Impact of the CCC Print Share
A Sound, Active Conservation Program
In January 1944, Departmental Representative to the Advisory Council of the CCC, Conrad Louis Wirth, submitted his final report on the liquidation of the CCC, in which he outlined what he felt were some of the accomplishments of the CCC.
“Working in the open, with nature, brings optimum beneficial results to an individual which are almost impossible to obtain otherwise. It builds the body and the mind; it teaches the basic principles of existence; and it creates an understanding of what must be done to protect and properly use natural resources.”
In camp DG-41-N near Lake Arthur, work projects in 1935 included ``the completion of 21 miles of telephone lines, 29 miles of truck trails, erosion work on thousands of acres, loco weed eradication, rodent control, and the construction of 1,120 rods of fence.”
“Besides providing advantages for the boys, developing and protecting the natural resources, and making the general public conscious of the value of the natural resources, the CCC program brought together many subdivisions of Government and made them realize that the protection of the natural resources was a problem common to all.”
Local economies likewise benefited from proximity to a CCC camp. According to the National Park Service's multiple property listing for “Architectural and Historical Resources of the New Deal in New Mexico:”
“These camps...[had] a profound influence on the state's economy, for the establishment of each camp required non-CCC construction crews, and each camp's need for food supplies was a boon for local stores. Staffed by army personnel, a camp physician, project foremen, technical experts...as well as a 200-man company, each camp required numerous goods and services from nearby towns.”
``Learning how to handle heavy equipment proved to be of great value to the boys when the time came for them to leave camp. Boys with experience in handling and repairing equipment were in demand by private business concerns and Government agencies. Many went into the Army and qualified as noncommissioned officers.”
Speaking before Congress, Brigadier General Geroge P. Tyner, who served as a representative of the War Department on the CCC Advisory Council, testified that the training young men had received in CCC camps was equal to 75 percent that required of new soldiers.
“Perhaps one of the greatest accomplishments of the Civilian Conservation Corps was that it brought to the minds of the people of this country the need and value of a sound, active conservation program.”
In New Mexico, CCC workers helped construct the Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge, Bandelier National Monument, and several state parks, including Elephant Butte and Bottomless Lakes -- sites enjoyed by many today.
Source: Wirth, Conrad L. “Civilian Conservation Corps Program of the U.S. Department of the Interior March 1933 to June 30, 1943. A Report to Harold L. Ickes, Secretary of the Interior.” January 1944.