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Discovering Environmental Conservation: Max Fuentes’ Experience in the Montgomery County Conservation Corps

Max Fuentes visited the Latin American Youth Center (LAYC) office in Silver Spring, MD after he saw an advertisement for their GED program. He was excited to learn that LAYC would soon launch a new program – the Montgomery County Conservation Corps (MCCC) – through which he could earn his GED and also have the opportunity to work and receive a stipend.

“It was the GED aspect of the program that I came for in the first place, but what got me more interested was that I could work. I thought, ‘I can get more experience, have something to put on my resume,’” said Max. “When they told me I was going to work, I just thought that sounded good – I didn’t know it was conservation work. But when they told me we’d be doing conservation projects, I definitely got interested. I didn’t know there were careers like this out there. I really like the projects I’ve worked on in the field.”

Now in his second term with the Corps, Max is a Junior Crew Chief Leader. He is responsible for keeping Corpsmembers motivated and managing the food for his crew. Every morning, he separates out the lunch for the afternoon and checks that the Corpsmembers are uniformed before the crew can begin work for the day. When they’re on a project site, Max makes sure all the Corpsmembers work and stay positive.

On class days, Max often helps Corpsmembers with their lessons. Having already passed the GED test, he is familiar with much of the material his classmates need to cover. When he’s not in the classroom, Max sometimes assists Edgar Romero, a fellow Junior Crew Chief Leader, in managing the MCCC Facebook page and producing digital media to promote their work.

In the months since Max joined MCCC, he has learned how to use a variety of tools and recognize various plant and animal species. He says he has developed an appreciation of nature and is seriously considering a career in conservation. Max feels fortunate to have the chance to work in many local parks and network with conservation professionals. Among other projects, Max’s MCCC crew has worked on roofing, tree planting, split-rail fence construction, invasive species removal and bridge construction.

“Before I came here, I didn’t know anything about conservation. Literally, I was clueless. When I saw trails, I thought that people made them just by walking. Then I found out that we do it, but we make it look natural,” said Max. “I learned about poplar trees – that tree name is stuck in my head!…I also learned about invasive species – that they’re species that aren’t supposed to be in this region. I learned how to use different tools, from handsaws to augers. For trails, I learned about how if some trails have been badly built, then when it’s raining, it will all wash away.”

Max has become a voice for LAYC and the Corps. He recently became a member of LAYC’s six-person Youth Advisory Board. This past summer, the online media platform Global Voice Hall released a mini-documentary – “Youth Unemployment: Where Do I Stand in Line?” – featuring an interview with Max about his own experience trying to find opportunity.

“Definitely things would be different for me if I hadn’t found this program. It’s helped me personally because I was a troublemaker. So it’s helped me not be in the streets,” said Max. “Now I’m doing what I’m supposed to do. I’m focusing on my future and helping out the environment. It’s made me a better person. My mentality has changed from being in this program. Now I want to help the community, not destroy it.”

Video: Interview with a Corpsmember from the Glacier Youth Corps Partnership

Ellie Duke of the Glacier Youth Corps Partnership talks about her experience with the program during the summer of 2013. The Glacier Youth Corps Partnership, a new volunteer partnership program supported by the Glacier National Park Conservancy, Montana Conservation Corps, National Park Foundation, and Glacier National Park, provides diverse work and educational opportunities for youth ages 15-24 in Glacier National Park while supporting the completion of important park projects.

Conservation Corps experience boosts skateboard business owner’s prospects

Edgar (pictured in the bottom row, gray shirt) with MCCC members. Also pictured is one of his skateboard deck designs

When he finished his first term as a Corpsmember with Montgomery County Conservation Corps (MCCC) in Silver Spring, MD, Edgar Romero felt it wasn’t time for him to leave the program.

“I wanted to stay because the Corps offers a lot of opportunities that I want to take advantage of,” he said. “I feel like my work here is not done yet. I think I could do a lot more: managing the photos, producing the videos, just making good quality content.”

