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Civilian Conservation Corps Museum Reopens at Cheaha after 18 years

Article appears on WKRG News.

DELTA, Ala. (AP) — Tammy Power tried her hardest not to cry as she greeted guests to the Civilian Conservation Corps museum for the first time in 18 years.

“This has been my dream,” said Power, the superintendent for Cheaha State Park, which on Saturday hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony for the long-closed museum dedicated to the workers who helped build the roads and buildings on top of Alabama’s highest point. “This was on my bucket list.”

As part of a statewide celebration of the 75th anniversary of Alabama’s state park system, Cheaha State Park welcomed visitors to see the beginnings of how the mountain came to be a destination for campers, hikers and tourists.

In the 1930s, hundreds of young men came to the mountain as part of the Civilian Conservation Corps project, a New Deal program that gave work to unemployed, single men ages 18 to 25 during the depression. At Cheaha, the corps built campsites, lodges, roads and the observation tower, which now houses the museum dedicated to their history.

“I can’t help but wonder if those young men knew what they were building would still be around 75 years later,” said Rob Grant, assistant director for Alabama State Parks. “I think this is a great way to honor them.”

The museum, which includes tools used by the corps, as well as cots they slept in and blankets used at their camps, originally closed in 1996 for renovations. Power said the park needed a bigger room to hold the material they had. In the meantime, the park displayed other exhibits while working to finish the museum.

Another reason for the delay, Power said, was in honor of the corps. Everything in the museum, including the display cases, was built by hand by the park’s staff.

“We wanted to make sure everything was in-house, just like how this place was built,” Power said. “That was very important to us.”

Speakers at the event included Cleburne County Probate Judge Ryan Robertson and Alabama Sen. Gerald Dial. Everyone who spoke mentioned how important a role Cheaha had played in their lives.

Dial, a Lineville native, worked at a concession stand on the mountain during his summer breaks from school while in college, living in the lodge of the mountain for months at a time.

“I’m one of the most fortunate people alive because every morning when I sit at my breakfast table, from my window I can see the top of the mountain,” Dial said. “It reminds me of what a great country I live in.”

Many in attendance Saturday were related to the men who built the park. Ethan Branch, from Clay County, said his grandfather would like to tell stories about how tough it was to build the roads which led to the mountain. The personal touch adds something special to his own visits, he said.

“It’s special to see the legacy that he left behind here,” Branch said. “He worked hard to be to able support his family, and it was a tough job. I admire him.”

The celebration will continue next weekend when the park hosts the opening of a new campsite on Saturday. The new camping area was the same one used by the corps when they were building the park.

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Information from: The Anniston Star, https://www.annistonstar.com/

Southeast Youth Corps Introduces Their First-Ever AmeriCorps Conservation Crew: the Bobincas

Article, written by Corpsmember Joe Sherman, appears on Southeast Youth Corp’s website.

The week started for the first ever Americorps SYC crew with a drizzle of rain, but our spirits were not dampened at all! Under the stalwart guidance of our trusty leaders Randolph “The Rock Man” Hudson and Ellen “Aces” Baker, we spent the first part of Monday morning at the office going through training and basic orientation. Sarah, Molly, Taylor, Joe, Josh, and Vicky are our names, and we soon joined together under the team name “Bobincas,” a name which will hopefully live on into legacy. The crew lost no time in meshing well, and upon arriving at the work site and meeting the delightfully soft-spoken and enthusiastic Ranger Bobby Fulcher, the heartbeats of all of us were quickly elevated by the prospect of beginning work, and later with the physical efforts demanded of us.

Our primary task all week involved shifting large stones to create a rock staircase down which nature enthusiasts might trod for generations to come. The Rock Man called it a “hundred year staircase,” and we all soon learned the precision and detail that such a task required. Ranger Bob pointed out that such staircases are reminiscent of the Incan stone wonders of Machu Pichu, and thus the name Bobincas was born. There were several core components for the corps to incorporate into the hillside corporeity, namely creating more than just a little “crush” by crushing small rocks into smaller rocks, “rock-shopping” for the stones that had the correct dimensions and features for each section of the staircase, moving the stones from their various locations via rock sling, teamwork, and brute force, and the actual act of using crush, rock bar, double-jack, shovel, and pick mattock to securely set the stones in their new homes among their new stone friends.

