain less serious offenders at home, rather than to send them to prison. Many of these men were the people who formerly had been assigned to man conservation camps in the rural areas throughout the State.

1972 In Retrospect

An examination of the map of California displayed in this report shows the variety of people now working out of the various conservation camps. The Division, in its determined effort to have available the large hand crews needed, is continually searching for new sources of manpower to offset declines in numbers in any part of the camp system.

The California Ecology Corps Program, started in 1971, was expanded in 1972. Los Osos Ecology Center was established in San Luis Obispo County July 1. This is a 45 corpsman facility. Del Norte Ecology Center, site of the former Alder Conservation Camp, was activated October 1. This facility operated with 40 corpsmen during five summertime months and with ten corpsmen during the remaining seven months of each year.

The four ecology centers activated in 1971 at former conservation camps continued in operation in 1972.

Tehama Ecology Center formerly Plum Creek Conservation Camp,
Humboldt Ecology Center formerly High Rock Conservation Camp
Calaveras Ecology Center formerly Vallecito Conservation Camp
Inyo Ecology Center formerly Inyo-Mono Conservation Camp

Administration of the Ecology Corps Program was put under the administration of the State Forester’s Staff Deputy in charge of the Engineering and Conservation Camps Section on December 26, 1972.

The number of youth conservation camps was increased by one in 1971. The Oak Glen Youth Conservation Camp was activated September 1. It is an 80-man camp and was formerly occupied by adult inmates.

The number of adult conservation camps operated by counties was increased by two in 1972.

The Morena Conservation Camp was closed as a Department of Corrections camp and opened as a camp for county prisoners on April 1 . The La Cima Adult Conservation Camp became a county camp in 1971. San Diego County rehabilitation personnel refer to their county prisoners in the camps as “residents”. Shasta County occupied the Crystal Creek Conservation Camp, formerly occupied with inmates from the Department of Corrections. The date was July 1, 1972. In all three county camps, the County has simply taken over all the former responsibilities of the Department of Corrections. California Division of Forestry plays the same role as before the change to county prisoners. The county crews do the same work as state inmate crews.

The Crystal Creek Camp is unique in that other counties in the vicinity of Shasta pay Shasta to handle some of their inmates. In this way, a camp can be kept full of inmates by several counties in an area where no one county would have sufficient suitable inmates to man a conservation camp by itself.

An agreement was worked out with the Federal Bureau of Prisons and signed on September 1, 1972, for federal prisoners to be housed This project continued throughout 1972. It is carried out in cooperation with personnel from the State Forester’s Fire Control Section, several conservation camps and other Division personnel live at Parlin Fork Adult Conservation Camp. These prisoners are all Mexican Nationals who have illegally crossed the national boundary between Mexico and the United States, hoping to find work. The camp filled to over 60 inmates within a period of about seven weeks after the first group of 27 arrived on September 7, 1972. The Chamberlain Creek Adult Conservation Camp was closed as a Department of Corrections camp on November 30, 1972, and planning was completed to open it as a second federal conservation camp in the early part of 1973. Division personnel familiar with the work of the Mexican National prisoners soon learned to respect their steady work habits. The language barrier was somewhat of a problem. Efforts were made to overcome this by giving all personnel who handled the inmates a course in conversational Spanish. The courses lasted two weeks and are called “total emersion” courses. They are put on by the University of California at Davis, extension service instructors. Pupils and instructors live together for two weeks, day and night, and only Spanish is spoken. Despite the efforts to train in conversational Spanish, it was soon recognized that it is very necessary to have a person in camp of Mexican extraction who spoke the language fluently. This was accomplished in October by assigning a Mexican American firefighter with three seasons of firefighting to Parlin Fork. The Federal prisoners accepted this man very well and the camp ran smoothly. The problem was how to continue the man’s employment into the future year, 1973.

A project was started in May - 1971 to increase the effectiveness of the conservation camp crews in work production, both quality-wise and quantity wise. It involves research and experimentation with several types of power operated tools, as well as the ways that crews are organized to build firelines when working on an active fire and at times when working on the construction of presuppression facilities, such as firebreaks, where removal of large quantities of woody vegetation is necessary. The United States Marshal’s Service delivers inmates to camp and takes them out of camp at the end of their assignment. Nearly all the Mexican National inmates came from the San Diego area because this is where they are held after being picked up by the Border Patrol and tried and sentenced by federal judges and magistrates. Toward the end of the year, Federal prisoners, other than Mexican Nationals began to show up in the Parlin Fork Camp. A concerted effort was made by Camp Coordinator Oscar Hazelrigg of District I and Bureau of Prisons personnel to inform all federal judges and magistrates of conservation camp life. A good slide presentation was made and used for this effort. This program made the judges aware of the existence of a choice of something besides crowded jails as a penalty for minimum security inmates. In the long run, this effort will result in a good supply of federal prisoners for the camps dedicated to them. The Division of Forestry did the total job in the federal prisoner camp. The inmates are housed, fed, clothed, and worked by the Division of Forestry. They are trained, supervised, and transported to the job by Forestry. The crews do the same type of work that any of the Division’s Conservation Camp crews do. The Bureau of Prisons pays a given rate per day per man for each day the man is assigned to the camp.

To do the custody job when inmates are in camp, the Division contracts with the Department of Corrections for a Correctional Sergeant and four Correctional Officers. These people report to the State Forest Ranger in charge of the camp. The Camp Ranger has two paid cooks and a clerk typist on his staff. In using federal prisoners, particularly Mexican Nationals, there is a heavy workload in bookkeeping as related to accounting for money and other valuables that are transferred with the man when he is signed for by the Camp Ranger. Also, there is the problem of accounting for pay and accounting for the man’s use of his money to buy personal items he may want while in camp. Many of the Mexican National prisoners want to send money to people in Mexico and this entails a lot of extra effort on the part of the camp staff.

All of the various categories of prisoners used in conservation camps in lieu of adult inmates from Corrections are paid about the same daily wage and overtime wage as the State inmates.

