Agents of Discovery Wins 1st Place NAI Award

Agents of Discovery’s (AoD) Smokey Bear Mission was honored by the NAI (National Association for Interpretation) at their 2022 award ceremony last Thursday, December 15. NAI’s Interpretive Media Awards promote excellence in delivery of natural, cultural, and historical non personal interpretive services. Entrants are evaluated by a panel of experts, who provide valuable feedback on the projects. The Corps Network has been a longtime partner of AoD, supporting several campaigns including their D.C. Explorer Mission, this past fall, and has supported the Smokey Bear Mission since its inception.

The Smokey Bear Mission, which aims to bring Smokey’s message of wildfire safety and personal responsibility to a new generation, won a first place prize in the Digital Media category and was honored for its innovative ability to bridge the gap between screens and the environment. The mission has helped teach almost 20,000 players the importance of wildfire safety. Amtchat Edwards, Partnership Liaison, Maureen Brooks, Branch Chief from the U.S. Forest Service and Misty Mitchell, Director of Wildlife Conservation at Wonders of Wildlife received the award along with AoD’s CEO, Mary Clark.

Share Your Favorite Pics: FY22 Annual Report Cover Contest

Does your Corps have great photos from this past year? We know you do! Now is the perfect time to share them. We invite member organizations of The Corps Network to share your favorite pictures from 2022 to be considered for the cover of The Corps Network FY22 annual report.

We are looking for eye-catching images demonstrating what makes our diverse and resilient Corps programs great. We’re specifically hoping to see photos showcasing Corpsmembers in action and the impacts of their work. See below for a more detailed criteria.

Please note that almost every photo submitted will be used in the report or in other documents and resources produced by The Corps Network in the future, even if your Corps’ photo doesn’t make the cover. We sincerely appreciate all the content we’ve received in past cover photo contests.

The last day to submit photos is Monday, January 9, 2023. The report will be published in March. Thank you for your participation!

[Photo in banner: FY21 annual report cover photo, Urban Corps of San Diego County]

Criteria/Suggestions + How to Submit Entries

Each Corps may submit up to 6 photos.
The deadline to participate in the contest is Monday, January 9, 2023.
Photos must be high resolution (300 dpi preferred).
Please provide a few details about the photo (where was it taken, who is in the picture, etc.).
Let us know if there is a specific person who should receive photo credit. Otherwise, we will credit your organization.
Preferred file formats are .jpg, .jpeg, .png. (if you have .heic pictures, please considering converting them to .jpeg files using a free tool like this).
Please no images that don’t include people. We want to see great photos of Corpsmembers at work.
Both landscape-oriented and portrait photos are welcome.
Please no photos that have been heavily edited or have an obvious filter applied.
Photos taken within the past year are preferred.
Remember – even if your picture is not chosen for the cover, we may use it elsewhere in the report or in other resources from The Corps Network.

How to Submit Your Photos

Please email entries to Hannah Traverse, htraverse@corpsnetwork.org. Don’t forget to include a few details about each photo and if a specific person should receive credit. If your photos are too large to send in one message, feel free to send in multiple emails or use a file sharing service like Dropbox, Google Drive, iCloud, or WeTransfer. We can’t wait to see and share your entries.

Impact Story: Job Corps graduate discovers a career working on a Great America Outdoors trails project

Submitted by Alicia Bennett, Public Affairs Officer, U. S. Forest Service Job Corps

Jacobs Creek Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center student Michael Cruse enrolled in Jacobs Creek Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center simply to earn his high school diploma. His father encouraged him to enroll in Job Corps after he dropped out of school in 10^th grade only to discover that his employment opportunities were limited.

“I was jumping from job-to job in fast food restaurants, and I realized that I wasn’t really getting very far in life with doing that.”

After some online research, Cruse recognized that Job Corps offered him an opportunity to turn his life around. He quickly enrolled in Jacobs Creek’s heavy construction equipment mechanics program in late 2019 only to be soon sent home the following March amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Fast forward to 2022 and Cruse had returned to Jacob’s Creek and was close to completion in education and trade when he was encouraged to accept a forestry technician internship in Idaho.

Jacob Creek Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center graduate Michael Cruse. USDA Forest Service photo

Cruse arrived on Moose Creek Ranger District in North Central Idaho on May 20, 2022, to join one of three Great America Outdoors Act (GAOA) Forest Service trail crews. Working under GAOA Central Zone Trail Crew Lead Charles Pickett, he spent over four months working side-by-side with experienced Forest Service trail specialists tackling deferred maintenance trail projects in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness Area.