Many highlights of the week were experienced, not least of all the morning stretch and exercise circle, the verbal distribution of local lore by Ranger Bob, and the formal expulsion by the Rangers of many trespassing wayfarers who had bypassed the “Park Closed Until July 1” signs. We installed thirteen steps in total, rerouted a creek, and helped delineate trails. All of us drastically increased our proficiency with this particular form of landscape architecture, as well as our skills with the sundry tools involved in it’s realization. Team Bobincas has set a firm foundation for the remainder of our 8-week program, a foundation as strong as the keystone steps on our Incan escalator.

Vermont Youth Conservation Corps School Crew Builds a Disc Golf Course

Article written by Melody McKnight and appears in the VYCC U32-Montpelier High School Crew Blog

So much has happened in such a short time! After finishing at Osprey Hill Farm earlier in the month, our crew was asked by the U-32 Athletics department to help in the creation of a bona-fide disc golf course for the school. Previously all disc-golf on school grounds had been played using two strips of flagging tape wrapped around trees to indicate hole locations. While somewhat functional, this left a lot to be desired by anyone who had played on a real course.

Our first task was to tour the proposed course with Steve and Jeff and determine if any of the holes should/could be shifted. During this process we also flagged out approximately how wide each “green” around the hole would need to be to create a safe space for players.

We spent time shifting a few of the holes to be more visible or easily accessible from the trail to make the course as user friendly as possible. Once we finished our tour of the locations, we started in on the course.

We averaged about 1.5 holes/tees each day for the whole project. This may not sound like a lot, but each hole was a 20 foot diameter circle (314 square feet!) that needed to be leveled, cleared of roots, and brushed down to mineral soil. The tees, while smaller, were often situated next to large trees, and so there were many more roots to contend with while shaping them.

A few of excavation sites turned up some forest critters, which we did our best to relocate away from any holes or tees.

To avoid the forest underbrush reclaiming the holes, we needed to cover each clearing with wood chips. Rather than pay for woodchips to surface a total of more than 3000 square feet of hole/tee area, we opted to collect debris from the forest and utilize U-32’s woodchipper to create our surfacing material. Many thanks to Charlie, who helped us greatly in chipping and collecting the wood for this project.

On the last day of the project, our students helped Alpha-test the course and determine what some of the pars should be by playing through all nine holes together.

Currently, the course still needs to have baskets installed, but this will hopefully be happening over the summer and then the U-32 Disc Golf course will be ready for action! Stay tuned!

The Corps Network’s Great Outdoors Day of Service in the Nation’s Capital Recap

Last Friday, June 14, The Corps Network held its first annual Great Outdoors Day of Service in the Nation’s Capital. This event took place during Great Outdoors Month, a month dedicated to celebrating and recognizing the beauty of our natural landscapes. The Corps Network’s Day of Service provided an opportunity to inspire American’s to use service as a strategy to protect our nation’s great outdoors.

Despite chances of rain, the day started off sunny with the kickoff event at the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, where Corps from the nearby area and as far as Los Angeles joined volunteers in service projects around the Capital. Participants were encouraged to sign a shovel, which was then given, on behalf of Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, to David Jayo, Jewell’s Senior Advisor, as a symbol of both TCN and our member Corps’ support of the work that her and her administration do for Service and Conservation Corps around the country.

During the kickoff event guests listened to a number of prominent speakers who spoke about the importance of service and conservation work across the country. Speakers included Mary Ellen Sprenkel, President & CEO of The Corps Network, Derrick Crandall, President & CEO of the American Recreation Coalition, Gerard Gabrys, CEO of Guest Services Inc., Butch Blazer, USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment, Bill Basl, Director of AmeriCorps, Tina Terrell, National Forest Service Job Corps Director, and Jenn Kays, Volunteer Program Manager for National Mall and Memorial Parks.

Wrapping up the kickoff event, Corpsmembers and volunteers enjoyed lunch provided by Guest Services Inc. and split off to work on three service projects in the Nation’s Capital. The first project included painting fence, chains, and posts at the FDR memorial while a second group traveled to the Tidal Basin to provide cleanup. The third service project, at Fort DuPont, enlisted Corpsmembers to clear a path for future outdoor exercise equipment. All the projects got off to a great start but had to end early when a large thunderstorm entered the area. Despite the rain, everyone had a great time serving in the outdoors and meeting other Corpsmembers and volunteers!

