((a)) ** Age of participants** To carry out the purposes of this subchapter, there is established in the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture a Youth Conservation Corps (hereinafter in this subchapter referred to as the “Corps”). The Corps shall consist of young men and women who are permanent residents of the United States, its territories, possessions, trust territories, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico who have attained age fifteen but have not attained age nineteen, and whom the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of Agriculture may employ without regard to the civil service or classification laws, rules, or regulations, for the purpose of developing, preserving, or maintaining the lands and waters of the United States.

((b)) ** Equal employment opportunity and employment; term** The Corps shall be open to youth from all parts of the country of both sexes and youth of all social, economic, and racial classifications with all Corps members receiving compensation consistent with work accomplished, and with no person being employed as a member of the Corps for a term in excess of ninety days during any single year.