Things that have been and are being studied are the benefits to be gained from the use of chain saws; type of chain saws to use; the possibilities of hydraulically operated saws, clippers and pruning shears; wind machines in fire line construction and heat sensing devices. Recommendations were made to the State Forester to attempt to budget for four chain saws for each conservation camp on an annual basis. Further recommendations were made to purchase a 40-pound backpack hydraulic unit and a new type hydraulic-operated slash chopper to replace one of our present standard type chippers.

A proposal to mount a brush chipper unit on a hydraulically operated caterpillar D-4 tractor was worked out. Hydraulically operated cutting tools will be powered by the tractor at the same time the chipper is being powered. This unit has good mobility. It is estimated that 12 to 14 inmates could clear 4 to 6 times as much brush with this machinery in a day as a normal 16-man crew can clear using hand tools and conventional methods.

An interesting book, Men to Match the Mountains by Lloyd Thorpe and telling the story of the conservation camp program in California was released by the publishers in the latter part of November. Thorpe has been close to forests, forestry, and related activities for some 40 years through industrial journal editing, trade promotion, public relations, advertising, and free lance writing. As a layman he has taken an active interest in penal affairs. He became seriously interested in writing his book in the early part of 1968. The book is written with a very readable style, yet serves very well as a history of the conservation camp program.

The Don Lugo Conservation Camp, closed in 1969 and used as a work furlough center by the Department of Corrections in 1971 and until January 21, 1972, was again activated as an adult conservation camp in 1972. This time its name was changed. It was renamed the Prado Conservation Camp on April 4 and occupied by the Prado complement of personnel. This move made operating easier for the Division of Forestry as it eliminated the necessity of the formality of going through the security gates of the Chino Institution for Men which was the original location of the Prado Camp. Response to emergency work and regular work by the crews was speeded up by this move.

The forestry training program for adult prisoners was carried out in 1972 at two locations. The locations were the California Conservation Center at Susanville and the Sierra Conservation Center at Sonora. Forestry was reimbursed by Corrections for providing a supervisor of forestry training and five instructors at each place. In this program, inmates destined for assignment to conservation camps are given basic instruction for three weeks in knowledge, skills, behavior, and conduct required of them in a camp setting. Part of the reasons for the program is to help prepare the inmates to return to society with good attitudes and skills that will help them be more useful individuals. They are taught to work with their bodies. Inmates coming to camp are somewhat familiar with camp life and work they will be expected to do, including fire fighting. More training is given each man in the camp after assignment.

The importance of training generally is increasing. The average age of adult inmates is younger than in years past. They are less accustomed to working than inmates of former years. The number of men has been declining which has caused greater demands on the individual crewman in work production. A part of the total effort of the forestry training program is improving the physical fitness of the inmates through a series of exercises and hiking. A physical examination is given to eliminate men with serious physical defects prior to beginning training.

The Department of Corrections underwent a gradual change in the Forestry training program in 1972. At the beginning of the year, .the Sierra Conservation Center was supplying trained replacement inmates to all the adult CDC camps in the center of the State and to those in southern California. The California Conservation Center supplied trained replacements to the north coast camps and the northern inland camps. Toward the latter part of 1972, the California Conservation Center at Susanville had decreased in inmate population to about 700 men. On December 14, 1972, the Department of Corrections announced that the California Conservation Center was to be closed by April 1, 1973, with only a small group of inmates and correctional staff left for maintenance of the facility. One Forestry instructor position was requested to be assigned to the Sierra Conservation Center which would then do the training of replacement inmates for all adult CDC conservation camps statewide.

The wards coming in to the youth conservation camps are put through a forestry training program very similar to that given the adult inmates. The program is carried out at the DeWitt Nelson Training Center which is part of the Northern California Youth Center at Stockton. Forestry is reimbursed by Youth Authority for providing a lead instructor with the working title of forestry program administrator. This individual supervised seven instructors, one fire apparatus engineer, and one steno 11. Each instructor starts with a group of 18 wards and stays with them through class and field work for four weeks when a graduation ceremony then takes place. The first class was started on December 1, 1971.

A new conservation camp called the Norco Conservation Camp was activated on November 6, 1972. It consists of two crews of civil narcotic offenders working out of the California Rehabilitation Center. The crews are picked up at 9 a.m. and returned at 5 p.m., five working days a week.

Two CDF buses, three fire crew foremen, and a supervising ranger I are provided by CDF. The inmates assigned to the crews are housed inside the main institution. The CDF personnel for this new camp were made available by reducing Rainbow and Prado from 80- to 60-man camps, because of lack of regular inmates. The inmates assigned to these crews are those who have made good progress in rehabilitation from being addicted to the use of drugs. They are still receiving professional counseling in this area, however, between 8-9 a.m. They are medically and mentally fit for physical labor. The Division recognized that this program might possibly be expanded after a reasonable period of experience.

Another change in 1972 involving the CDC adult conservation camps was the closing of the North Coast Branch at Eel River on June 30. This facility worked under the California Conservation Center at Susanville. It serviced the north coast camps for a number of years. The ownership of all facilities at Eel River, both the Eel River Conservation Camp and the North Coast Branch Office warehouse building was that of the Department of Corrections. On December 18, 1972, a meeting took place in Sacramento to discuss the transfer of all CDC owned facilities at Eel River to the Division of Forestry on January 1, 1973.

The Future

The constant decline in the number of adult male felons in 1971 and 1972 caused the Division of Forestry to resort to other sources of confined male persons to replace this severe loss. During 1972, simultaneously with the efforts to develop new sources of manpower for large hand tool crews, the State Forester’s Fire Control and Camps and Engineering Sections were giving serious consideration to the future. If the number of camp eligible male felons from the Department of Corrections continued to decline and Forestry was unable to replace them with other prisoners, what should be the way to proceed in the future?

As a result, some basic criteria was established:

1.The present complement of conservation camps and ecology centers should be retained to maintain the present level of capability in all the types of work normally done by conservation camps. It was felt that a larger number of camps with smaller populations would be preferable to a smaller number of camps with larger populations.

2. The present location of camps gives good strategic coverage for various types of work accomplished by the large hand crews when compared with the established history of workloads.

