In the fall of 2011, wildfires broke out across the state of Texas. Bastrop County, just east of the state capital, experienced the most destructive wildfire in the history of the state, with a loss of two lives, over 1,500 homes, and the burning of over 5,000 acres of Bastrop State Park, a central Texas landmark and one of Texas Parks and Wildlife's most popular destinations. The wildfire and subsequent flooding events created numerous threats to the ecological health of the region. The park and the surrounding countryside are known as the “Lost Pines”, where an isolated stand of loblolly pine trees are home to a diverse population of wildlife, including the endangered Houston Toad.

Within two days of the fire, AmeriCorps crews from the Texas Conservation Corps (TxCC) at American YouthWorks were on the ground helping with the human dimension of the disaster, joined by similar programs from around the country. Today, over 20 months after the flames were extinguished, TxCC crews have made a big impact on the environmental restoration of the area and continue to play a role in the long term ecological and economic recovery of the region. After the initial disaster response phase, AmeriCorps members set up a permanent camp in the State Park and worked to make the park safe and open to the public. This effort has included reopening of over 20 miles of park trails by clearing hazard trees, installing erosion controls, constructing trail reroutes, and rebuilding seven bridges in the park, some of which were originally constructed during the Great Depression by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). Corps members have also facilitated over 25 volunteer workdays in the park varying from hosting over 500 Texas A&M University students on a single weekend to helping small groups of area elementary school children participate in reforestation efforts. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Executive Director Carter Smith said that given the extent of the fire and the limits of state resources, they needed an effort similar to that of the CCC to bring the park back to life and again. "We found that effort in the talented young men and women of American YouthWorks,” Smith said. “They have engaged in a multitude of difficult but necessary tasks needed to put the park back on solid footing. In short, they have undoubtedly made their predecessors from the old CCC companies mighty proud.”

AmeriCorps members have also been working with the Texas Forest Service, county officials and local nonprofits for the recovery of the landscape outside of the state park. To date, corpsmembers have replanted over 30,000 pine saplings and worked to protect over 200 critical properties from erosion.

Integration of AmeriCorps members and program staff into the recovery planning process has been an instrumental part of achieving this impact. Field Coordinator Megan Helton is a member of the Lost Pines Recovery Team and program staff have lead community restoration education and training events. AmeriCorps members offer a unique resource for community-scale environmental restoration after a natural disaster, and the Texas Conservation Corps is working everyday to bring this forest back to life.