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Montana Conservation Corps Visits Washington, DC

Article appears on the MCC KCrew Blog. Published June 26, 2014.

Montana Conservation Corps CEO Jono McKinney and Crew Leader Michael Richter met with Senator John Walsh to discuss the upcoming wildfire season and the Montana Conservation Corps’ work to prepare firefighters and train tomorrow’s land stewards.

The Montana Conservation Corps enlists hundreds of young adults and teens each year to work on conservation projects across Montana and in neighboring states, where their work in local communities and on public lands builds leadership and vocational skills. Their Veterans Green Corps program trains veterans from Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom to become firefighters and work with public land management agencies.

“Veterans returning from combat have tremendous skills and we owe it to those veterans and their families to ensure they have job opportunities when they come home,” said Walsh, a 33-year member of the Montana National Guard. “The Montana Conservation Corps’ unique program to train veterans is a win-win because it helps our returning servicemembers find employment doing work that benefits all Montanans.”

Walsh is a cosponsor of the Public Lands Service Corps Act, a bill to expand programs like the Montana Conservation Corps to provide more job opportunities for young Americans to serve their communities, learn important skills for the workforce, and contribute to Montana’s outdoor heritage.

Earlier this month, Walsh sponsored the Wildfire Disaster Funding Act to reform federal wildfire policy and give more certainty to the land management agencies that work on fire suppression and hazardous fuel reduction.

Walsh coordinated the Montana National Guard wildfire response efforts in the summer of 2000, when over one million acres of Montana’s forest burned.

A Day In The Life Of Conservation Corps Minnesota’s Ottertail Crew

Article, written by Maureen Hanlon, appears on the Crew Blog.

June has meant the return of real warm weather, and with that, some of our favorite work. The Ottertail crew spent two weeks in Becker County this month on the beautiful North Country Trail, a long-distance trail that will eventually stretch from New York to North Dakota. We had the pleasure of working with Ray Vlasek, volunteer coordinator for the Laurentian Lakes chapter of the North Country Trail Association, who graciously put down his pulaski for a few minutes one lunchtime to talk about life, trails, and what it’s like to work with the Corps.

Maureen: Ray, why did you get involved with the trail in the first place?

Ray: Payback! Payback for all the trails I hiked in my youth. And I’ve always liked the outdoors, and working hard. It just made sense to come out and work on trails.

M: Me too! When did you get involved?

R: Well, I became a member of the NCTA back in 1987, but I really got active after my retirement in ‘99. We [members of the Laurentian Lakes Chapter] have been working to complete our section for over seven years, and this summer’s work with you all [the Corps] is our big final push.

M: It’s been great getting to work with you on this section! Why do you work with the Corps?

R: You guys do the hard work! [Laughs.] No, of course, we do lots of that too. But you do work very hard, and it’s clear that you enjoy it too. We enjoy the social aspect of all you young people coming out, and it’s just that many more hands to get a hard job done. We really appreciate it.

M: Hey, we appreciate you having us, too. Ray, if someone wanted to come out and work on the North Country Trail, who should they get a hold of?

R: I guess that’d be me! We welcome volunteers; there’s certainly plenty to do.

Ray can be reached by e-mail at llc@nct.org. And learn more about the trail at www.northcountrytrail.org. We’ve had a blast this past month, and we’d love to see new faces out using the trail this summer.

Tom Campion, Zumiez Founder, Donates $100,000 to 21st Century Conservation Service Corps

Article appeared in the Wall Street Journal.

Photo Source

SEATTLE, June 26, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — As conservation and outdoor recreation groups descend on Washington, DC for Great Outdoors America Week, local businessman and founder of the Zumiez retail chain (Nasdaq:ZUMZ), Tom Campion made a $100,000 donation to the new 21st Century Conservation Service Corps (21CSC). Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, former CEO of Washington’s own REI Co-op, launched the public-private initiative in January. The donation was made through the nonprofit Campion Foundation.

“My number one conservation priority is the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge,” said Campion. “By connecting young people to the public lands they can enjoy and help steward today, we can build an appreciation — and the necessary will — for conserving remote, intact wild places like the Arctic Refuge and America’s Arctic Ocean in the future.”

The 21CSC is intended to foster a greater appreciation for the outdoors and America’s public lands by engaging young people through play, education, volunteer service, job training and work. As a public private partnership, the 21CSC is working with over 100 partner organizations and eight federal departments and agencies to develop programs to meet the goals set by Secretary Jewell.

Tom and his wife Sonya Campion established the Campion Foundation in 2005 with a focus on protecting wilderness, ending homelessness and strengthening nonprofits. In 2012, the Campion Foundation sponsored the IMAX film, To The Arctic, to provide the public with a rare view into the arctic wilderness.