3. The Division will continue to seek ways to increase the productive capability of hand tool crews. Studies of mechanization will continue.

Increased mobility through the use of helicopters and other aircraft must be worked on to continue the decreasing percentage of very large fires. During hearings on the 1972-73 fiscal year budget, the Joint Legislative Budget Committee became aware of the declining number of inmates from the Department of Corrections available for assignment to the conservation camps for work projects and emergency assistance programs of the Department of Conservation. This committee’s concern caused it to request the Legislative Analyst to study the conservation camp and the ecology corps programs, including the State’s needs for the programs, alternate sources of manpower that may be available, and installation of a program similar to the California Youth Conservation and Training Program, which the State conducted as a pilot program from 1962 to 1965. Ranger Harold Nixon and others spent many days working up statistics showing the production of the camps in fire control and other emergency work, as well as day-to-day work of all kinds. These figures were for 1970, 1971, and 1972 and were compiled from the Monthly Work Program Analysis Reports, Form F-34, submitted by each camp. The Legislative Analyst’s report and any recommendations that may have been made will not be available to the public until the first of February 1973. A large body of information was available through the F-34 forms which showed the Legislative Analyst the large amount of valuable work produced by the conservation camps.

1973

The California Ecology Corps Program, started in 1971 and expanded in 1972, was again expanded in 1973. By the end of 1973, the roll of ecology centers read as follows:

1. Los Osos Ecology Center, San Luis Obispo County, 60-man quota.

2. Del Norte Ecology Center, Del Norte County, 60-man quota, formerly Alder Conservation Camp.

3. Tehama Ecology Center, Tehama County - 60-man quota, formerly Plum Creek Conservation Camp.

4. Humboldt Ecology Center, Humboldt County - 60-man quota, formerly High Rock Conservation Camp.

5. Calaveras Ecology Center, Calaveras County - 80-man quota, formerly Vallecito Conservation Camp.

6. Inyo Ecology Center, Inyo County - 60-man quota, formerly Inyo-Mono Conservation Camp.

7. Placer Ecology Center, Placer County - 60-man quota, formerly Iron Mine Conservation Camp - changed 6/30/73.

8. Butte Ecology Center, Butte County - 60-man quota, formerly Magalia Conservation Camp - changed 6/11/73.

Five youth conservation camps operated throughout the 1973 calendar year.

Conservation Camps operating in cooperation with counties continued to number three in 1973. Two of these were an 80man camp at La Cima and a 60-man camp at Morena in San Diego County. These county prisoners are referred to by the county custodial agency as "residents". The Sheriff's office in San Diego County does not handle a man once he has received a sentence. He is handled by an organization oriented toward rehabilitation while in custody.

The third county camp was the Crystal Creek Camp in Shasta County. This camp was opened at mid-year, 1972, under an agreement between the County of Shasta and the Division of Forestry. The Sheriff's office of Shasta County operates the correctional aspects of the camp; i.e., feeding, clothing, and maintaining custody in the same fashion as the way the state adult inmate and youth conservation camps operate. The Division of Forestry provides work, transportation, tools, and supervision. Shasta County had arrangements with Trinity, Siskiyou, Lassen, Modoc, Butte, Plumas, Tehama, and Glenn to house prisoners from these counties for a fee. This was in 1972 and continued in 1973. In 1973, Napa County also started sending some of its prisoners to Crystal Creek. The concept of Crystal Creek Conservation Camp is referred to as a "regional rehabilitation center" by the various cooperating county sheriffs.

The agreement for Federal prisoners in the Parlin Fork Conservation Camp, consummated with the Federal Bureau of Prisons September 1, 1972, was revised in 1972, and somewhat changed. Chamberlain Creek Conservation Camp became an 80man federal camp and Parlin Fork was raised from a 60 to an 80-man camp on February 19, 1973. Mexican citizens entering California illegally still make up the largest percentage of the inmate population of the two camps; but the number of Federal prisoners who are United States citizens has increased greatly. There have been a few persons from other countries in South America and Central America in the camps also.

The language barrier was less of a problem in 1973 than in 1972 in these two camps. Several Spanish-speaking Mexican American Correctional officers and Division of Forestry employees have been assigned to the two camps. Also, the Mexican-American firefighter assigned there in 1972 was employed at Parlin Fork throughout 1973. This man also speaks spanish fluently.

The United States Marshal's Service continued to deliver inmates to the camps and return them to San Diego at the end of their assignment until August 1, 1973. They had an old diesel-operated bus which gave a lot of trouble. Therefore, a decision was made that the Marshal's organization would transport the men as far as the Fresno County Industrial Farm at Carruthers. The Division would then transport them the rest of the way to the camps, bringing back a load of those who had served their time on the southbound leg of the trip. The Division used its regular 21-passenger camp buses when the group to be transported was small. When the group was large, a large commercial bus was hired. In the meantime, Forestry acquired a 40-passenger highway type used bus and installed a chemical toilet. A cage to protect the driver and an officer was then fabricated and installed along with bars on the windows. The Growlersburg Camp did the toilet installation work and the Konocti Camp did the metal work.

When the fuel shortage became apparent toward the end of 1973, the Federal Marshal saw the possibility of not always being able to buy diesel fuel in San Diego. The Division's bus, which uses gasoline, was then used at times to make the complete round trip to San Diego. The large, state-owned bus was housed at the Parlin Fork Conservation Camp when not making a trip.

The Division did the total job with the Federal prisoners which is normally partially done by a correctional agency in other conservation camps. There are no Federal Bureau of Prisons personnel at Parlin Fork or Chamberlain Creek Conservation Camps. The inmates are clothed, housed, fed, and worked by the Division of Forestry. The custodial aspects of these two camps is handled by a Correctional Sergeant and four Correctional Officers provided under contract by the Department of Corrections. The Sergeant in each camp supervises the Correctional Officers and is in turn supervised by the State Forest Ranger II in charge of the camp for Forestry. Each camp has a clerk to help with the considerable recordkeeping involved in accounting for each man's personal valuables and his pay. The Mexican Nationals usually want to send money home to Mexico and this calls for extra work on the part of the camp staff.

