TRAVERSE CITY -- Kyle Huggett tugged at a stubborn tree root with gloved hands, his teeth gritted as he twisted the stump out of the ground.
Deep in the woods at Old Indian Trail in Benzie County, Kyle ignored mosquitoes floating around his body. His grip on the root was so tight, the veins in his forearms popped. When it finally unearthed, a light sweat glistened beneath his eyes.
It was manual labor, but he didn't mind.
"I really like being outside," said Kyle, 17, an incoming senior at Traverse City West Senior High who someday hopes to be a biologist. "It helps me learn about what I want to do."
He and a handful of local students spent Tuesday grooming the trail not far from Platte Lake, part of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
The team works for the Northwest Michigan Youth Conservation Corps, a start-up effort modeled after Depression-era programs that emphasize public service and preservation projects.
The local corps recently received two federal grants worth $1.5 million a year for five years, effective July 1, to fund salaries for adult team leaders and cover costs of tools and other infrastructure needs.
"It's given us five years to really hit the ground running," project manager Bill Watson said. "We wanted to have the biggest impact we could on the largest geographic area."
All told, the youth corps will encompass four counties, eight school districts and at least 10 middle and high schools in Kalkaska, Benzie, Leelanau and Manistee counties.
Students work on conservation projects in exchange for minimum wage. Grants don't cover student stipends.
Watson ran the youth corps at Traverse City High School for several years until the grant that funded his position wasn't renewed. He launched the multi-county program last fall with the help of environmental nonprofit SEEDS.
The goal, he said, is to hire as many as 90 students during the school year. But it will take time before it's sustainable: The summer season began this week with one crew of about 16.
"I get five to six calls a day from kids looking for work," Watson said. "It's going to be a hard road this summer for teens."
For some students, the program has been more than just a job. Kyle, for one, returned for his second year. And Jake Busk, 17, also a West senior, said he developed a work ethic by "having to get up every day and do this."
But the program isn't without its perks.
"In about two hours, when we're all blistery and tired, we'll hit Lake Michigan," Jake said. "And it's all worth it."
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