“I was clueless on what I would be doing,” says Cruse. Little did he know that by allowing himself to being open to a new experience outside his comfort zone would ignite a passion for building trails.

Jacobs Creek Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center graduate Michael Cruse installs a check dam to help mitigate erosion and encourage sediment build up on the Fish Lake Crossover Trail #39. This trail serves as an access route between Fish Lake and Moose Creek administrative areas in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness. The check dam will create stable tread and rehabilitate areas trenched out by water damage while preventing similar issues in the future. USDA Forest Service photo by Charles Pickett.

The Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest has approximately 5,200 miles of trail of which 5,000 are in the Central Idaho Complex Priority Area under the Trail Stewardship Act. One hundred and forty-four trails across the forest are slated for deferred maintenance work over five years.

“Mike did not know what to expect or what he was getting into but he showed up with an open mind and a willingness to take whatever we threw at him. The work is challenging even for someone who’s accustomed to it,” states Pickett.

Having grown up on a Florida ranch, Cruse was familiar with the physical demands of hard labor. Still, hiking 30 miles a day, carrying nine days of food and supplies at elevation, just to get where he needed to be to perform his job was a surprise. With no aversion to hard work he threw himself into the job and by the time he left Idaho had lost 40 pounds.

Jacobs Creek Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center graduate Michael Cruse (left) helps care for the animals that supplied his Great America Outdoors Act trail crew during the 2022 field season in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness. USDA Forest Service photo by Charles Pickett.

“To come from a really different environment and push himself through that physical challenge was really huge,” says Pickett. “Since May there’s a pretty noticeable difference in in Mike’s physique and strength after pushing himself through that.”

Cruse was recruited to be a forestry technician as part of a pilot Job Corps paid work-based learning (WBL) program meant to add capacity to Forest Service trail crews. It is the first of its kind, serving as a pilot program for future WBL programs that will hopefully add much needed capacity. In addition to being able to earn some much-needed cash, Job Corps students earn Public Land Corps hours.

Along with mastering technical skills with tradition tools such as the cross-cut saw and ax and learning the dynamics of making a trail sustainable, Cruse experienced some special great outdoors moments.

A “before” photo of Lower Rhoda Trail #620. Jacobs Creek Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center graduate Michael Cruse’s GAOA trail crew used on-site rock to stabilize the trail’s tread damaged by runoff on a steep downhill side slope. USDA Forest Service photo by Charles Pickett.

“An experience that particularly stands out is when we did a double hitch,” he says. “On our days off, we went up a trail called Moose Creek. We would wake up next to the flowing creek and it would be kind of chilly, but it was the most beautiful thing to see—the flowing creek against the rocks and the smell of the mountain fresh air.”

Cruse now has his heart set on pursuing a career in trail’s stewardship and Pickett helped Cruse set up a USAJobs account to apply for GS-3 through GS-6 forestry technician positions. There is a short window to apply for spring 2023 season trail jobs and job applicants have to apply far in advance. Then they must play a waiting game until late winter to find out if they snagged a position. Having successfully graduated Job Corps, Cruse needed a job.

Job Corps National Office Fleet Manager Cooper Brantley stepped forward with a proposition. “I heard three or four people speak up for him,” he says. “I thought to myself, ‘why would you want to lose someone like this?’”

GAOA trail crew members and Jacobs Creek Job Corps graduate Michael Cruse (far right) worked alongside his trail crew to use on-site rock to construct a rock wall to re-establish its tread and stabilize the Lower Rhoda Trail #620 trail’s tread damaged by runoff on a steep downhill side slope. The trail was sloughing away towards the north fork of Moose Creek approximately 2.5 miles from the junction of trails #618 and #620. The repair will make it passable for stock animals and resistant to further erosion. USDA Forest Service photo by Charles Pickett.

Needing help to manage Job Corps’ large fleet inventory, Brantley offered Cruse a 120-day WBL internship that could open up a second career path for Cruse as an entry level 5/7/9 transportation assistant.

