Latest News – Page 81 – The Corps Network

Governor Visits Vermont Youth Conservation Corps

Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin met the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps Farm Crew on August 2nd during Farmer’s Market Week. The Governor stated, “Farmers’ markets reflect the best of Vermont—hard working people, a healthy lifestyle, and strong communities. They are a part of our lifestyle across the state, and this week is a great opportunity to honor the hard work of the market managers and producers.” The VYCC Farm Crew certainly felt honored to talk with the Governor and tell him about their hard work.

Corpsmembers at Forest History Center Bring CCC History Alive

For the third summer, a crew from the Conservation Corps Minnesota and Iowa served at the Forest History Center in Grand Rapids, Minnesota working as interpreters in the Center’s early 1900s-era living history museum, and doing field work such as trail maintenance and fence construction. Corps members Willie Storm and Marjie Shrimpton spend their afternoons in costume: Storm as a woodsman teaching about logging practices and Shrimpton singing and dancing in the kitchen as a cook assistant. Jen Sikkink and Riley Cavanaugh worked the forester’s cabin and fire tower, teaching visitors about the CCC’s role in logging history and tying it to the Corps’ current work in maintaining, restoring and educating the public about Minnesota forests. Becky Jennings, interim FHC program director, praised the work of the crews in initiating and maintaining projects that enhance the experience for visitors. “They are ambitious, hard-working, able to think on their feet and work independently, but also work really well as a crew,” said Jennings. “We’ve been thrilled to have them here.”

Military Vets Help Restore Fish Habitat (a project of the California Conservation Corps)

Veterans will get a chance to train and work on habitat restoration and fisheries monitoring through a project funded by NOAA and administered in partnership with the California Conservation Corps and California’s Department of Fish and Game. During the yearlong program of paid training and hands-on experience, veterans will spend part of the time on habitat restoration and will also receive training and experience in firefighting and reducing fire hazards. “This is a win-win for everyone,” said Eric Schwaab, NOAA’s assistant administrator for fisheries. “Military veterans have tremendous skills to offer, and by helping to restore fish habitats they will be supporting the important role of commercial and recreational fishing in the economy. Restoration jobs pay dividends twice, first because they put people to work immediately, and then because restoration benefits our fisheries, tourism, and coastal communities for years to come.” Veterans will start the program by taking courses in how to collect data and evaluate the effectiveness of coastal and marine habitat restoration. By mid- to late October, they will begin monitoring several river restoration sites in Humboldt, Del Norte, and Mendocino counties that were designed to increase spawning and rearing habitat for populations of endangered coho salmon in accordance with the recovery plan developed under the Endangered Species Act. The restored habitat should also help boost populations of Chinook and steelhead trout as well as improve environmental quality generally. See the full press release here.

Veterans interested in joining the fisheries crew should contact the California Conservation Corps’ Tina Ratcliff at 916-341-3123 or tina.ratcliff[at]ccc.ca.gov

21st Century Conservation Service Corps Federal Advisory Committee Submits Final Report to Secretary Salazar

On September 5, 2012, 21st Century Conservation Service Corps (21CSC) Federal Advisory Committee submitted their report to Department of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar. The Mission of the 21CSC is stated as follows: The 21CSC is a bold national effort to put young Americans and veterans to work protecting, restoring and enhancing America’s great outdoors. While based on the legacy of the Civilian Conservation Corps and other federal and non-federal conservation corps efforts that followed, it has been recommended that the 21CSC be operated primarily by non-federal partners. (Which means you!)

The Corps Network and many of your fellow member Corps Directors have been involved in this process. We are excited by this development in the Corps movement and will be working to make sure that all Corps that complete projects that fit within this initiative are made aware of any and all opportunities that develop from it. We are particularly interested in the recommendation regarding quality and accreditation (those of you who have participated in the ECO peer and self-assessment program will find it familiar). Please see the full report by clicking here.

Watch Video about the Mission and Projects of KUPU and the Hawaii Youth Conservation Corps

From the KUPU website and YouTube page.

The kupukupu fern is one of the first plants to bring life back to areas devastated by lava flows. In Hawaiian, the word kupu means “to sprout, grow, germinate or increase.” This makes KUPU a fitting name for Hawaii’s leading Youth Conservation Corps.

Watch this video to learn more about KUPU’s mission “to bring life back to the people, the land, and the ocean,” and learn about their plans to turn a property once used by the fishing industry into a new center where KUPU members can meet. Hear from KUPU members and alumni, and see some of the beautiful landscapes this organization works to protect.

Washington Conservation Corps Responds to Five Wildfires

So far this season, crews from the Washington Conservation Corps have responded to five wildfires.

The Corps currently has three 10-person crews contributing to the firefighting efforts in Eastern Washington. Earlier this summer, during the second week of July, a crew spent five days coordinating camp logistics for the effort to fight the Navarre Coulee fire near Entiat,Washington.

Among other things, crewmembers served meals, and supplied equipment to the fire line. At the end of August, the corps provided similar services to help in the efforts to fight the Taylor Bridge Fire near Cle Elum, Washington. Currently, corpsmembers are responding to the Highway 141 fire near White Salmon in the Columbia Gorge, as well as the Manila/Columbia Complex Fire near Grand Coulee, Washington. They are also in the process of deploying a 10-person crew to the Okanogan Complex of fires near Twisp. Crewmembers are assisting in camp management, equipment and supply delivery, engine crew work and line construction.

