SALT LAKE CITY (AP) – Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell says she can’t get anything done in Washington and is making a pitch for a privately funded youth conservation corps.

Jewell spoke Wednesday to a crowd of business people as a big trade show opened in Salt Lake City for outdoor gear makers.

Jewell hit three major points: budget paralysis in Washington, the disconnect between young adults and nature and climate change.

Jewell says she’s trying to raise $20 million for a youth conservation corps. She says it’s one of the few things she can do in Washington. She praised the American Eagle Outfitters for donating $1 million to the cause.

Jewell is on familiar ground at the Outdoor Retailer Winter Market. She headed retailer Recreational Equipment Inc. for more than a decade before joining President Barack Obama’s cabinet last year.