Brantley is navigating Cruse through the on-boarding process and he will begin his training next January. In his new assignment, Cruse will enter data into the WEX Fleet Card program, tracking the monthly utilization data of the 24 Job Corps Civilian Conservation Centers. Brantley views the arrangement as a win-win. He gets much needed assistance with the potential to entice him to stay. “If he [Cruse] goes into something else, at least we kept him,” says Brantley.

Despite his long-term goal of a career as a forestry technician, Cruse is eager to start his training and explore this new opportunity.

“It’s a good job, good pay and it’s a remote job,” he says. “Yes, I’m an outdoors person, but I am just looking for a job I can have for a year or two–just get my foot in the door with the Forest Service and move higher-up over the years.”

Impact Story: Delivering Water to the Acoma Pueblo

By: Edward Kim

“THIS is community in action! THIS is ‘walking the walk’, about caring for our community and people.”

Native American Heritage Month, observed every November in the United States, is an opportune time to celebrate the rich and diverse Indigenous cultures, histories, and traditions rooted across our country. Join us in recognizing and celebrating Native contributions in community service projects this month, and every month, by learning how a Tribal Youth Corps Program in New Mexico is conducting lifesaving work in their community.

On October 27, the Pueblo of Acoma faced a major water infrastructure failure causing the entire community to lose access to running water. With the local health clinic and school consequently shutting down, the Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps (ALCC) urgently mobilized to provide crucial water and resource deliveries to impacted communities.

Here is what Domonique Lowden, an ALCC Crew Leader part of AmeriCorps’ Opportunity Youth Service Initiative, had to say about their efforts:

“We are delivering water to our community, Acoma Pueblo, to aid assistance to people who can’t haul water or need water. We are providing our community with resources for water. The project benefited our program as well as our people of the community. It helped our program to extend our season, but it was to help our community more by providing them with water and useful resources for water, such as water jugs, solar showers, or even barrels.”

Around 20 households, equating to nearly 100 individuals, receive water deliveries daily from the ALCC crews. As a result, community members have been sharing their gratitude for the Corps by sending positive remarks. One recipient said, “Da waa ee (thank you) for showing the true meaning of caring about our community and people by actually getting out and doing something to help others! Many blessings to you all.”

ALCC Corpsmembers and Crew Leaders are not only able to feel a sense of pride and fulfillment with each delivery, but they’re also demonstrating the impact of civic responsibility and community engagement.

This critical work would not have been possible if it weren’t for programs created for Native Youth to work and learn alongside peers who share a similar cultural background. Having served eight seasons with ALCC, Domonique knows firsthand the impact of spaces that support Native Youth. When asked about the significance of these spaces and Tribal Youth Corps Programs, she noted,

“We learn from the service to help and give back to the lands of which our Indigenous peoples have been. Doing the work doesn’t seem so much like work then. More like we were destined to these duties, kind of like being at the right place at the right time.”

With December right around the corner, ALCC crews continue to work alongside the Acoma Pueblo community to address this environmental and economic crisis fueled by climate change. There is currently no financial support from the state, federal, or Tribal government for this project, causing ALCC to find ways to fund their water-delivering crews through relationships with the Acoma Pueblo, Conservation Lands Foundation, and their strong network of supporters. As ALCC continues to receive resources and funds from private donors for their relief efforts, the Corps aims to expand their water delivery output. Over $12,000 has been raised, and the number is expected to increase. Learn how to support this cause by visiting Conservation Legacy’s donation page.

Update from The Corps Network’s Government Relations Team – November 28, 2022

By Meghan Castellano & Danielle Owen

Read this blog from The Corps Network’s Government Relations Team on what recent updates from Washington mean for the Service and Conservation Corps community.

Legislative Issues

Midterm Elections

In the weeks leading up to the midterm elections, pollsters predicted that Republicans were poised for a historic win. Typically, the midterm elections serve as a referendum on the party that holds the White House, with the party in control of the executive branch losing seats in Congress. As the results started coming in, there were several key races that were too close to call.

Senate

Democrats maintained control of the Senate, holding 50 seats including flipping one seat in Pennsylvania with the election of Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman. If Democrats maintain Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock’s seat in Georgia they will have 51 seats in the Senate. Since neither Georgia Senate candidate, Senator Warnock and Republican candidate Hershel Walker, was able to pass 50% of the vote threshold, there will be a runoff election on December 6.

