Gen Z wants to work outside, but PNW conservation jobs are vanishing

After graduating from college with a degree in philosophy, Dylan Lorio-MacNamara felt lost. It was 2020, and he planned to apply to law school, but the pandemic changed everything.

A 10-month AmeriCorps program became a “lifeline” — and ultimately led to a career with the Northwest Youth Corps and other seasonal jobs.

Then in late April, President Donald Trump’s administration halted nearly $400 million in grants for AmeriCorps. In Washington state, roughly 1,300 AmeriCorps members lost their positions due to grant terminations, said Hayden Mackley, deputy communications director of Washington’s Office of Financial Management, in an email.

The cuts affected 800 job sites and $21 million in funding, according to Gov. Bob Ferguson’s office.

Lorio-MacNamara, 27, has the same pit in his st