Edgar is a self-taught expert in video editing and graphic design. He learned these skills in order to grow and promote Spruzi Skateboards, the business he started in September 2012. Edgar now uses his knowledge of editing and design software to help create movies and graphics for MCCC. He even designed a logo for the Corps (see below).

“I’ve always been interested in art and creating,” said Edgar. “My whole life, that’s how it’s been.”

Edgar was part of MCCC’s first cohort during the spring of 2013. He came to Latin American Youth Center (LAYC), MCCC’s parent organization, hoping to obtain his GED. At the time, recruitment was underway for the newly-created Corps and Edgar was a perfect candidate. He was intrigued to learn that becoming a Corpsmember would allow him to continue pursuing his GED while also gaining work skills and earning an income.

“Basically I was looking for a new experience,” said Edgar. “I’d never really had much interest in conservation work, but I’m glad that I got involved because it’s been great.”

Edgar enjoys having the opportunity to work on a variety of conservation projects with MCCC, but he says he is most interested in the construction projects. He likes applying math in real world situations.

“I’d say my favorite project was rebuilding a deck,” he said. “It was an old deck and they told us to replace the wood. That involved a lot of measurements and cutting. A lot of precise work. I like doing those types of projects when you have to use your brain to do the job well.”

In the future, Edgar wants to get involved in real estate. He is interested in eventually buying, renovating and selling old houses. For now, he wants to continue building Spruzi Skateboards. He started the business around the time he dropped out of high school (due to the fact that he was too far behind in his credits to realistically graduate on-time). Between leaving school and starting the GED program at LAYC, Edgar focused his energy on Spruzi. He now has a business partner and reports that they experienced no profit loss during their first year.

“I started off by just producing skateboard decks,” said Edgar. “I would design them on the computer and then send them off to the manufacturer. They would print those designs on a piece of wood that was eventually shaped into a skateboard deck. They would mail them back to me and I would sell them out here on the streets…This is something I want to pursue…I can never see myself doing anything else other than running a business.”

Edgar says that MCCC has helped him become a more confident businessman. As a Junior Crew Chief Leader, he has developed his leadership skills. He also enjoys having the opportunity to network and gain experience as a public speaker.

“I remember I did this speech one time for the council members that run programs like MCCC for the county. I had to do a speech in front of them about my experience in this program and what it has done for me,” said Edgar. “I was really nervous to go in front of the room; my heart was beating so fast. But learning how to deal with that should be very important to me because as a businessman that’s something you need to know how to do – talk in front of a lot of people, give them your ideas, and not be scared. If I’m nervous about doing something, I just tell myself, ‘You’ve got to do it.’”

Because he passed the GED exam this past summer, Edgar now has free time to use his unique skills to help promote the Corps. He sometimes spends class days updating the Corps’ Facebook page, curating photos, and editing videos.

Now that he has his GED, Edgar is beginning to research local colleges. He hopes to get his AA degree and eventually earn a bachelor’s degree, maybe in computer science. For the time being, Edgar is happy to continue serving as a Corpsmember with MCCC.

“[This] is a program that I want to be a part of for as long as I can. MCCC is like a family.”

Sally Jewell Meets New Jersey Youth Corps Members, Announces New Hurricane Sandy Restoration Grants, and Promotes Emphasis on Youth in Major Speech

Sally Jewell puts on New Jersey Youth Corps attire.

Written by the New Jersey Youth Corps of Phillipburg with additional reporting from The Corps Network

Last week, New Jersey Youth Corps programs from Camden and Phillipsburg, by invitation of the Secretary of the Interior, attended a press event at the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge in Galloway Twp, NJ. On behalf of President Obama, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell joined Interior and local officials to announce that $162 million will be invested in 45 restoration and research projects that will better protect Atlantic Coast communities from future powerful storms, by restoring marshes, wetlands and beaches, rebuilding shorelines, and researching the impacts and modeling mitigation of storm surge impacts.

Using the dramatic backdrop of Atlantic City as a stark contrast to the some 40,000 acres of wildlife habitat, Secretary Jewell stressed the importance of preserving our natural treasures, preparing for and building resiliency against future storms as well as developing projects with strong youth components. After her press conference, the Secretary had a private meet & greet with Corpsmembers (US Fish & Wildlife Director Daniel Ashe and Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ12th) also participated) They thanked the Youth Corps for all their efforts in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, encouraged the Corpmembers to pursue careers in the environmental field and to continue their great work all throughout the state.