House of Representatives

On the evening of November 16, after almost a week of ballot counting, the Republican Party officially retook the U.S. House of Representatives when they reached the needed 218 Congressional Districts won. This means we face a divided Congress in 2023 and 2024. It will be difficult for any legislation that is not “must pass” to work its way through Congress. The House Republicans will likely attempt to attach aspects of their policy agenda to “must pass” legislation, such as annual appropriations bills.

Leadership Elections

Both parties in both chambers have begun the process of electing their Leadership for the upcoming 118th Congress. They will also decide who the various Committee Chairs and Ranking Members will be for the respective parties.
House Republicans began their leadership elections the week of November 14. Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was elected to be the party’s nominee for Speaker by a vote of 188 to 31. Rep. McCarthy should win the position of Speaker of the House in January, but he cannot lose too many votes from his Caucus. House Democrats planned to wait until after Thanksgiving to hold their leadership elections. Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Democratic Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) announced they will remain in Congress, but they will not seek leadership positions. Democratic Whip James Clyburn (D-SC) will also remain in Congress, but he announced that he will seek the Leadership position of Assistant Democratic Leader.
In the Senate, Republicans held their leadership election on November 16. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) will continue leading Senate Republicans. Senate Democrats will hold their leadership elections on December 8. During the weekly Senate Democratic lunch on November 16, it was reported that Leader Schumer announced that he will nominate Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) to be Senate president pro tempore. This position, currently held by the retiring Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), presides over the Senate in the absence of the Vice President. If chosen Senator Murray would be third in line to the Presidency, after the Vice President and the Speaker of the House. She would also be the first woman to hold this position. Senator Schumer (D-NY) is expected to continue in the position of Democratic Leader.

Election Takeaways

This election made clear that a generational shift has significantly impacted America’s political landscape as Generation Z becomes old enough to vote. Gen-Z voters have shown that climate change is a priority. Polling suggests that climate change is one of the top three issues that young people say they care about.
The divided Congress next year will mean President Biden will have a far more difficult time advancing his policy agenda, including climate actions. Given that neither party will hold a 60-vote supermajority in the Senate, which is needed to overcome a filibuster, nothing significant will become law without compromise in the House and the Senate.

Fiscal Year 2023 Appropriations

Both the House and the Senate voted in favor of passing a stopgap funding bill to keep the government open through December 16. This Continuing Resolution (CR) will temporarily keep the government funded at Fiscal Year 2022 levels. While funding bills typically originate in the House, the Senate decided to take up the CR first this time because Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) agreed to allow Senator Joe Manchin’s (D-WV) energy permitting legislation to be included in the CR in exchange for his support of the Inflation Reduction Act. Republicans and Democrats in both chambers pushed back on this legislation. Ultimately, Senator Manchin agreed to take out his permitting legislation from the CR so it could move forward in the Senate, on to the House, and to the President’s desk for his signature to avoid a government shutdown.
Now that Congress has returned after midterm elections, lawmakers will have to address Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23) appropriations. While the House has passed six of twelve FY23 spending bills and the Senate Appropriations Committee released drafts of all twelve of their bills, Congress was unable to pass a full FY23 spending package. Before the end of the year, lawmakers will either need to approve a full-year omnibus spending package or pass another short-term spending measure, which could extend into the 118th Congress. With Republicans winning control of the House for this next Congress, they could be unmotivated to go along with any Democratic plans to pass an omnibus spending package before the end of the year, recognizing greater negotiating power is waiting ahead in 2023.

Reconciliation Legislation (Inflation Reduction Act)

