Join Martin Podskoch for a presentation about the Rhode Island Civilian Conservation Corps camps. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) began on March 31, 1933 under President Roosevelt’s “New Deal” to relieve the poverty and unemployment of the Depression. CCC camps were set up in a few Rhode Island towns, state parks, & forests. Workers built trails, roads, campsites, & dams, stocked fish, built and maintained fire tower observer’s cabins and telephone lines, fought fires, & planted millions of trees. The CCC disbanded in 1942 due to the need for men in WW II. There were seven RI camps: Charlestown/Burlingame SP, Greene/Mt. Vernon, Hope Valley/Arcadia Village, Glocester/George Washington Memorial SP, Nooseneck /Foster, Escoheag/ Beach Pond, and North Smithfield/Primrose.

Marty Podskoch is a retired teacher and the author of 11 books including "The Rhode Island Civilian Conservation Corps Camps: Their History, Lore & Legacy", "Adirondack Civilian Conservation Corps Camps: Their History, Memories and Legacy of the CCC" and "Fire Towers of the Catskills: Their History and Lore". He also writes a weekly column called "Adirondack Stories" in five Adirondack newspapers. He has written three travel books: "The Adirondack 102 Club", "The Connecticut 169 Club" and "The Rhode Island 39 Club".