The Mexican National crew men very quickly made a name for themselves as hard working, tough firefighters. Fire Crew Foremen in charge of these crews were exceedingly pleased with the performance of these men. Other firefighting agencies receiving the services of these crews were very pleased with their performance. All their training is done by the Forestry employees at the camps.

The program inaugurated in May of 1971, and carried on throughout 1972 to increase the effectiveness of the conservation crews and ecology center crews through mechanization continued through 1973. Ranger Hal Nixon of the State Forester's Engineering and Camps Section was the coordinator of this program. He worked with various conservation camps in on-the-ground experimental work and maintained coordination with the automotive equipment engineers and others in the State Forester's Fire Control Section. The purpose of this program is to increase work production quality and/or quantity wise. It involved research and experimentation with several types of hydraulically operated tools and chain saws. Part of the program is to see if there are better ways to organize the crews when working on active fire lines, as well as when working on the construction, of pre-suppression facilities, such as firebreaks where removal of large quantities of woody vegetation is necessary. This project is carried out in cooperation with many personnel from the State Forester's staff and with the backing of the Director of the Department of Conservation for funding.

During 1973, 70 six-pound chain saws and 70 ten-pound chain saws were purchased. They were delivered shortly after July 1 and distributed to all conservation camps and ecology centers. This allowed the # 1 and #2 crews in each camp or center to be equipped with one of the small saws and one of the big saws. Chain saw chaps for protection of the men using the saws were also provided. The chaps were intended to prevent the operators from cutting the thighs and shins of their legs with a chain saw. Each camp was asked to use the chain saws on daily work projects in order for operators to become proficient in their use. Also, the foremen and other members of the crew would learn to use the saws to the best advantage for the time when a wildland fire assignment came along. The purpose of the chain saws was stated to be primarily a fire tool and that any use remaining in each saw after the fire season was to be spent on project work. A monthly report was requested on each saw from July 1973 through June 1974.

A cost and production study was made on the 70 saws of each size bought for the project. Comments were asked of the Fire Crew Foreman. The project was undertaken to find out if chain saws are needed with the large hand crews and what size or sizes and number should be provided to each crew. Items asked for were as follows:

1. Operating hours - crew training.

2. Operating hours - fire control.

3. Operating time - CDF work projects.

4. Operating time - other agency contract work.

5. Maintenance cost - not counting fuel and oil.

The Fire Crew Foremen of chain saw equipped crews were invited to make narrative comments on crew organization experience, chain saw size, saw operating characteristics, and give any comments or thoughts which they felt might help in making a decision on the value of chain saws with the Division's organized hand crews, the size, type, and other characteristics of the most suitable saws. Many comments were made by Fire Crew Foremen stating the great increase in effectiveness of crews equipped with the chain saws. There seemed to be an agreement that the larger chain saw was more effective and less subject to breakdowns.

Much experimentation in developing ways and means of equipping the Division's large hand crews with hydraulically operated chain saws, clippers, pruning shears, etc., was undertaken in 1973. Ranger Jack Brady of the Intermountain Conservation Camp assembled three different backpack hydraulic systems. One was built around a commercial "Tyrone" hydraulic pump, one around a power steering pump from an automobile, and one used as a diesel transfer pump from a caterpillar tractor. All these units work very well and the latter two will nicely fit the requirements for a backpack hydraulic unit. By the end of 1973, the Division was about ready to build a complete unit for field use in the backpack size. This type of unit could be taken into rough country, devoid of roads, and containing rocky steep areas covered with heavy brush and trees where it is hoped it will prove to be an important aid to the work production of the crews, as well as saving energy of crew members, so they can work longer.

A four-tool, self-propelled hydraulic unit developed at the Konocti Conservation Camp in 1972 was extensively tested at Konocti and at the Ben Lomond Youth Conservation Camp in 1973. This unit was used to test various makes and types of commercial hydraulic clipping, pruning, and sawing tools, the problem of heating of hydraulic oil, the value of the whole idea, etc. It was not used on fires because of its weight of over 1,000 pounds, but was used on large fuel break construction where it worked very well. The machine increased the production of a crew considerably. Also, definite knowledge of the performance of given hydraulic tools was gained. The power unit was war surplus property available to the Division of Forestry.

A cargo carrier (Mark IV Toter) was purchased during 1973. This machine is a track propelled unit. It is powered with a 7.5 horsepower air-cooled engine. The operator walks behind the machine where the controls are located. There are three speeds forward and one reverse. The unladen machine is 36" wide, 60" long, and weighs 540 pounds. It has a very low center of gravity and will climb very steep places, including rock as long as the rock in not real smooth. The plan is to mount a 400-pound hydraulic unit on the cargo platform of the unit. The hydraulic unit would include a 21 horsepower engine, hydraulic pump, tank, oil, hoses, and tools. This unit has a five-tool capacity. It is still considered an experimental model. The buildup of the hydraulic unit was completed in December of 1973 with all the work being done in the Division of Forestry's shops at the Davis Equipment Facility. It was then dismantled for painting at the same shops.

In late December, plans were being made to work this machine out of the Pilot Rock Conservation Camp on insect control work and out of the Rainbow Conservation Camp on two long fuel break truck trails in the San Diego Ranger Unit.

There were two Forestry training programs carried out on a formally planned basis for persons in custody during the 1973 calendar year. These were carried out by the Department of Corrections and the Department of Youth Authority. Both correction agencies contracted with the Division of Forestry for instructors. At the beginning of 1973, the Department of Corrections had two adult training units. One was at the California Conservation Center at Susanville and the other was at the Sierra Conservation Center at Jamestown in Tuolumne County. The mission of the California Conservation Center was changed on April 1, 1973, and it was no longer a conservation center similar to the Sierra Conservation Center. In view of this, the Forestry Training Unit activities at Susanville also ceased on April 1, 1973. One of the Forestry instructors was moved to the Sierra Conservation Center giving this institution's Forestry Training Unit the capability of training more adult male felons for the camps housing Department of Corrections inmates under direction of the Sierra Conservation Center. This action put the Sierra Conservation Center's Forestry Training Unit in the position of training State inmates for all Department of Corrections camps, excluding Antelope, Norco, and Cuesta. Training for inmates in these three camps is done by Division of Forestry personnel assigned to the camps.