While the reconciliation text was being voted on in the Senate, Leader Schumer discouraged members of the Senate Democratic Caucus from introducing amendments. Since this legislation went through the reconciliation process, approved amendments could potentially bring the entire legislation down. Several Senate Republicans introduced amendments that they knew would be hard for Democrats to vote against but due to this process they did. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) introduced four amendments as messages, one of which included funding the Civilian Climate Corps (CCC). Unfortunately, due to the process for passing reconciliation legislation, the amendment failed 98-1.
After more than a year, the budget reconciliation process was completed when President Biden signed R. 5376, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 into law. This bill devotes around $369 billion to clean energy and climate change programs. Unfortunately, the bill does not contain any funding at the Department of Labor or AmeriCorps. The bill does contain a significant amount of potential project funding for Corps.
Linked here is potential project funding for Corps. Below are examples:
- State and Private Forestry Conservation Programs – $1.5 billion will be made at the Department of Agriculture to provide multiyear, programmatic, competitive grants to a State agency, a local governmental entity, an agency or governmental entity of the District of Columbia, an Indian Tribe, or a nonprofit organization through the Urban and Community Forestry Assistance program for tree planting and related activities, with a priority for projects that benefit underserved populations and areas. Since the Inflation Reduction Act was signed into law relatively recently, the implementation plan for these funds is still in the works. There will be opportunities to go through states that requested urban priority funds through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
- Environmental and Climate Justice Block Grants – $2.8 billion will be made available through 2026 at the Environmental Protection Agency to award grants for:
  - Community led air and other pollution monitoring
  - Investments in low- and zero-emission and resilient technologies
  - Workforce development to reduce greenhouse gas
  - Mitigating climate risks
  - Climate resiliency and adaptation
  - Reducing indoor air pollutions
  - Engagement with disadvantaged communities.
- This funding will begin to be allocated in February 2023. Partnerships between a Tribe, local government, or an institution of higher education and a community based nonprofit organization, non-profit organizations, or a group of nonprofit organizations are eligible to apply.
National Parks and Public Lands Conservation and Resilience – $250 million will be made available at the National Parks Service and Bureau of Land Management to carry out conservation and land resiliency projects on federal land. These funds will remain available through 2031.

Administration

United We Stand Summit

On September 15, President Biden held a “United We Stand” summit in which he sought to address the hate-filled violence in our country and the ways in which Americans can come together to overcome it. During his speech, President Biden discussed how national service can bridge the divides in our country and he called for the AmeriCorps living allowance to be raised to $15 an hour by Fiscal Year 2025. This event was followed a few days later with a briefing by Michael Smith, CEO of AmeriCorps called “United We Serve.” He laid out AmeriCorps’ involvement in this Biden Administration initiative and reiterated the President’s call for Congress to raise the AmeriCorps living allowance to $15 an hour. CEO Smith shared that the agency would be looking at the model that is currently being used by FEMA Corps and the Public Health AmeriCorps with the CDC on how AmeriCorps can work with other federal departments on national service. They are going to work with the Peace Corps on trainings focused on bridge building that can be provided to AmeriCorps programs. AmeriCorps will also be working with the federal Office of Personnel Management on pathways into federal careers after a term of service in AmeriCorps.

Other

September PLSC Roundtable

In mid-September, in follow up to The Corps Network’s March 2022 Climate Action Summit, TCN held small informal meetings with several Corps directors and career staff from the federal lands management agencies, AmeriCorps and staff from the National Park Foundation. Federal partners in attendance included representatives from AmeriCorps, BLM, BOR, BIA, DOI, NOAA, NPS, USDA, and the USFS. The focus of those meetings was on Public Lands Corps match, the agreements process, career pathways, recruitment, and a living wage for Corpsmembers. Each of these agencies expressed a commitment to working with TCN and the Corps community on the challenges we are experiencing. During the second day of this three-day event, staff from all the various agencies were in the room at the same time, giving all our federal partners the opportunity to hear the issues being discussed as well as allow people from different agencies to share ideas on how to solve these problems. These meetings were a good way for Corps to engage with the various agencies and keep conversations moving forward. After the event TCN’s GR Team compiled action items from these meetings and have since reached out to the various agencies to follow up about next steps.

Impact Story: Critical Food Security Programs Across the Country

By: Edward Kim

There’s a ton to be thankful for this holiday season. We’re particularly grateful for the Corps programs that are committed to improving food access. With communities supported from Baltimore to Los Angeles, Corps are addressing food security from coast to coast. Learn more about these critical food security programs and the uplifting work behind them.

Vermont Youth Conservation Corps (VYCC), Health Care Share

A Project of the Year Award recipient in 2018, Vermont Youth Conservation Corps’ Health Care Share Program places hundreds of healthy meals on tables for those in need with every harvest. Between March and November each year, VYCC Farm Crews grow and prepare healthy, organic food with support from AmeriCorps. Locally grown, packaged, and processed by Corpsmembers in weekly and monthly shares, the fresh produce and poultry are delivered to Vermont families in hospitals, medical centers, and community clinics. Health care providers identify patient families with specific medical and diet-related issues that would particularly benefit from receiving these food shares. Participating families can pick up a bag full of freshly harvested, organic produce at their health care provider’s office, and each food share comes with a handwritten newsletter outlining some of the week’s contents and recipes.