The Corps Network would like to thank those who spoke at the kickoff event, the National Park Service, USDA, US Forest Service Job Corps, American Recreation Coalition, GSI, and most of all – the Corps and volunteers that participated and made this Day of Service a success. President & CEO Mary Ellen Sprenkel says, “The Corps Network’s First Annual Day of Service in our Nation’s Capital, as part of Great Outdoors Month was a great success – even in the pouring rain! It provided an excellent opportunity to demonstrate the power of Service and Conservation Corps in a very public and high profile setting and enabled Corpsmembers from across the country to feel a part of something much larger – the “Corps Movement.” Big thanks to all of the Corps that participated and to all the partners that made it possible! We are already looking forward to next year!”

TCN would also like to thank anyone who participated in our Twitter campaign #dayofservice even if they couldn’t be at the event in-person. The first annual Day of Service was a success and The Corps Network looks forward to next year’s event!

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Delaware North Companies Announces Significant Commitment to HOPE Crews at Gettysburg Summit

This past week at the Aspen Institute’s Gettysburg Summit on National Service, Delaware North Companies Principal, Jerry Jacobs Jr., in partnership with Stephanie Meeks, President of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, announced a $3 million commitment to additional HOPE Crew projects.

This announcement follows a successful HOPE Crew pilot project in Shenandoah National Park, where a crew from Harpers Ferry Job Corps in collaboration with Citizens Conservation Corps of West Virginia restored the historic Skyland Stables. The project was recently featured on PBS Newshour, and also according to HOPE Crew partners resulted in cost savings of 25% when compared to what it would have cost for the park to work with a traditional contractor to restore the Stables.

Most of the new Delaware North funded HOPE Crew projects will take place in Kings Canyon, Yellowstone, Olympic, and Shenandoah National Parks.

“Delaware North Companies should be applauded for continuing to support the HOPE Crew initiative with such a substantial and meaningful commitment,” said Mary Ellen Sprenkel, President and CEO of The Corps Network. “Combined with the other HOPE Crew projects that have recently occured and will also soon get under way in places including New Mexico, New Jersey, Montana, and Virginia, there is already significant proof that these partnerships yield cost-effective training for youth to gain historic preservation skills, while also getting meaningful projects done that Americans can appreciate.”

[Video] HOPE Crew Partnership Featured on PBS Newshour

Earlier this week, PBS Newshour aired a segment about our new HOPE Crew Partnership with the Trust for Historic Preservation and many other partners. The five minute piece focuses on the historic stable project in Shenandoah National Park, t hat was recently complete d by a Harpers Ferry Jobs Corps / Citizens Conservation Corps of West Virginia HOPE Crew. We think it’s a great watch and encourage you to view it below.

Meet Our Summer Interns!

The Corps Network is pleased to announce the arrival of our summer interns! We are very excited that both Bobby and Judith have joined us to offer their help. Please join us in welcoming them, and read more about them below.

Bobby Tillett

Prior to interning at the Corps Network, Bobby completed two AmeriCorps terms-of-service working with the Montana Conservation Corps as both a Field Crew Member and a Field Crew Leader. The experiences and people Bobby met during his terms-of-service are the main inspiration behind his further interest in advocating for our nation’s Service and Conservation Corps. He graduated with a B.A. in International Affairs from the University of Mary Washington and is looking to further his education in the near future. Bobby is a native Virginian, who enjoys backpacking, running and anything related to DC sports franchises.

Judith Rontal

Judith joined The Corps Network for the summer of 2014 to be the Communications and Membership Intern. Prior to joining the team, Judith has held previous communication internships with the Ann Arbor / Ypsilanti Regional Chamber of Commerce and with the Human Rights Ordinance Campaign: One Royal Oak. All throughout her high school and college years Judith has been involved with youth development programs, such as tutoring inside local schools, working as a camp counselor, and teaching English during her semester abroad in Italy.

Judith’s passion for youth development is combined with an interest in conservation, which she developed while spending a month in Kenya doing independent research on the conflict-ridden relationship between the indigenous pastoralists and the protected national reserves. She is excited to leave the cold of Michigan after recently graduating from the University of Michigan to get a fresh start in DC! When not at TCN offices, Judith can either be found running through the streets of DC or baking cookies at home.

Three Conservation Corps Teams Are Working to Remove Invasive Species Along the Dolores River

Article appeared on The Nature Conservancy website.