The Division of Forestry furnished, under contract, seven persons to accomplish the training of camp eligible inmates at the Sierra Conservation Center, One of these men was a Ranger III and in charge of the other Forestry instructors.

The wards of the Department of the Youth Authority that are assigned to youth conservation camps also received training by Division employees under contract in 1973 as in previous years. The youth Forestry Training Unit is at the DeWitt Nelson Youth Training Center near Stockton in San Joaquin County. Ten Forestry employees are assigned to this unit. The Forestry employee in charge is a Ranger II.

Both Training Units give the trainees about four weeks of training. It involves camp life, the use of hand tools and some training in wildland fire control and flood control work. Safety of the individual is well covered. Both inmates and wards are well screened to assure that they will fit into the conservation camp setting. A number of individuals are rejected for various reasons.

There was attention given to the training of Fire Crew Foremen and the custodial officers of cooperating agencies during 1973. Four classes were conducted at the Division of Forestry Fire Academy at Ione, California, in the "Art of Communication" between two or more people. These courses were of one-week duration and each class consisted of 12 students. Each class was made up of eight Fire Crew Foremen and four custodial personnel in any given conservation camp. This training is of the problem solving participative type where the individual students are made to participate fully, as much as possible. It is very informal and operates with a conference, round table atmosphere. The leaders are Division of Forestry employees and custodial agency employees with a good background of actual experience in the Conservation Camp Program. Instructors from both agencies have backup people who watch how the course is given and then become lead instructors in another series of classes. Each instructor is a lead instructor for three or four classes and has usually audited at least one class. Any of the students could eventually become an instructor. Instructors state they learn a lot every time they teach a new class. Subjects taught are as follows:

1. Learning to communicate with and understand and be understood by another person.

2. Learning to get along with the other person in a joint agency venture, such as a conservation camp.

3. Learning that a person in custody is a person and has the same needs as any other person; i.e., need for security, self-respect, job satisfaction, etc.

4. Learning to get the most work and cooperation out of the person in custody and to help him learn to work.

These objectives are all more or less overlapping. Some persons will use one type of supervision only which may not work well on all the individuals in a group. Throughout the whole camp program, the subject of interpersonal relations is very important particularly because it is a joint agency venture and because the persons in custody in a conservation camp are no longer in a lockup situation as in an institution. They are near to their time of release and in a transition, so to speak, to making their way as a free member of society.

In the year of 1973, yet another type of training was started for the Division of Forestry Fire Crew Foremen assigned to conservation camps. This training was in the area of minor maintenance of the electrical and propane operated appliances at conservation camps. A one-week course was put on for twenty Fire Crew Foremen and other Forestry employees at the Division of Forestry Fire Academy by two representatives of the Engineering and Camps Section of the State Forester's Office. Part of the objective of this course, was to teach the participants to be able to instruct in this subject upon return to their assigned area. The responsibility for this type of training would then be that of the Division of Forestry from which the man came. Since much of the same equipment is to be found in the Division of Forestry fire stations as in the conservation camps, this training should help the Division of Forestry statewide.

THE FUTURE

The number of persons in custody needed to maintain the population quotas of the various camps by custodial agency through the year 1974, give every indication of remaining stable. In fact, there appears to be a chance that some of the Department of Corrections camps may have to be increased to 80-man camps as the overall number of adult male felons in correctional institutions seemed to be increasing at the end of 1973.

The Folsom Conservation Camp may be opened after July 1974.

The Division of Highways camp near Happy Camp in Siskiyou County called Clear Creek is scheduled to close on July 1, 1974. It may be possible to open Folsom Conservation Camp if funding can be found to provide the Department of Corrections and Division of Forestry's personnel needed to staff the 60 man unit. The necessary complement of buses and other equipment will also have to be obtained.

The Division will continue working on ways to increase work production of large hand crews through mechanization and other means. The mechanization of hand tools should create an area of interest for persons in custody and induce more of them to come to camps where they might acquire a saleable skill and earn an early release.

It is felt that 1974 and future years may see a heavier emphasis on the teaching of skills through vocational education in camps.

1974

(Board of Forestry Report)

The California Division of Forestry’s Conservation Camp Program in cooperation with the California Department of Corrections and Youth Authority, is and has been, for many years, very unique and very successful.

To understand this Program and other Manpower Programs of the Division of Forestry, requires a brief review of its history and a feeling for circumstances which existed prior to and since its inception and rapid growth.

In the decade preceding World War 11, many thousands of young men in the Civilian Conservation Corps worked almost exclusively on wildland conservation projects. It was clearly demonstrated that real progress could be made in conservation with a program in which intelligently guided young men, who were otherwise unemployed, were brought into an almost unlimited number of conservation projects which obviously would not be accomplished in the normal course of events. The CCC Program of the 30’s recognized society’s responsibility in the conservation

of our natural and human resources. The population of CCC, enrollees in Camps doing conservation work in California in 1935 was 22, 000. The program closed in June, 1942. That program is cited here because of its importance in pioneering an action program in the two vast areas in which the present Conservation Camp Program of the Division now functions—conservation of both human and natural resources.

The need for lumber in the post-war building boom and Increase in outdoor recreation demands, placed additional demands and values on the forest and wild-land resources. A real need for conservation was evident throughout the forest and wildland areas of California. Wards and inmates had been assigned to work details outside the confines of the institutions on a limited scale for many years. The successful use of great number s of these men in suppressing forest fires throughout the State during the war years of 1942, 1943, and 1944, when other sources of manpower were not available, prompted leaders of the day from these two widely separated functions - Forestry with responsibilities for the conservation of natural resources and Youth Authority and Corrections with responsibilities for the rehabilitation and conservation of human resources—to get together with their problems to form the present conservation camp program.