The Waiting Game: Stories From Incoming AmeriCorps NCCC Members

Read these stories from current and future AmeriCorps NCCC members about what they did to prepare themselves before their year of service!

What Did You Do?: Graduation Speech From The FEMA Corps Class 20 at the Atlantic Region

Article appears on AmeriCorps NCCC Blog. Published May 28, 2014.

Jimmy served as a team leader for FEMA Corps Class 20 at the Atlantic Region. His FEMA Corps class graduated on May 22nd, 2014. Below is the text of Jimmy’s graduation speech.

I’m sure many, if not all of you can relate to exactly what’s going to happen to me when I see my friends and family for the first time in a long time, some even for the first time since joining this program:

“Oh my gosh, I’ve missed you! How was it?”

“It was good, Mom! It was really good”

“That’s awesome! What did you do?”

As we all know, that is a complicated question. One that no one can fully understand until they’ve been on this incredible, intense, once-sometimes twice-in a lifetime journey called FEMA Corps. But it seems like a simple enough question. “What did you do?”

“Well, Mother, I traveled to and through 15 states, supervised and befriended 9 incredible people, worked over 2,000 hours, had 25,893 beneficiaries, conducted 12 outreach events, submitted 26,770 applications, shredded over 10,000 files – actually… how about I just give you a copy of my quantifiables?”

“Your what?”

“My quantifiables, Mom! I know your computer says it’s not a real word, but it has to be because I do them every day!”

Now, I know what you’re thinking. Jimmy’s crazy. He’s going to snap on his poor mother just for asking what quantifiables means. But you know what… Yes, I probably am. For those of you who don’t know, quantifiables are a way that our teams keep track of the accomplishments that we have had throughout our round. And Microsoft Word doesn’t recognize “quantifiables” as a real word.

But in all seriousness, this question is going to follow us around for months after we leave this program. “What did you do?” Those quantifiables are a fantastic way to show staff and FEMA and anyone else who is interested how many disaster kits we have assembled, how many donations the warehouse we worked in received, and how many people we assisted in disaster areas. But what those quantifiables don’t tell you are the stories that we have. And boy, do we all have stories to tell.

We have stories to tell about rocking out in our 15-passenger vans to 90s pop music that only two people would admit to liking, but secretly every single one of you loved it. We have stories to tell about how our Team Leaders or Health and Wellness Liaisons made us do team builders every week that we rolled our eyes at, but we knew they brought every single one of us closer together. We have stories to tell about a FEMA or NCCC staff member inspiring us to work harder, follow our dreams, and to not be afraid to reach out whenever we need help. We have stories to tell about two women, with no money, coming into the Disaster Recovery Center in Colorado following the floods, asking for food. And Adrianne from Otter 3 finding the food that was left and allowing these women to fill their bags as they wept with gratitude. We have so many stories.

All of these stories can make up a book; a giant, long, jumbled, confusing book that only NCCC members and alumni can fully understand and appreciate. But if we look at FEMA Corps and our experiences from the perspective of our entire lives, these stories are only a chapter; a chapter that we finish writing today. I have said this to my team several times already, but while I am more than ready and excited to begin a new chapter of my life, I know that I will be looking back at this one wishing I could live many moments of it over and over again.

So what did we do?

We graduated from a program that has prepared us for any job. “Your per diem is only going to be $60 a day.” Steak for breakfast, lobster for lunch, and both for dinner. “Do you work well in a team setting?” Let me tell you about a team setting.

So what did we do?

We made networking connections unlike anyone else our age. Oh your boss from Tasty Freeze is your reference? Mine is the presidential-appointee, FEMA administrator Craig Fugate.

So what did we do?

We made friends who we know will remain friends for the rest of our lives. We explored places that others can only wish to explore. We helped people on their hardest and darkest days. We made enough memories to fill a lifetime.

So when you go home and you hear the inevitable question, “What did you do?” take a second to think, and instead of giving them a generic spiel about what FEMA Corps is, tell them one of your many, wonderful, important, and beautiful stories.

If you are interested in learning more about AmeriCorps NCCC and FEMA Corps, or want to apply to serve, please visit www.nationalservice.gov/nccc.

Adventures in Service: From AmeriCorps NCCC Member to Eli Segal Fellow

Article, written by Paula Katrina Drago, appears on AmeriCorps blog. Published May 21, 2014.

AmeriCorps NCCC alum and former Eli Segal Fellow, P.K. Drago, recalls her times with AmeriCorps and CNCS.

