Kokoke ʻumi makahiki ko Visalia's Self-Help Training and Employment Center i kona lawe ʻana i kāna kuleana ma ke ʻano he hui hana kaiāulu o Tulare County i nā makahiki 1980. Ma hope koke iho, ua hoʻomaka ʻia ʻo Tulare County Conservation Corps ma ke ʻano he papahana o ka hui e lawelawe i ka poʻe ʻōpio i makemake e hoʻomau i kā lākou hoʻonaʻauao a loaʻa nā mākau hana koʻikoʻi. He kanahā mau makahiki ma hope mai, ua hoʻoikaika ʻia ka inoa ʻo Community Services and Employment Training (CSET), a me kona inoa hou ʻia ʻo Sequoia Community Corps (SCC) i kā lākou misionari no ka hoʻoikaika ʻana i nā ʻōpio, nā ʻohana, a me nā wahi a puni ma o ka lehulehu o nā lawelawe kaiāulu e pili ana i ka ululāʻau kūlanakauhale.
Hoʻomaha ka poʻe kino ma hope o ka lā nui e hoʻomaʻemaʻe i ke alahele o ka muliwai ʻo Tule.
Aia ka SCC i nā ʻōpio pilikia, nā makahiki 18-24. ʻAʻole hiki i ka hapa nui o kēia poʻe ʻōpio ke hoʻokūkū ma ka mākeke hana. ʻAʻole i pau ke kula kiʻekiʻe kekahi. ʻO kekahi poʻe he moʻolelo kalaima. Hāʻawi ka CSET a me ka SCC i kēia mau ʻōpio i ka hoʻomaʻamaʻa hana a me ka hoʻokomo ʻana, a me ke kōkua i nā lālā o ke kino no ka loaʻa ʻana o kā lākou diploma kula kiʻekiʻe. Ua hāʻawi lākou ma luna o 4,000 mau ʻōpio makua me ka hoʻomaʻamaʻa hana a me nā manawa hoʻonaʻauao i nā makahiki he 20 i hala.
ʻO kekahi o nā papahana mua o ka SCC, ʻo ia ka mālama ʻana a me ka hoʻomohala ʻana i ke ala ma Sequoia a me Kings Canyon National Parks. ʻO kā lākou hana ma kekahi o nā ululāʻau kupanaha loa o ka lāhui, ua holomua maoli i mau manawa e lawe ai i ka nahele i nā wahi kaona i lawelawe ʻia e CSET. ʻO nā papahana ulu lāʻau kūlanakauhale mua o SCC i hui pū me ka Urban Tree Foundation.
Ke hana mau nei nā hui ʻelua e kanu i nā lāʻau i kēia lā. ʻO ka hapa nui o kēia mau papahana e kālele ana i nā ʻāpana kahawai i hoʻohana ʻole ʻia kahi i waiho ʻia ai nā ʻoka maoli a me nā mea kanu lalo ma nā ala hele wāwae hou i ʻoki ʻia e nā lālā SCC. Hāʻawi kēia mau ala i kahi pakele ʻōmaʻomaʻo ma kahi i hoʻohana ʻole ʻia, a hāʻawi i nā kamaʻāina a me nā malihini e ʻike i nā pono o kahi papahana hoʻonaʻauao kaiapuni ikaika e hiki ke manaʻo no ka ʻāina a me kāna ʻōpio pilikia.
ʻOiai he nui nā lālā o ke kaiāulu e hauʻoli nei i ka nani o kēia mau wahi, ʻaʻole nui ka poʻe i ʻike i nā pono hou aʻe a CSET e hāʻawi ai i ke kaiāulu ma o kāna papahana ulu lāʻau kūlanakauhale. Hiki i nā ala ʻōmaʻomaʻo ke hopu i ka wai ʻino, hoʻonui i ka noho ʻana o nā holoholona hihiu, a hoʻomaikaʻi i ka maikaʻi o ka ea ma kahi ʻāina i helu mau ʻia ʻo ia kekahi o nā mea ʻino loa o ka lāhui no ka smog a me ka pollution ozone.
Ke hoʻomau nei ʻo CSET i kāna mau hoʻoikaika ʻana e hoʻonui i ka ʻike ʻana i nā pōmaikaʻi maoli o kāna papahana ma o nā ʻano mea hana like ʻole. ʻO kekahi o ia mau kumuwaiwai ʻo ia ka haʻawina federal i hoʻopaʻa ʻia e CEST ma 2010 ma o ka American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Ke kākoʻo nei kēia mau kālā i mālama ʻia e California ReLeaf i kahi papahana ʻano nui kahi e hana ai nā lālā o ka SCC e hoʻihoʻi i kahi ululāʻau kahawai ʻo Valley Oak ma kahi kahawai i nele i nā mea kanu i kēia manawa a ke hoʻomaikaʻi pū nei hoʻi i ke alanui ululāʻau kūlanakauhale o Visalia. Hāʻawi ka pāhana i ka pōmaikaʻi hou o ka hoʻokumu ʻana i ka hana nui i kahi kalana me ka 12% o ka helu hana ʻole ma ʻOkakopa, 2011.