Read more about the Corps’ efforts on their blog.

LA Conservation Corps Plants Garden at Mayor’s House

From the LA Conservation Corps Newsletter

On August 7th, the LA Corps participated in a garden dedication ceremony at Getty House, the residence of Mayor Antonio Villarigosa in Los Angeles. One of our Young Adult Corps crews helped build and plant a small vegetable garden that included six dwarf fruit trees, tomatoes, squash, peppers, basil, cilantro and other edibles. The Mayor expressed his thanks for the collaborative effort, which involved the City of Los Angeles General Services Department, Department of Engineering, Recreation and Parks, Getty House Foundation, LA Neighborhood Land Trust, and the LA Conservation Corps.

Rocky Mountain Youth Corps Alumna Makes Headlines for Stopping a Violent Attack on the Streets of Oakland, CA

From The San Francisco Examiner

On the night of Thursday, August 30, former Rocky Mountain Youth Corps member Rain Dove was waiting at a bus stop in Oakland, CA when she noticed a fight break out across the street. A group of about a dozen men had chased another man and his female companion after the couple reacted to being harassed by a CD salesman on the street. The mob of men slammed the woman against a wall and began repeatedly kicking the man’s head.

There were plenty of bystanders, but nobody did anything to help…nobody, that is, except for Rain Dove.

“I asked the guy next to me why no one was helping and he said that there’s an unspoken policy in Oakland that we let things happen and clean up afterwards,” said Dove. “Right then, I ran across the street and pulled two of the guys off of him who were kicking his face in.”
Dove said she immediately put her hand behind the victim’s head to apply pressure where he was bleeding heavily. The group then began breaking up, with several men fleeing.

Several of the attackers that stayed at the scene sexually harassed Dove as she attempted to assist the man. Dove responded by telling the attackers that they had done enough damage and could do the decent thing of trying to help the man. Dove provided money to one of the attackers who, after a change of heart, went to a local store and bought water for the victim.

Dove said paramedics who responded to the scene told her that although the man was beaten nearly to death, he will likely make a full recovery thanks to her assistance.

Click here to watch an interview with Rain on CBS San Francisco.

Americorps NCCC Alum Used Skills Gained from the Corps to Assist in 9/11 Emergency Response Effort

From the National Service Blog of Serve.gov

On September 11, 2001, AmeriCorps alum Olive Eckstein was in her native New York looking for work. When the planes struck the Twin Towers, Olive dropped what she was doing and headed downtown to the World Trade Center to see what she could do to help. She felt a deep sense of commitment to her country, responsibility to others in need, and confidence that she could be of assistance – all of which she attributed to her AmeriCorps experience. Having been trained in disaster relief by AmeriCorps, and with prior experience as a paramedic, Eckstein had a skill set that would prove very useful in the rescue efforts. She befriended a group of EMTs at Shea Stadium and traveled with them to what had become known as Ground Zero. They spent the night dousing firefighters’ ash-covered eyes with saline and tending to sooty wounds and burns as they tried to make sense of what they were seeing.

Soon, she was stationed at a nearby elementary school that had become a respite site for the firefighters, police officers, and steel workers who labored intensively at Ground Zero. She worked daily shifts serving food, supporting disaster workers, and organizing supplies to help sustain the recovery process.
Eckstein spent the next several weeks foregoing job interviews and social opportunities because she felt a deep obligation to help those in need.

“Volunteering as an AmeriCorps alum at Ground Zero was an incredible opportunity in the face of such a tragedy,” she said. “Just like AmeriCorps continues to do, it impacted my life in many immeasurable ways, and gave me the opportunity to be on the scene and help our nation’s heroes in one of our darkest days.”

Now an MD, Dr. Eckstein has continued her path in public service in the medical field, serving as a Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Fellow in Houston, Texas.

Salazar Establishes Enduring America’s Great Outdoors Program at Department of Interior

From the Department of the Interior

WASHINGTON — Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today signed a Secretarial Order establishing the America’s Great Outdoors program in the Department of the Interior, formalizing the department’s support for President Obama’s landmark initiative to create a 21st century conservation and recreation ethic to reconnect Americans, especially young people, with the natural world.

“From conserving working landscapes from Montana to Florida, to creating a new generation of dynamic and accessible urban parks from New York to Los Angeles, to establishing a network of national water trails and blueways, we have worked closely for the last three years with states, local communities and other partners to preserve America’s natural heritage and open up more opportunities for outdoor recreation,” Salazar said. “By formally establishing the America’s Great Outdoors program, we are ensuring that these efforts have high standing and visibility within the department and continue to be a high priority for years to come.”

President Obama launched the America’s Great Outdoors initiative in 2010, focusing on making the federal government a better partner with states, tribes and local communities to support community-driven conservation and outdoor recreation efforts.

The Secretarial Order identifies projects in all 50 states that the department will help leverage its resources to get over the finish line, including conserving working landscapes; restoring rivers; and helping to create a new generation of urban parks.