There is no fee to participate, as the 12-17-week program is funded by medical centers, farm stand sales, sponsoring local businesses, philanthropy, and other VYCC revenues. In 2017, Health Care Share Corpsmembers totaled nearly 11,000 service hours and were able to help distribute around 140,000 pounds of food to 500 families in a single year, and they’re still going strong. Health Care Share heads into its eleventh season in 2023.

Green City Force (GCF), Eco-Hubs

Green City Force has recently taken a new approach when it comes to increasing access to sustainability services. After the strong response of GCF’s Farms at NYCHA, a 2017 Project of the Year Award winner, GCF has been developing and implementing a new model designed to further support sustainability and health within NYCHA developments. GCF’s Eco-Hubs are excellent ways to incorporate a holistic approach to adding sustainable and healthy foods to NYCHA communities. These hubs attract local community service and are transforming neighborhoods with safe, green spaces. These hubs are showing New Yorkers firsthand what it takes to maintain a healthy and effective garden.

Taking elements from the Love Where You Live methodology and Farms at NYCHA project, Eco-Hubs are designed to resonate with both ecology and the economy. This past year, Corpsmembers and volunteers have been busy getting together to reconstruct and revamp raised garden beds within Eco-Hubs to create a more efficient means of production. Not only do these initiatives keep the surrounding community connected, but it also shows what’s possible through local green service.

LA Conservation Corps (LACC), Food Waste Prevention & Rescue project

The Food Waste Prevention & Rescue project, powered by the Los Angeles Conservation Corps, is tackling food inaccessibility and waste by diverting good food to feed hungry individuals and families, instead of sending it to the landfill. While collaborating with MEND (Meet Each Need with Dignity), a nonprofit organization in the northeast San Fernando Valley, LACC Corpsmembers travel from schools, grocery stores, restaurants, and other businesses in refrigerated box trucks to collect unused foods. After the gathered goods are carefully checked for quality and sorted at the MEND foodbank, they are distributed to community members several times per week. Their work has been crucial, as the pandemic caused a spike in food security issues in a county with already one of the largest food insecure populations in the country. A small team of LACC Corpsmembers is capable of collecting over 3,000 pounds of food daily, and since August 2018, over 1 million pounds of food have been recovered. Not only does this project feed those facing food insecurity, but it also ensures that the resources used to produce the distributed foods aren’t going to waste and mitigating harmful greenhouse gas emissions released from landfills.

San Jose Conservation Corps, Resilience Corps Food Security Program

When tough times struck during the COVID-19 pandemic, San Jose Conservation Corps answered the call. SJCC’s Resilience Corps Food Security Program is a perfect example of Corpsmembers working together and gaining new skills to better serve their local communities. In partnership with Second Harvest of Silicon Valley, young adults and volunteers in SJCC have been busy feeding their local communities. Operating in a well-organized assembly line with multiple stations, SJCC Corpsmembers and volunteers place fresh produce and goods into boxes before they’re distributed. Thanks to their hard work in boxing and distributing food, around 400,000 Californians can access a healthy meal through the Resilience Corps Food Security Program. Motivated by uplifting their neighbors and community, Corpsmembers and volunteers participating in SJCC and the Resilience Corps Food Security Program are doing just that and more, one food box at a time.

Civic Works, Real Food Farm

Civic Works is targeting food inequity head-on through Real Food Farm, a pioneer for urban farms in Baltimore, MD, and winner of a Project of the Year Award in 2013. Due to Civic Works’ previous successes in youth development and community outreach, the Corps was selected by the Baltimore Urban Agriculture Taskforce to demonstrate the implementation of urban farms. This led to the development of Real Food Farm and its mission of increasing accessibility to fresh produce for low-income Baltimore families while strengthening the city’s urban agricultural sector through sustainable land usage and experience-based education. Since its beginning in 2009, Real Food Farm has generated and distributed over 60,000 pounds of locally produced food to those facing food insecurity. Not only did Real Food Farm inspire the creation of other urban farms in the surrounding area, but the program also provides experience-based education on healthy foods and sustainability for thousands of people by connecting them to green spaces. Economically viable and environmentally responsible, this program is showing participants firsthand the value of local farming and how that can lead to a more equitable food system within communities. Despite all of Civic Works’ success, that’s hopefully not the limit for Real Food Farm. With more funding, Civic Work aims to quadruple the delivery amount per year from 5,000 to 20,000 deliveries.