Earlier this week, Mary Ellen Ardouny of The Corps Network attended an additional event in Alexandria, Virginia where Sally Jewell further promoted the restoration projects at the National Park Service managed Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve. In all, $162 million for 45 projects were authorized (list here). They also announced that the Department would issue a Request for Proposals for an additional $100 million in grant funding under the Hurricane Sandy Coastal Resiliency Competitive Grant Program. We look forward to keeping you updated on our progress toward getting Youth Corps to work on these types of projects.

In a major policy speech today at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. Secretary Jewell also outlined a major emphasis on connecting youth to public lands through a new effort in 50 cities, through K-12 education in “outdoor classrooms”, through volunteerism, and through training and employment opportunities like the 21st Century Conservation Corps (click here to watch the segment of the speech about youth). Further details were not immediately available, but we are glad to hear that Secretary Jewell remains committed to connecting youth to public lands!

The Corps Network Attends First Covening of the Opportunity Youth Network

Earlier this week, Mary Ellen Ardouny and Tyler Wilson of The Corps Network attended the first in-person convening of the Opportunity Youth Network in Maryland.

OYN was launched in early 2013 to bring together representatives of organizations working to reconnect opportunity youth in America (youth ages 16-24 who are not in school and are not working). A group of about 80 representatives from the nonprofit sector, the private sector, government, education, and youth-led organizations – all of whom work at the national level – currently participate in OYN.

The goal of the meeting was to continue laying the framework for collaboration among all groups, and harness a collective impact without creating new initiatives. Members of The National Council of Young Leaders, including Corps Network Representatives Philan Tree and JR Daniels also attended the meeting and provided an essential voice for youth in the strategic planning process and working groups. The Council has already published a report of Recommendations to Increase Opportunity and Decrease Poverty in America.

Members of the National Council of Young Leaders speak at the Opportunity Youth Network convening.

VIDEO: Corps Partner to Restore the Escalante River Watershed

80 Corpsmembers from Utah Conservation Corps, Canyon Country Youth Corps and Coconino Rural Environment Corps partnered to remove the invasive Russian olive tree from the Escalante River watershed.

Montana Conservation Corps helps build “Vigilante Bike Park”

Taken from the Helena Independent Record
By Al Knauber, PHOTOS by Eliza Wiley, Independent Record

More than a year’s worth of planning became a reality in about five hours of work.

The Montana Conservation Corps, which has helped build trails across the state, wanted to do a project with greater visibility and enlisted the aid of Carroll College students in late September. The group assembled at Helena’s Centennial Park for the 20th anniversary of National Public Lands Day.

With shovels and sweat, they and other volunteers, numbering 112 in all, created Vigilante Bike Park, Helena’s bike park.

T&E The Cat Rental Store provided a “skid-steer,” a small piece of machinery that’s been compared to a mini-bulldozer, that Joe Robbins drove that day. Chris Charlton of Jefferson City brought one too and helped move dirt for the first track at the bike park, said Will Harmon, who has long wanted to see a bike park in Helena and participated in the effort to make it a reality.

Only a small portion of the 3.9 acres set aside for bicycling at Centennial Park was used to build this first track.

By the end of that day, a rider gave the track a test drive. It passed the test.

The track isn’t just for mountain bikes; it is designed for those who relish the chance to jump and flip and twist on smaller BMX bikes.

Amy Teegarden, Helena’s parks and recreation director, said she’s heard the track has been called “sick,” a designation that pleases her.

In the vernacular of those who ride, she explained, this is a compliment.

The first track is what’s called a “pump track” and relies on a rider’s initial momentum and the spacing between rises and dips in the track and berms instead of pedaling to keep a rider speeding along.

Riders push down on their handlebars and pedals as they descend from each rise on the track to accelerate and then rise up from that squat position as the bike crests the next hill. The result of this physical workout converts gravitational force into speed.