ʻO ka hapa nui o ka holomua o kēia papahana a me ka papahana ululāʻau kūlanakauhale a CSET hiki ke hoʻopili ʻia ʻo Nathan Higgins, CSET's Urban Forestry Program Coordinator. I ka hoʻohālikelike ʻana i ka lōʻihi o ka SCC, he mea hou ʻo Nathan i ka hana a me ka ululāʻau kūlanakauhale. Ma mua o ka hiki ʻana i CSET, ua hoʻohana ʻo Nathan ma ka mālama ʻana i ka ʻāina hihiu ma nā paka ʻāina kokoke a me nā ululāʻau aupuni. ʻAʻole ʻo ia a hiki i kāna hana ʻana ma ke kaona kaona i ʻike ai i ke koʻikoʻi o nā ululāʻau kaiaulu.
"Ua loaʻa iaʻu kahi hōʻike, ʻoiai ʻo ka poʻe o kēia mau kaiāulu e noho wale ana he 45 mau minuke mai kekahi o nā paka ʻāina maikaʻi loa o ka ʻāina, ʻaʻole hiki i ka hapa nui o lākou ke hele i ka huakaʻi pōkole e ʻike i nā paka. Hāʻawi ka nahele kūlanakauhale i ke ʻano i ka poʻe i ko lākou wahi," wahi a Higgins.
ʻAʻole wale ʻo ia i ʻike pehea e hiki ai i ka ululāʻau kūlanakauhale ke hoʻololi i nā kaiāulu, akā pehea hoʻi e hiki ai ke hoʻololi i nā kānaka. Ke nīnau ʻia i nā laʻana o ka hana a SCC no nā lālā o Corps, ua wikiwiki ʻo Nathan e pane me nā moʻolelo o ʻekolu mau kāne ʻōpio i ʻike ʻia i hoʻololi ʻia ko lākou ola.
Hoʻomaka like nā moʻolelo ʻekolu - he kanaka ʻōpio i komo i ka SCC me ka liʻiliʻi o ka manawa e hoʻomaikaʻi ai i kona ola. Ua hoʻomaka kekahi ma ke ʻano he lālā hana a ua hoʻokiʻekiʻe ʻia ʻo ia i luna hoʻokele, e alakaʻi ana i nā kāne ʻōpio a me nā wahine ʻē aʻe e hoʻomaikaʻi i ko lākou ola e like me ia. Ke hana nei kekahi me ke kūlanakauhale ʻo Visalia Park a me ka ʻOihana Hoʻonaʻauao ma ke ʻano he intern e hana ana i ka mālama paka. Ke lana nei ka manaʻo e lilo kāna ʻoihana i kahi kūlana uku ke loaʻa ke kālā.
ʻO nā lālā o ka Urban Forestry corpsmembers 'ʻōmaʻomaʻo' ko mākou mau wahi kaona. E ola ana kēia mau ʻōpio ʻo Valley Oaks no nā haneli mau makahiki a hāʻawi i ka malu a me ka nani no nā hanauna.
ʻO ka mea koʻikoʻi loa o nā moʻolelo ʻekolu ʻoiai ʻo Jacob Ramos. I ka makahiki 16, ua ʻike ʻia ʻo ia i ka hewa no ka hoʻopiʻi felony. Ma hope o kona manaʻoʻiʻo a me ka manawa i lawelawe ʻia, ʻike ʻo ia ʻaʻole hiki ke loaʻa kahi hana. Ma CSET, ua loaʻa iā ia kāna diploma kula kiʻekiʻe a hōʻoia iā ia iho kekahi o nā limahana hoʻolaʻa loa ma ka SCC. I kēia makahiki, ua wehe ʻo CSET i kahi ʻoihana waiwai e hana ana i ka hana weatherization. Ma muli o kāna hoʻomaʻamaʻa nui ʻana me ka Corps, ua loaʻa iā Jacob kahi hana ma laila.
I kēlā me kēia makahiki, kanu ʻo CSET ma luna o 1,000 lāʻau, hana i nā ala hele wāwae hiki ke loaʻa, a hoʻohana i 100-150
ōpio kānaka. ʻOi aku ma mua o kēlā, ua ʻoi aku ma mua o kāna misionari e hoʻoikaika i nā ʻōpio, nā ʻohana, a me nā kaiāulu ma Tulare County. He mea hoʻomanaʻo ʻo CSET a me SCC i nā mea e hiki ke hoʻokō ʻia no ko kākou kaiapuni a me nā hanauna e hiki mai ana ma o ka launa pū ʻana a me ka hoʻomanawanui.