The Bureau of Land Management works with youth through a variety of programs. Those who come to BLM Visitor Centers and at many public events can quickly find educational programs geared toward young people. BLM also contracts with organizations that hire youth between the ages of 16 and 30 to work on specific public land projects aimed at ecological restoration, noxious weed control, public information, and many other programs. 

In this episode of "On The Ground: A Bureau of Land Management Podcast," we talk with BLM Specialists putting young people to work. In addition to its regular appropriations from Congress, BLM received an infusion of funds from the Inflation Reduction Act to help train future public land stewards. We'll visit with Maya Fuller, BLM's National Lead for Youth Initiatives funded by IRA about the goals of youth outreach. We'll also talk with BLM specialists in Arizona, Utah and Montana about work planned this summer. And finally, we'll meet a college freshman in Colorado who hopes to make natural resources a future career. 

It's an extended edition of "On The Ground!" 

Interviews: 

• Maya Fuller, National Youth Coordinator for Inflation Reduction Act Projects
• Rachel Shively, Restoration Landscape Specialist, BLM Arizona Strip Field Office, Arizona
• Dustin Shaible, Wildlife Biologist, BLM Color Country District, Utah
• Cory Manseau, Project Manager, BLM Dillon Field Office, Montana
• Grace Wahl, Intern, BLM Kremmling Field Office, Colorado