But that’s the scientific explanation for what riders say is fun.

“It’s like a mini-roller coaster for bikes,” Harmon said.

“It’s like the craziest mountain biking you’ve ever been through, but it’s condensed into a 300 foot loop,” he added.

Get him talking about the course and the excitement is evident in his voice. Harmon is an avid bicyclist himself, as are his two sons, and he has bicycles specially designed for the type of riding he will do. One of them is intended to be taken to the top of ski slopes in the summer and ridden to the bottom. He grins when he explains this. His trio of bicycles, he said, is worth more than his car.

This first pump track is one of three that will be built, say Harmon and Pat Doyle, the Helena Tourism Alliance’s community outreach director. One of the other two pump tracks will be less challenging and intended more for children who are just beginning to develop their bicycling skills. The third pump track will be more advanced and have more of those features that BMX riders want to see.

Having a bike park that is appealing to BMX riders is important.

Centennial Park was built atop a former city landfill. A few feet beneath the surface is a liner that keeps snowmelt and rain from leeching contaminants out of the buried garbage. As plans were made for how to convert the site into a recreational attraction, an area for BMX riders was proposed, Teegarden said.

However, in the five years that she’s been the parks director, that focus has shifted to mountain biking.

Despite that shift, providing for BMX riders has remained important because without a place to practice, these riders have been using the skate park as a place to ride.

The skate park, however, wasn’t built for multiple use, Teegarden said.

The bike park isn’t intended to be just a place to ride, said Doyle, but a place for people “to get more comfortable on mountain bikes before they go out on trails.”

A skills track is planned for the bike park that will also allow riders to traverse a portion of city history. Granite slabs salvaged as old buildings were demolished in the 1970s during the urban renewal movement will be incorporated into this design.

“We’ve incorporated it into various parks including the walking mall,” Teegarden said of the granite slabs.

Bike park features are being designed by the city with suggestions from those who ride mountain bikes, Harmon said. Industry standards for bike park features are being used in the design.

“One of the really unique things about this process is that it’s on city land,” Doyle said.

Other communities, he explained, have struggled to find locations for their bike parks. Doyle predicts communities will see the value of bike parks and embrace them in the coming years even if for now it has yet to blossom as an accepted urban recreation.

“It’s a very proactive thing for the city to do,” he added.

Some 2,000 cubic yards of dirt will be needed to make the entire park a reality, as will about $180,000.

The installation of the first pump track cost about $5,000. This is less than was anticipated because of the volunteer labor, Teegarden said.

The city contributed land for the bike park and some $20,000.

Doyle and Harmon say they see a return on the community investment in a bike park.

Having the first track in place at the bike park gives people more of an idea of what the facility will offer, Doyle said, and will help with fundraising.

He said he sees the bike park as a tourism attraction and said, “This bike park will be the first of its kind in the state.”

“People are always looking for other places to ride,” he continued. “Helena is already an incredible place to ride.”

“Right now, it’s a little bit of an underground tourism niche,” Harmon said of those who seek out bike parks.

But he, too, sees the potential.

“The people who do this stuff aren’t shy about spending money on their sport,” Harmon said. “And they travel.”

Centennial Park has become more than a showcase for urban recreation. The area set aside for dogs to run off-leash was made possible by donations as was the installation of a roughly 11-foot-tall climbing boulder. Making the bike park a reality will rely on the same sorts of community support.

Donations are being accepted by the Helena Recreation Foundation, which has a nonprofit tax status allowing for tax-deductible donations to be made to the bike park, Doyle said.

Harmon looks for the first two phases of construction to be completed in about a year from now. He and Doyle say they appreciate the city’s efforts to make the bike park a reality.

“We can’t thank Craig (Marr, Helena’s parks’ superintendent) and Amy enough. They’ve been tremendous,” Harmon said, adding, “The city is lucky to have them, not just as employees, but as people with vision and insight.”

Bette Midler, founder of NYRP, to receive Rockefeller Foundation Award

Taken from Philanthropy News Digest

Rockefeller Foundation Announces Winners of 2013 Jane Jacobs Medal

The Rockefeller Foundation has announced the recipients of the 2013 Jane Jacobs Medal, which is awarded annually to individuals whose work creates new ways of seeing and understanding New York City.