This holiday season, let’s appreciate and give thanks to these Corps dedicated to improving food equity by learning how to support these programs. Visit their web pages to find out.

For Our Membership: Quick Guide to The Corps Network’s Website

Lashauntya Moore, Technical Assistance Coordinator at The Corps Network, Speaks at Event with Second Gentleman Focused on Collaborative Efforts to Expand Access to Nature

The Corps Network applauds Biden-Harris Administration’s focus on advancing environmental equity and investing in decreasing barriers to safe, accessible spaces to enjoy the outdoors.

On Friday, September 23, Lashauntya Moore – Technical Assistance Coordinator at The Corps Network and an AmeriCorps alumna of Earth Conservation Corps – spoke about her service experience at an event with Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff at Benning Stoddert Recreation Center in Washington, DC. Hosted by the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), the event celebrated the collaboration of 10 federal departments and agencies on signing the United States Government Interagency Memorandum of Understanding on Promoting Equitable Access to Nature in Nature-Deprived Communities.

This new MOU is part of America the Beautiful: the Biden-Harris Administration’s initiative “to conserve, connect, and restore 30 percent of our lands and waters by 2030.” The vision of the MOU also aligns with the goals of the President’s Justice40 Initiative, which aims to direct 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain federal investments in climate and clean energy to “disadvantaged communities.”

The event started with a roundtable discussion among stakeholders about implementation of the new MOU. The roundtable was followed by a tree planting outside the recreation center. Lashauntya helped open the tree-planting portion of the program by speaking about her time in Earth Conservation Corps, a Washington, DC-based organization that engages young adults from under-served communities in environmental education and local conservation projects that benefit people and nature.

Among other activities during her term of service, Lashauntya and her crew helped address pollution of the Anacostia River, restore nesting habitat for the Bald Eagle, and build a river walk around the Anacostia. Related to her service, Lashauntya has been featured on 60 Minutes, NOW with Bill Moyers, and People Magazine. Lashauntya was asked to join Earth Conservation Corps’ staff as a Site Manager and was later promoted to a Youth Program Coordinator. She joined the staff of The Corps Network in 2016.

Lashauntya was accompanied at the event by her son, who recently served two terms of service with DC River Corps, a program of Latin American Youth Center. As a child, he sometimes accompanied Lashauntya on projects and was inspired to serve his community as well.

“Having access to nature is a privilege that some folks take for granted. Imagine a world where you don’t know the benefits of being able to be in a place that could calm a stressed mind and body. Before becoming an AmeriCorps member, many years ago, I didn’t realize how much I was missing out on by not taking advantage of all the outdoor spaces DC has to offer,” said Lashauntya. “Today I’m excited to be here to advance the goals of the America the Beautiful initiative. I truly appreciate your focus on local parks and expanding access to the outdoors.”

Mary Ellen Sprenkel, President and CEO of The Corps Network, provided the following statement in support of the vision of the Nature in Communities MOU.

“On behalf of our country’s Service and Conservation Corps community, I thank the Biden-Harris Administration for making equitable access to nature a priority. In particular, I appreciate the Second Gentleman’s attention to the critical role of national service in helping steward America’s green spaces. Nature is good for our health and our spirits. Unfortunately, access to safe parks, shade trees, and clean air is a privilege in too many parts of our country. I applaud all the young people in Corps programs serving their communities and improving our local parks and waterways. I applaud Lashauntya Moore and other leaders who are inspiring the next generation of environmental and climate justice champions. Thank you to all the entities participating in this interagency MOU. The Corps community looks forward to supporting implementation of this initiative through engaging diverse young Americans in national service and job training.”

The White House published a fact sheet about the MOU, highlighting certain existing federal programs, funding streams, and initiatives – including AmeriCorps – that will help deliver the goals of the MOU.

This event took place one day before National Public Lands Day, the largest single-day volunteer event for public lands in the U.S. The President’s Proclamation on National Public Lands Day included the following statement: “Through the Civilian Climate Corps, we hope to put Americans to work conserving public lands across our Nation. And with our America the Beautiful Initiative, my Administration is working with State, local, and Tribal governments, as well as private landowners, to voluntarily conserve 30 percent of our Nation’s lands and waters by 2030.”