The expansive conservation camp program had a very small, but sound, beginning. Of the 37 camps which were in existence at the close of 1966, two were established in 1945. These were Coarsegold and Pine Grove, both operated jointly by the Department of the Youth Authority and the Division of Forestry. The rehabilitation of youthful offenders was of first priority in State government then, which explains why the earliest camps provided facilities for the employment of wards of the State.

In 1946, the Rainbow Conservation Camp opened as the first Forestry adult inmate camp.
Two in 1947, Minnewawa (adult), and Ben Lomond (a youth camp) .

The program experienced steady growth for several years. In 1959, there were 1591 adult inmates and 265 wards in Conservation Camps of the Division of Forestry, and the need for these men continued to increase and at the peak of the program in 1966, there were 2520 adult inmates and 360 wards, for a total population of 2880 men in 37 separate camps.

For economy reasons, during 1967, three spike camps, three mobile camps, one 80-man camp and two 60-man camps were closed. This reduced the Division’s hand crew force from 2880 to 2500.

Another very successful State program started by the Department of Corrections in 1966, caused further reductions in the adult Conservation Camp population. The Parole Subsidy Program was started. This program allowed Corrections to pay the Counties to supervise minimum security classified inmates on parole in the community instead of holding them in institutions. These minimum security inmates were the very same inmate that were previously sent to Conservation Camps. So, the competition became greater and greater for the low risk, trustworthy inmate, and that program continues to operate, but with much less emphasis than a few years ago.

By 1972, there were 1160 adult inmates in camps, compared to 2,520 in 1966. In 1971 the California Ecology Corps was created by an Executive Order of the Governor. In July of 1971, three Ecology Centers were activated by converting Conservation Camps: High Rock Conservation Camp became Humboldt Ecology Center—Plum Creek Conservation Camp became Tehama Ecology Center—and Vallecito Conservation. Camp became Calaveras Ecology Center. On August 15, the Inyo Mono Conservation Camp became the Inyo Ecology Center. Presently there are a total of eight Ecology Centers with a population of 500 Ecology Corpsmen.

Since this program began in July, 1971, the Corps has employer] approximately 1175 young men who were previously receiving some type of public assistance -- 177 Vietnam War veterans who receive on-the-joie training benefits, and several hundred conscientious objectors performing alternate service work.

As another source of required manpower, the La Cima and Morena Adult Conservation Camps were converted to San Diego County inmate camps in ‘71 and ‘72 respectively. Also, Crystal Creek Conservation Camp in Shasta County was converted to County inmates in 1972.

The adult State inmate population continued to decline in Conservation Camps, but at a slower rate. In July, 1972, the Parlin Fork Conservation Camp was converted from State Inmates to Federal prisoners—basically illegal aliens. In March, 1973, Chamberlain Creek Conservation Camp was converted to Federal prisoners. Because the Federal Bureau of Prisons was unable to furnish prisoners in sufficient numbers to maintain quotas in these two facilities and because of a change its policy and practices by the California Adult Authority, more minimum security inmates were made available for Camp assignment. Chamberlain Creek was reconverted to State inmates on June: 1, 1974.

During the steady decline of available camp inmates of the late 60’s and until late ‘73, most of the 80-man adult conservation camps were reduced to a population of 60. Presently, available minimum security inmates are increasing at about the same rate as they decreased seven years ago. Plans have been developed by Forestry and Corrections to increase most of. the 60-man camps to 80men during the 74/75 fiscal year. In order to single-cell, hard-core, maximum security inmates, the Department of Corrections has a critical need for bed space in the institutions—and Forestry needs to fill empty beds in Camps.

The present hand-crew manpower program working for the Division of Forestry is:

17 Adult Conservation Camps 1120 men

5 Youth Conservation Camps 400

1 Federal Bureau of Prisons Camp 200

3 County Camps 200

8 Ecology Centers 500

TOTAL 2300 Men

In order to screen, classify, and train ward and inmates, two Conservation Camp training centers are in operation, paid for by Corrections & Youth Authority and operated by Forestry personnel. The Adult Training Center is at the

Sierra Conservation Center at Jamestown, and the DeWitt Nelson Training Center for youths at Stockton.

In 1963, legislation was signed into law establishing the California Youth Conservation & Training Program.

In cooperation with the Department of Employment, Department of Education, Dept. of Industrial Relations and Youth Authority, the Division of Forestry was charged by law with the administration of the program. Young men

were provided with work experiences involved in the preservation, protection and development of California natural resources.

After President Johnson’s “war on poverty program” began in 1964, the Division’s Oak Glen Youth Conservation & Training Program was the focus of much attention and many visits by Federal people. All aspects of the program were studied. The Federal Job Corps Program was born at Oak Glen. The Division’s California Youth Conservation Training Center became the Oak Glen Job Corps Center on June 1, 1965, under provisions of a contract signed between the State of California and the Office of Economic Opportunity. This program employed well over 100,000 young men nationwide. The Oak Glen Center was operated with Federal funds by the Division of Forestry until July 1969. At that time, the U. S. Department of Labor assumed responsibility of the Job Corps from OFO and closed 50 of^-the 106 job Corps Centers. Some are still in operation. Oak Glen was converted to the present CDF-CYA Youth Conservation Camp.

Plans for future

expansion of the Camp Program include a proposal to

construct two adult 80-man amps in southern California “- one about 10 miles southeast of El Cajon at the Bratton Valley site and one 12 miles southeast of Hemet at the Bautista site. These sites and work programs were developed and ready for construction several years ago. The Department of Corrections has

expressed an urgent need for camps in these locations and the Division of Forestry needs them.

The Division of Forestry is very proud of the role it has played in this and many other programs, designed to protect the State’s natural resources and its contribution to the development of young men, nationwide.

Information attachments have been distributed to you.

1982

Female inmates were first utilized from California Institute for Women (CIW)

1983

Rainbow Conservation Camp and Malibu Camp (LACO) converted to Female Inmate Firefighters

1984

1985

1986

1987

Puerta La Cruz Conservation Camp converted to Female Inmates

1988

1989

NEW LEGISLATION

In 1989, CDF and the California Conservation Corps (CCC) ended a 10 year cooperative partnership in the operation of Humboldt Fire Center. Humboldt Fire Center will become High Rock Conservation Camp housing Department of Corrections (CDC) adult male inmates. Incidentally, this facility began its career August 16,1954 as the High Rock Conservation Camp with CDC male inmates. During the 70's it was known as the Humboldt Ecology Center, during the 80's it was known as the Humboldt Fire Center and 35 years later it will once again be known as the High Rock Conservation Camp.

