Noah Berger, Associated Press file
In this Dec. 9, 2017 file photo, a fire engine passes flames as a wildfire burns along Santa Ana Road near Ventura, Calif. Getting your player ready...
DENVER — A longstanding U.S. Forest Service job training center for rural youth in western Colorado will be taken over by a private contractor.
Colorado Public Radio the Collbran Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center has been told its 46 employees will lose their jobs at an undetermined date.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture also is closing several other Job Corps Civilian Conservation Centers nationwide, drawing protests from members of Congress, including Colorado’s delegation.
Lawmakers say itap a bad idea to close the centers, especially in the West, where trainees help the Forest Service fight wildfires.
The Collbran center has operated for more than 50 years.
Information from: Colorado Public Radio, http://www.cpr.org/news