As an AmeriCorps NCCC member, I had the opportunity to participate in rebuilding efforts in the New Orleans area, serve as a counselor at a camp for kids and adults with special needs, build trails on an island in the Puget Sound, support the Los Angeles Food Bank, and reduce the risk of fire in the San Bernardino Mountains. Like many other NCCC alums, I now have a collection of library cards from across the U.S., have mastered the art of parallel parking a 15-passenger van, and get irrationally excited whenever I spot someone in an NCCC sweatshirt.

I never expected to have a job that entailed working from platforms 40-60 feet in the air at a camp high ropes course, learning the best technique for building stairs into a hiking trail, or wearing a Tyvek suit, but what I expected least was how serving in AmeriCorps would change me. Being a national service member is the most empowering experience I’ve ever had and I became passionate about helping others find the same strength in themselves through service. That’s was first attracted me to the Eli Segal Fellowship.

Serving as the Eli Segal Fellow at the Corporation for National and Community Service allowed me to see what happens at the agency level to make a program like AmeriCorps possible and to give a voice to current members in the development of new programs, initiatives, and policies that impact members and alumni. My work included supporting disaster response efforts in New York and Alaska, recruiting schools to provide scholarships for national service alumni, and even tweeting for AmeriCorps.

In ways, the fellowship was sometimes as surprising as my service terms—while providing support for a CNCS Board Meeting, I briefly found myself face to face with Richard Simmons!

P.K. Drago served as an AmeriCorps NCCC members and team leader with the Pacific Region Campus (Class XVI and XVII) and was the 2013 Eli Segal Fellow. Learn more about the Eli Segal Fellowship and apply by visiting go.usa.gov/kYNe . The application deadline is Friday, May 23.

Limitless Vistas Receives NOLA for Life Grant to Aid At-Risk Youth

Taylor Collins adds a fresh coat of paint to the playground equipment at the sixth NOLA FOR LIFE Day held at A.L. Davis Playground in the Central City neighborhood on Saturday. (Brian Kozak Photo)

Article, written by Patrick A. Barnes, appears in The Times-Picayune as a Letter to the Editor. Published June 25, 2014.

As one of the City of New Orleans’ NOLA for Life grant recipients we are very excited to support Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s leadership role as a sponsor of a resolution supporting the Land Water Conservation Fund, or LWCF, at the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

LWCF has helped create more than 42,000 projects found in 98 percent of the nation’s counties, including state and local parks, playgrounds, urban wildlife refuges, greenways, trails and other open spaces.

Limitless Vistas actively engages at-risk young adults through our programs in service learning activities in local, regional and national parks. These open spaces and recreational opportunities created by LWCF provide outlets for New Orleans’ young people to get outside and improves the chances that they will stay out of trouble — an important element of Mayor Landrieu’s NOLA for Life campaign.

But LWCF is frequently shortchanged by Congress — funded at a small fraction of its full level of $900 million. With funding coming from offshore oil and gas development, rather than taxpayers, there is no excuse for Congress not fulfilling its promise.

Patrick A. Barnes

Founder and chairman

Limitless Vistas

New Orleans

Outdoor Alliance for Kids Celebrates Great Outdoors America Week at Bladensburg Waterfront Park

By Bobby Tillett
The Corps Network, Government Relations Intern

Yesterday, June 25, 2014, The Corps Network, along with other partners from the Outdoor Alliance for Kids (OAK), joined over 300 local youth at the Bladensburg Waterfront Park to celebrate Great Outdoors America Week. The event included a wide variety of activities such as canoeing, mountain biking and rock climbing, as well as outdoor exhibits and learning experiences to help connect youth with the outdoors. As a member of OAK’s steering committee, The Corps Network aids in OAK’s mission to increase quality outdoor opportunities for youth and families across the U.S.

Overlooking a beautiful stretch of the Anacostia River(complete with osprey soaring overhead), non-profit organizations, foundations, and federal agencies gathered to teach youth from a variety of backgrounds about the importance of having fun outside and protecting our environment. Earth Conservation Corps, a D.C.-based member organization of The Corps Network, showcased two birds of prey as part of their Raptor Education Program. Mr. Hoots, the Eurasian Eagle Owl, and Sky, the Red-Tail Hawk, were a big hit and garnered much attention from youth and adults alike. Our hope is that these types of outdoor experiences provide children with great memories and an interest in creating a life-long relationship with nature and the outdoors.

The event concluded with a presentation on the importance of Great Outdoors America Week in raising awareness about the need to provide outdoor opportunities to all young people. Speakers included Gina McCarthy, Administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency; Jo-Ellen Darcy, Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works); Chris Coleman, Mayor of Saint Paul, Minn. and President of the National League of Cities; Peter Rogoff, Acting Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy; Peter Martin, Executive Director of the Sierra Club Foundation; Greg Lais, Executive Director of Wilderness Inquiry; Jamie Williams, President of the Wilderness Society, and David Jayo, Chief-of-Staff for Sally Jewell, the Secretary of the Interior.