DAUNTING TASK

Tamarisk may think they’re going to take over the area surrounding the Dolores River. We advise them to think again. On the Dolores, three conservation corps are on the job. The Canyon Country Youth Corps, Western Colorado Conservation Corps and Southwest Conservation Corps are taking on one of the west’s most daunting restoration challenges – removing invasive species such as tamarisk along 175 miles of the river, which runs through southwestern Colorado and eastern Utah.

It’s a job for those with strong wills and strong backs. Young people, ages 18-26, from diverse backgrounds, are hired by the Conservation Corps for eight to twelve week stints. They work long days in the elements, camp and cook together.

Weighed down with 18 pound chainsaws and 20-pound daypacks, they may hike up to 2 miles to a work site every day. As soon as they arrive, chainsaws buzz for eight hours.

As Conservation Corps member Jake Lee writes in his blog, the work is grueling yet meaningful. “I hear relatively few words and fewer laughs being exchanged on the hike back to the truck. We are spent. Covered from head to toe with dust, dirt, and wood chips, our sweat-soaked shirts are beginning to dry. We are hungry and thirsty. Yet we aren’t dragging our sore feet or slouching with bowed heads under the weight we carry. We move with purpose.”

CARVING A PATH

While the restoration work improves the river, reduces wildfire risk and ensures recreation opportunities, Corps members are also carving a path for their future.

“I applied for the chainsaw crew to learn a new skill set, to experience something vastly different from the last four years that I spent in college, and to challenge myself to whatever it took to get through the program,” says Hanna DeSalvo of Durango, Colorado.

“We deal with changing plans constantly but still accomplish our work and personal goals in spite of this,” says Chris Panawa. “If you can finish a season, you finish it with new skills and abilities that can benefit all aspects of your life.”

While earning job skills, corps members also earn Americorps Education Awards, which go toward student loans or furthering education. So far, $89,000 has been awarded to young people to improve their future.

TRUTH ABOUT TAMARISK

To fully understand the important work corps members are doing, you need to know about the impact tamarisk has on our environment. Since being introduced as an ornamental plant and windbreak in the mid-1800s, the pesky plant has spread to cover 1.6 million acres across the West, mostly along streams. The plant, also known as a salt cedar, threatens native cottonwood and willow trees because it grows in dense stands, can produce up to 500,000 seeds per plant, and increases salinity in soils. Tamarisk also sucks water, increases wildfire spread, chokes rivers and alters stream flows.

Because of the growing tamarisk threat, the Conservation Corps, The Nature Conservancy, Bureau of Land Management and others launched the Dolores River Restoration Partnership in 2009. So far, the effort has created 175 jobs for young adults and restored 821 acres.

KEY TO SUCCESS

“Strong partnerships are the key to conservation successes,” says Mike Wight, Conservation Corps River Restoration Director. “We know that by working together we can protect our lands and waters for generations to come.”

“Mike is fostering and inspiring a new generation of conservationists who are committed to solving our most pressing challenges,” adds Peter Mueller, the Conservancy’s southwest Colorado program director.

The Nature Conservancy has been committed to developing solutions for Colorado’s most important lands and waters for nearly 40 years. Our focus on the Dolores is to restore the river to good health while meeting the needs of people.

As the river improves, lives are changing, “I have seen my fellow crew members grow physically stronger, fitter, healthier, more agile and mentally tougher – more confident, more determined, more resilient, more adaptable, more eager to overcome challenges without hesitation,” adds Lee.

A program designed to eradicate invasive plants is also empowering young people to become future conservationists.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Employees Teamed Up With Conservation Corps Minnesota to Plant Seed Bombs

Photo: Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota employees planted seed bombs at Patrick Eagan Park. Article appeared in Conservation Corps Minnesota & Iowa’s newsletter.

On the sunny afternoon of May, 13 Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota employees teamed up with Conservation Corps and the City of Eagan to plant more than 100 dozen seed bombs at Patrick Eagan Park in Eagan. The Corps’ first and largest seed bomb making event took place at the Blue Cross CareFest last fall where employees made more than 70 dozen seed bombs, and other native seed balls were created by more than 200 volunteers in 2013. Seeds in the ‘bombs’ (which were stored over the winter) contain more than a dozen varieties of native flowers and grasses that attract honeybees and butterflies and prevent soil erosion ― perfect for the park’s native habitat. The area planted was recently treated with a prescribed burn to remove invasive species.

Thanks to Blue Cross employees and Gregg Hove, Supervisor of Forestry for the City of Eagan, for all their hard work. Check out a photo gallery of the event.