Among others, attendees at the event included officials from the White House, the National Park Service, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, AmeriCorps, DC government, and various local organizations and schools.

Impact Story: Training Arborists in San Diego

By: Emma Fantuzzo

The Corps Network is collecting short stories from Corps about their projects and Corpsmembers that put them into action. Read our “Impact Stories” collection for a picture of the people and hard work behind the Corps movement. This story is about Urban Corps of San Diego’s Utility Line Clearance Arborist Training Program.

About the Program:

Utility Line Clearance Arborists work to clear vegetation around utility lines to maintain electrical safety, an increasingly important job as wildfires continue to worsen throughout California. This program enables Corpsmembers to gain skills to become safe and productive arborists over the course of five weeks and 200 hours. These skills would normally take six months to learn as an apprentice on the job.

This program is in partnership with the San Diego College of Continuing Education and aligns with other programs offered by UCSD. Urban Corps has received funding for a workforce program in the Urban Forestry field from CAL FIRE and San Diego Gas and Electric. CAL FIRE’s grant is paying for stipends received by Corpsmembers who are taking the training.

Corpsmember Benefit:

Corpsmembers receive training in safety and learn the industry best practices in a classroom and in the field. Students will have received training in First Aid/ CPR, OSHA 10, fire safety prevention, chippers, chainsaw, knots, climbing and more. Corpsmembers also receive certification and college credit.

Impact Story: Kupu Hawaii

Kupu, a multi-program Corps with over 500 participants per year, has had great success in Hawaii. Founded in 2007, Kupu embodies its name, which in Olelo Hawai’i means “to grow”. Kupu currently has over 100 partner sites, and has programs ranging from its Hawai’i Youth Conservation Corps, to its individual programs like Kupu ‘Āina Corps. The Corps mission is to “Preserve land while empowering youth.”

Program Overview:

Kupu runs several programs, some are team based, like Hawai’i Youth Conservation Corps, while others focus on individual placement, like Kupu ‘Āina Corps. Kawika Riley, the Senior Director of External Affairs at Kupu, says; “the dual focus of building potential of youth and caring for the environment are the common thread in all of them.” The variety of programs have empowered over 5000 young people to find their place in conservation and service. Here are a few of them:

Hawai’i Youth Conservation Corps is a summer program for teens and young adults interested in conservation work. Corpsmembers serve outdoors with various environmental organizations and get to explore their passion for conservation while earning a stipend and potential AmeriCorps education awards. Members serve in the field with a team of other Corpsmembers completing work at their assigned site.

Kupu Culinary Program is a program focused on empowering young adults to learn about sustainable food sources and culinary practices in a real-world, hands-on service environment. Participants must be 16 years or older and gain job skills they can bring into their future career path.

Kupu ‘Āina Corps is an initiative of the state of Hawai’i for a Green Job Youth Corps and, according to Riley, one of the biggest Kupu programs. Positions in this program are partnered across Kupu’s expansive network in areas from conservation to agriculture to clean energy. Corpsmembers are given a chance to serve and dive into the conservation field before they start on their career paths.

Kupu’s programs partner with a variety of organizations. They work with the state of Hawaii, the federal government, Volcanos National Park, and even smaller organizations within the community. Making these connections and doing projects within the community will hopefully be reflected on a larger scale. “Ultimately it’s what we need to do worldwide” says Riley.

Corpsmembers:

Kupu regularly has around 500 Corpsmembers, though it varies from year to year. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Kupu ‘Āina Corps helped provide employment for many individuals facing hardship because of the pandemic’s effect on Hawaii’s largely tourism-based economy. Since Kupu began, they have had over 5000 young people serve as Corpsmembers who have done astonishing work.

Riley shares, “It’s a pretty neat thing, based on our reports going back all those years we can track over 1.5 million native species that have been planted by our members and over 151 thousand acres of invasive species that have been removed.”

He also notes that the Corps estimates that they have had 153 million dollars in positive socio-economic impact. Riley believes that “Hawaii is economically dependent on tourism, and while that will never go away, [Hawaii] should not be as dependent as [they] are.”

Most Corpsmembers seek a position at Kupu to foster a pre-existing love for the environment and to explore related career pathways. Riley notes that 80% of participants report that they are working in an environmental related field after completing the program.

As the world begins to come to terms with the environmental crisis of climate change, Corps like Kupu are already doing the work and preparing the next generation to be stewards of the environment.