Assembly Bill 639 was signed by Governor Deukmejian, September 13, 1989. This bill allows the use of CDC inmates and CYA wards to fight fires within 25 miles of California's borders in the states of Oregon, Arizona and Nevada. These states have assisted California in the past - now California can reciprocate. At this time the states and agencies involved are drafting procedures to implement this legislation.

CONSERVATION CAMP CONSTRUCTION

Baseline Conservation Camp

Baseline Conservation Camp consisted of modular buildings located on the grounds of Sierra Conservation Center at Jamestown. In 1986, the center needed the camp area for the construction of a new prison facility, so the modulars were moved and the inmates were housed within Sierra Conservation Center, with CDF arriving in the mornings to pick up the inmates to work on projects. CDF was able to secure another site for the camp at Peoria Basin, which is approximately four miles away. Camp staff and inmates are doing the site development and reconstruction work: e.g., digging footings and pouring foundations, installing water, sewer and electrical lines, and reassembling the modular structures. Work is progressing, and Baseline Conservation Camp, relocated to Peoria Basin, should be operable sometime in 1990.

Valley View Conservation Camp

During 1989, construction continued on the Valley View Conservation Camp. Construction is 98% complete. This camp should be receiving its first inmates in the Spring of 1990.

Ventura Youth Conservation Camp

Department of Youth Authority (CYA) has nearly finished construction of a new conservation camp at the Ventura Public Service Camp. CYA will jointly operate a youth conservation camp with CDF at this site. The wards will be utilized in fire suppression, and other emergencies as well as community work for local government entities. At this time no definite activation date has been announced.

1990

September 1990

Legislation was enacted to provide an additional 1,000 beds in the conservation camps. Some of these additional beds will be provided by expanding existing camps. The remainder will be provided by constructing five new camps. After considering custodial and operational issues, the California Department of Corrections determined that 120 inmates will be house in each new camp for a total of 600 beds.

McCloud River Conservation Camp

40 acre site located on Edison Creek Road approximately ¾ mile north of Hwy 89 in Siskiyou County. Edson Creek Road is 11 miles east of the city of McCloud.

Mount Whitney Conservation Camp

Inyo county 3 miles east of Hwy 395 on Manzanar Reward Road. The camp site is on the north side of Manzanar Reward Road and .5 miles east of the Owen River. Ownership is LA City Department of Water and Power.

Poso Creek Conservation Camp

40 acre parcel leased from the Kern County Fire Department. The site is approximately 13 miles north of the city of Bakersfield in Kern County. One mile west of Hwy 65 and 1/3 mile south of Merced Ave.

Spenceville Conservation Camp

4 miles south of Smartville off of Spenceville Road, Yuba County. Just east of Beale Air Force Base.

Ventura Youth Conservation Camp started to utilize a female crew at the camp. The wards were assigned out of the Ventura Youth Correctional Facility.

1991

The Conservation Camp Program peaked at 47 camps and 231 fire crews in 1992

Prado Conservation Camp initiates a inmate fly crew with San Bernardino County Sherriff. An unfunded project that utilizes existing inmates and Fire Captains at the camp. Initiated by Camp Division Chief Jan Newman and Fire Captains Gardner, Horn, and DeAnda.

1992

Ron Cohn CDF Conservation Camp Coordinator

Dave Morrow CDC Camp Coordinator

In 1992, budget reductions necessitated the closure of camps and the reduction of crews bringing the totals to 41 camps and 173 crews.

April 9, 1992

Memo from Director Wilson

This is to advise you that the design and construction of the McCloud River, Berenda Creek, Poso Creek, Mt. Whitney and Spenceville Conservation Camps are being terminated.

This action is necessary because of a significant reduction in the projected inmate population. Chapter 981, Statutes of 1990, authorized the 1,000 Level I bed program based on the update to the 1989-94 Five-Year Facilities Master Plan which estimated the number of inmates in the State’s prison system to exceed 136,000 by mid 1994. Approximately 22,252 were projected to be eligible to live and work outside a security perimeter. However, current estimates projected an inmate population of only 108,674 by June 1995 and 116,035 by June 1997. Of these estimates, 16,427 in 1995 and 17,563 in 1997 are projected to be able to live and work outside the security perimeter.

With this projected decrease in the camp-eligible population, coupled with legislation such as Senate Bill 1591 which has placed an extra demand on this population and the uncertainty of possible fiscal year 1992-93 budget reductions which could result in the closure of existing camps, the decision was made to cease work on the design and construction of the five new camps.

We will complete the pre design phase on the Spenceville Conservation Camp, as we have on the other four camps, so they are all at the same level of design. We will also complete the Standard Camp Documents which can be utilized for future camp construction or renovation.

On 6/26/92 CDF announced:

Camp Closures: Crystal Creek, Black Mountain, Green Valley Preston Training

Crew Reductions:

Eel River 2 Crews Chamberlain Creek 1 Crew Alder 1 crew

Parlin Fork 1 crew Konocti 1 crew Delta 1 crew

Ben Lomond 1 crew Devil’s Garden 2 crews Sugar Pine 2 crews

Trinity River 2 crews Salt Creek 2 crews Valley View 2 crews

Antelope 2 crews Ishi 1 crew Washington Ridge 1 crew

Bautista 1 crew Fenner Canyon 1 crew McCain Valley 1 crew

Oak Glen 1 crew Owens Valley 1 crew Puerta La Cruz 1 crew

Los Robles 1 crew Mt. Home 1 crew Growlersberg 2 crews

Pine Grove 1 crew Mt Bullion 1 crew Vallecito 1 crew

Gabilan 1 crew Baseline 1 crew

1993

1994

As a result of CDC discussions with CDF management, CDC requested CDF determine how many beds were available. CDF executive staff examined all the CDF camps, and recommended only those that could accommodate additional inmates in increments of 20 inmates with staffing, O&E dollars and capital improvements as appropriate. Those camps that are part of the institutions, or solely CDC-owned, are assumed to be under the purview of CDC for overcrowding.

