Black History Month
February is Black History Month, and DEC joins the rest of the nation in paying tribute to African American men and women whose significant contributions are woven into the fabric of America s culture. Below DEC is bringing attention to some of the most prolific environmental game changers of yesterday and today.
Paying Tribute to a Legacy
Members of the Civilian Conservation Corps
Unit 1251 C II in the 1930s.
In 1933, to combat the turmoil from the Great Depression, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt created the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), and enlisted thousands of men and women to undertake public works projects and battle significant environmental issues. To address the impact of poor farming practices, deforestation, and destructive pests that destroyed thousands of acres of usable land across the nation, the CCC worked to reforest an estimated one million acres of land to help solve these crises.