The Wilderness Society and the Partnership for 21st Century Conservation Corps Launch “Fifty for the 50th Campaign”

Washington, DC (June 24, 2014) – The Corps Network joined The Wilderness Society today to launch the Fifty for the 50^th Campaign to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of the Wilderness Act. This campaign will, through the Partnership for the 21^st Century Conservation Service Corps (21CSC), employ youth and veterans across the country in 50 conservation projects in 50 wild places. Project locations include places such as Gates of the Mountains Wilderness in Montana, Candlestick Point State Park in San Francisco, and Bladensburg Waterfront Park, just outside of Washington, DC.

The launch event featured a series of prominent speakers, as well as personal testimonies from various corpsmembers. Jamie Williams, President of The Wilderness Society, kicked-off the event, calling the campaign a “chance to give back to wild places.” Other speakers included Robert Bonnie, Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment, Liz Close, Intermountain Region Director of Recreation, Heritage & Wilderness with the US Forest Service, Mary Ellen Sprenkel, Present & CEO of The Corps Network and Co-Chair of the Partnership for 21CSC, Jono McKinney, President & CEO of Montana Conservation Corps, and corpsmembers Michael Richter (MCC), Anthony “Chako” Ciacco (SWCC), Agnes Vianzon (CCC), and Priscilla Flores (CCC).

The Corps Network’s Mary Ellen spoke about the creation of the 21CSC and its “special effort to engage the next generation to care for these wild places.” The Corps Network’s membership currently includes around 100 programs that engage approximately 25,000 individuals a year. With 21CSC and campaigns such as the Fifty for the 50^th Campaign, the goal is to increase that number to 100,000 people serving on public lands annually. Although ambitious, partnership is key and as Robert Bonnie of USDA mentioned, “the challenge is in the next 50 years where we must build the next generation of stewards and leaders.”

The Fifty for the 50^th Campaign is the perfect way to promote the goals of 21CSC; when completed, the 50 projects will have improved or restored more than 40,000 acres, built 887 miles of trails, planted 325 acres of trees, and corpsmembers will have spent nearly 200,000 service hours on public lands.

The Fifty for 50^th event was part of Great Outdoors America Week (GO Week), an annual event in Washington, DC that draws hundreds of people to celebrate, advocate, preserve, and enjoy the great outdoors! A list of events going on this week can be found here.

While celebrating the outdoors, be sure to take part in the Wilderness Society’s We Are The Wild campaign. This campaign is designed to promote and share a collective wilderness experience and inspire preservation. While at GO Week take a photo or video and post it to your social network with the hashtag #WeAreTheWild. The Wilderness Society will launch a digital hub in July at www.wilderness.org/wearethewild to share all the posts. Together we can build the next 50 years of wilderness!

The Corps Network’s 1st Annual Great Outdoors Day of Service in 11 Pictures

The volunteers!

Corpsmembers from Groundwork and Civic Works serving in Fort Dupont

Mary Ellen, our President and CEO, painting at the FDR memorial.

Corpsmembers from New Jersey Youth Corps of Phillipsburg helping beautify the Potomac riverfront.

Our leaders, Mary Ellen and Marie, with volunteers from Guest Services, Inc.

Tina Terrell of the USFS, Butch Blazer of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Bill Basl of AmeriCorps and Joe Gersen of The Corps Network

Bill Basl of AmeriCorps with The Corps Network’s Carolyn Benard.

The Corps Network’s summer intern Bobby Tillet holds the Day of Service shovel as it is signed by a Corpsmember from Harpers Ferry Job Corps.

The shovel, signed by volunteers, is presented to David Jayo (DOI) by representatives of LA Conservation Corps

As the rain comes down, New Jersey Youth Corps finds shelter by the FDR Memorial with Ranger Pierce.

We hope to see you at the 2nd Annual Day of Service!

Click here to read the event recap!

In recognition and celebration of Great Outdoors Month, The Corps Network (TCN) hosted the first annual Great Outdoors Day of Service in the Nation’s Capital on June 13, 2014. The event featured speakers such as Butch Blazer, U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Under Secretary of Natural Resources; Bill Basl, Director of AmeriCorps; Tina Terrell, National Forest Service Job Corps Director; Derrick Crandall of the American Recreation Coalition; and Mary Ellen Sprenkel of The Corps Network.

Following the opening ceremony, volunteers spread throughout the National Mall and Washington, DC to complete service projects. While some teams stayed at the National Mall to paint fences at the FDR Memorial and collect litter along the Tidal Basin and Potomac River, other teams headed to Fort Dupont in Southeast DC to assemble recreation equipment. Volunteers included staff and Corpsmembers from the following Corps programs