Finally, there is provision within the existing agreement to override each camp by 10% of its design population. CDF estimated that between 200-250 inmates could be accommodated at this point in time without further complications or costs.

And lastly CDF noted that, planning for the design and construction of five new 120 bed camps was suspended at the request of CDC just two years ago due to a change in forecast of camp eligible inmate population. Four of these sites progressed to the point that planning and construction could once again proceed immediately upon availability of funds. The four sites include McCloud River in Siskiyou County, Mt. Whitney in Inyo County, Berenda Creek in Madera County, and Poso Creek in Kern County. The Spenceville site in Yuba County met with local opposition and was dropped from further planning consideration.

The cost to continue with the planning and construction of the four new sites would be about $6 million per camp if completed by CDC.

1995

1996

Walt Prather Deputy Chief Conservation Camp Coordinator

In 1992, budget reductions necessitated the closure of camps and the reduction of crews bringing the totals to 41 camps and 173 crews. Subsequent crew restorations have put that total back to 195 in 1996

In January, CDF Director Wilson ordered that one crew from Mt. Bullion and one crew from Ventura Youth Conservation Camp be eliminated due to budget cuts. The most dramatic cut would be the elimination of the training program at Preston School of Industry.

In March, CDF proposed reducing the number of available crews by 17. The reduction placed the number of crews at 178.

Because of lack of inmates, CDF experienced a reduction of fire crews at 15 conservation camps.

Valley View-Salt Creek-Devils Garden-Alder-Eel River, Chamberlain Creek-Antelope-Vallecito-Rainbow-Puerta La Cruz-McCain Valley-Growlersberg-Oak Glen-Gabilan-Fenner Canyon-

1997

In January, due to a shift in the Environmental License Plate Fund, CDF decided to reduce the available crews by 14. One crew was removed from:

Vallecito-Rainbow-Trinity River-Salt Creek-Delta-McCain Valley-Antelope-Owens Valley-Eel River-Growlersberg-Valley View-Oak G3eln-Devil’s Garden-Fenner Canyon

1998

Dewitt Nelson Youth Conservation Camp closed:

Fred Brown Overcrowding

We understand that the Department of Corrections (CDC) intends to proceed with the planned overcrowding of conservation camps. As you know, the Department of Finance (DOF) has advised the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CDF) that the conservation camps will not be overcrowded and has denied funding for infrastructure improvements and equipment purchases.

Overcrowding of CDF owned conservation camps will necessitate infrastructure improvements and concurrence by DOF for additional CDF personnel and equipment. Following is a brief history of actions that have been taken.

In 1989, a study was conducted by CDC and the engineering firm of Kitchell CEM, with assistance from CDF, in an effort to add 560 beds to existing conservation camps. Results of the study showed that the addition of 440 inmates would cost in excess of $13 million, or close to $30,000 per inmate, in facility improvements alone. The effort was abandoned.

On November 8, 1994, a member of the Emergency Bed Task Force contacted our Technical Services Program requesting information regarding infrastructure deficiencies at eight of our jointly operated conservation camps. CDF Conservation Camp Program personnel subsequently attended a Task Force meeting. At that juncture, the intent of the Task Force was to place 1,200 inmates in existing conservation camps without improvements to the facilities.

On November 28, 1994, CDF Director Wilson forwarded a letter to CDC Director Gomez outlining CDF's concerns with the effort. Attached to the letter was a set of preliminary tables containing CDF cost estimates for placement of 260 additional inmates in CDF owned, operating conservation camps, and an additional 260 inmates in closed camps. At that time capital improvements for 520 additional inmates were estimated at $1.14 million. The proposal was rejected by Director Gomez. Through a series of meetings and correspondence, a set to assumptions was adopted. A total of 422 additional inmates, 380 in CDF owned conservation camps and 42 in a CDC owned conservation camp, was selected as the target for overcrowding. It was agreed that those conservation camps needing the least infrastructure improvements would be selected for overcrowding. It was agreed that the added populations would be in fire crew configuration. It was agreed that CDC would provide funding to purchase long lead items, such as crew carrying vehicles (CCV's) out of their Emergency Bed Fund. It was also agreed that both departments would support each other's efforts to secure adequate funding for the project. The Interagency Agreement proposed by CDC to accomplish the transfer of funds to CDF for the purchase the CCV's has been attached to the overall project by DOF and held in abeyance.

Current staff work indicates a significant increase in improvements necessary to accomplish this project. This increase is due to a number of factors including; a closer evaluation of the impacts overcrowding will have on the infrastructure of the targeted conservation camps, increased federal oversight for conservation camps occupying federal land on special use permits, hard winters revealing weaknesses in waste water treatment facilities, and tighter environmental requirements. Also, the costs for construction have escalated.

If you have questions or observations, or wish to reply to the foregoing, please do not hesitate to forward them to me or to Deputy Director Owen at your earliest convenience.

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

In February the CDF and CDCR personnel met for 3 days in Sacramento at the annual “Camps Meeting” to discuss and pass along information. New automated FC-77 and FC-79 forms were distributed.

Butte Fire Center and Los Robles Camps continue to remain closed. Budget Change Proposals have been submitted for the construction and repair of the camps.

A heavy rain in the spring led to the sewer ponds at Vallecito overflowing. And the spray fields at Trinity River Camp was expanded to help eliminate problems with that facility.

In the fall, Governor Schwargnegger’s staff asked CDF to prepare a proposal for the expansion of the camp program. The proposal was for the expansion of some of the facilities for 20 inmates, as well as the construction of Butte Fire Center and Los Robles Camps. That proposal was not acted on in 2006.

2007

Camp population remains constant. Prison overcrowding is very much on the front burner of the Governor’s office. In March the legislature appropriated $ to deal with the issue. There are no current plans to impact CDF (CAL Fire)