Entertainer Bette Midler, who in 1995 founded the New York Restoration Project, which works to restore parks, save community gardens, and beautify neighborhoods throughout the city, will receive the 2013 Jane Jacobs Medal for Lifetime Leadership. Ian Marvy, founding director ofAdded Value, whose urban community farm provides educational opportunities and fresh produce in the Red Hook neighborhood in Brooklyn, will receive the 2013 Jane Jacobs Medal for New Ideas and Activism.

Midler plans to donate the $100,000 award that comes with the honor to NYRP, while Marvy will donate his $100,000 prize to Added Value in honor of his late mother.

“The Rockefeller Foundation Jane Jacobs Medal recognizes New Yorkers who intervene in and use the urban environment to build a more equitable city for all of us,” said Rockefeller Foundation president Judith Rodin. “It is completely appropriate for us to honor Ms. Midler’s work in light of her work to bring verdant recreational space to so many New Yorkers in so many different communities. It is also appropriate that we honor Mr. Marvy’s work with community youth in bringing fresh produce to what had been a food desert.”

Click here for the full press release from the Rockefeller Foundation

Urban Corps of San Diego Hired to Clean City Sidewalks

Story and picture taken from the Carlsbad Patch

Under a new contract with Urban Corps of San Diego County, city sidewalks and other surfaces will be cleaned more frequently while providing much needed job experience to young adults.

The city previously contracted with a private company to do this work. Under that contract, the Village area and seawall were cleaned twice a year. For the same cost, Urban Corps crews will perform work throughout the city three times a week, year round.

“We’ve been employing Urban Corps for 10 years for other projects, and they deliver highly dependable, professional service for a reasonable price,” Dobbs said. “It also helps Urban Corps members develop job skills and gain experience.”

Urban Corps is a locally based nonprofit conservation corps that provides a high school education and job training to young adults between the ages of 18 and 25. Since 1989 Urban Corps has given more than 10,000 youths who did not succeed in traditional school settings a second chance to develop new skills and earn an education.

Beginning on Oct. 4, Urban Corps will provide a pressure-washing crew that will scrub sidewalks as directed by the City of Carlsbad Transportation Department street maintenance team.

“Urban Corps will be sending a team with a truck three days a week,” said Clayton Dobbs, a utilities supervisor for the City of Carlsbad. “We’ll focus their efforts downtown and on the seawall, because we get so much foot traffic there, but they’ll be working throughout Carlsbad, wherever we need them.”

The cleaning crews will wear uniforms so they’ll be clearly identified. They will start work in the downtown Carlsbad Village at 6 a.m. and be finished by 9:30 a.m., so they’ll be gone when most businesses open for the day.

Dobbs noted that it’s not just debris and gum that needs a pressure-wash. He said that some parts of the city, especially La Costa, experience algae buildup where groundwater rises to the surface and forms pools on streets and sidewalks.

Pressure-washing sidewalks isn’t the first task that Urban Corps has performed for the City of Carlsbad. The city employs the group to clean litter daily and remove large bulky items that are dumped on the sides of roads. Urban Corps also clears debris from storm water outlets so they flow smoothly, and cleans graffiti from city walls and surfaces.

The contract for the work is not to exceed $68,000 a year, and is renewable every year for five years.

Speak Up, Be Heard: Civicorps Hosts Leadership Summit

On September 24th and 25th, Civicorps in Oakland California hosted its first ever Leadership Summit.

Taken from a Civicorps email update

Civicorps’ hosted a powerful two-day convening of Oakland youth, community activists, and elected officials to discuss community issues, brainstorm solutions, and inspire action.

Youth heard inspiring speeches from Senator Loni Hancock and Junious Williams at Urban Stratgies Council. They also listened to stories from community activists about transforming passion into action and then brainstormed solutions for local issues with Community Health, Safety, Youth Engagement, and Career & Education Opportunities.

The youth teams then presented their ideas to a panel of decision makers, which included: