NC teens work to clean, conserve Jordan and Falls lakes

A group of North Carolina teenagers is teaming with the Army Corps of Engineers on conservation projects to improve Jordan and Falls lakes.

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It's a paid summer job that all of us get to benefit from, but it's also a great resume builder for the teens as they work with the North Carolina Youth Conservation Corps program.

The teens are living and working outside in the summer heat, seven hours a day for seven weeks, all to protect the land around our lakes.

"Before I go to college I wanted to do something that would really push myself and my boundaries and limits, and really caused me to grow," said 18-year-old Julia Slater. "And I figured that it would be kind of hard not to give back to a park system that gave so much to me."

Slater's unit is part of a group of 49 teens working at parks across the state. They were building steps to a trail Thursday, but they've also laid rock work to protect Raleigh's water source from eroding lands into the lake.

Check out internship and job opportunities for your teen here.

"They have to be on time; they have to do the work to a certain standard; they have to have their safety equipment on, program director Jan Pender said.

"The Corps of Engineers, and other partners, make sure that work is done to their specifications, so that is a great resume building opportunity for them," Pender added.

No matter what career path they go down, North Carolina Youth Conservation Corps hopes the teens will walk away with a lesson in protecting natural resources for life.

"I think the biggest goal is just to conserve this area so that people can continue to use it and can continue to enjoy it, said Morgan Chance Hunneke, 18.