In 2009, USACE created the Veterans Curation Program (VCP), which provides Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and disabled veterans with work skills and experience through the rehabilitation and preservation of archaeological collections owned or administered by USACE. During the planning, construction, and management of its operating projects, explained Coulombe, USACE has discovered thousands of archaeological sites and has recovered artifacts that date from the earliest prehistoric occupations of this continent to more recent historic periods. The accumulation of thousands of cubic feet of artifacts and associated records has resulted in a significant challenge to properly curate, package, and document all of the finds. “This project helps us take curated artifact collections and restore, rehabilitate, and record them using the most current and advanced methods available,” Coulombe said.

While advancing the public stewardship of USACE heritage assets, the VCP provides veterans with an opportunity to receive competitive pay while learning new job skills through technical training and human resources counseling. Veterans acquire skills in areas such as computer database management, records management, digital imaging and scanning technologies, and knowledge of archaeology and history. The VCP participants also receive counseling in interpersonal communication and writing improvement with a focus on résumé building. A significant percentage of VCP participants have secured permanent jobs because of the new skills they have acquired through this program, and others have either resumed or begun their college-level education.

Another goal of the AGO Initiative is to engage young people with the outdoors – an activity already at the heart of USACE’s recreation program in its partnership with organizations such as the Student Conservation Association (SCA). During the spring and summer of 2012, about 20 secondary and college student volunteers, at more than 30 USACE recreation areas around the country, collected 20,000 comments from visitors, providing the organization with valuable information about why people visit its recreation sites, how long they stay, and what they do there.

Organizations such as the SCA will form the backbone of a larger group formed under the umbrella of the AGO Initiative: the 21st Century Conservation Service Corps (21CSC), a public/private partnership to engage youth and veterans in hands-on service and job training experiences on public lands, waterways, cultural heritage sites, and community green spaces. 21CSC, devised by an advisory committee that included Coulombe, is inspired by the Depression-era Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), with one significant distinction: Youth who work for organizations – such as the SCA – under 21CSC will not be government employees, but will earn certification in knowledge and skill sets under the auspices of the program. “With 21CSC setting up the standards for these programs,” Coulombe said, “people will then know that these organizations offer substantive training and skill building in conservation work – and that after completing the program, they can compete for all kinds of employment opportunities.”

21CSC is a prime example of how the AGO Initiative serves to leverage the resources of existing partnerships to advance recreation and conservation goals. Since the launch of the initiative, USACE and other agencies have co-hosted more than 100 events at or on public lands and waters in conjunction with the first lady’s Let’s Move Outside! initiative. In June 2012, USACE hosted such an event at its Blue Marsh Lake Dam project in Pennsylvania, in which more than 1,000 visitors kayaked, hiked, fished, learned water safety, and took in exhibits and demonstrations from 43 regional organizations.

The AGO Initiative has also given a boost to the White House’s National Travel and Tourism Initiative, established by executive order and led by the secretaries of the Interior and Commerce. The initiative, which seeks to increase both international and domestic tourism to the United States, recognizes the importance of public lands in attracting visitors, and a key component of this strategy has been the recent overhaul of the federal government’s Recreation.gov website. Until recently, Recreation.gov – a site that received about 150 million page views in 2011 – was a site devoted primarily to making camping and tour reservations and purchasing permits.

“Last winter,” said Coulombe, “the federal agencies – the Army, DoI [Department of the Interior], the Department of Agriculture, NOAA [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration], and others – all recognized it could be a much bigger resource.” The new site, unveiled in August 2012, is an expanded information portal with content about the varieties of activities available at certain sites – and within specific geographic or metropolitan areas.

“If people go to the website,” said Coulombe, “they can actually see a one- or two-day itinerary that will take them outside that metropolitan area to enjoy different activities and visit federal lands … there’s information about the national parks, of course, but also about USACE reservoirs, which have great areas to go fishing, hunting, or camping.” To further extend its reach, Recreation.gov also features a free mobile phone application to browse and locate available sites for federal campsites, day-use facilities, cabins, and other resources – complete with maps and photos.

“It’s part of the strategy to provide more useable information, for a new and different kind of visitor, and it’s a permanent solution,” said Coulombe. “It’s not something that will come and go. We want to make it easier for people to get outside.”

This article originally appeared in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: Building Strong®, Serving the Nation and the Armed Forces 2012-2013 Edition.