Uncategorized – The Corps Network

CPAT Impact Story: Stones River National Battlefield Cemetery Restoration

Adapted by Emma Fantuzzo from a report written by Ilana J. Smith, SCA Crew Leader, with approval from the Student Conservation Association.

About the CPA Team:

With support from the National Park Foundation, the Corps Project Assistance (CPA) Team was created in 2022 by The Corps Network to aid the National Park Service (NPS) in scoping and creating cost estimates for facility-related projects at small and medium-size parks across the country. These parks often lack the staff capacity and funding to undertake the work on their own. The projects, which are funded through the Great American Outdoors Act, are meant to be carried out by crews consisting of NPS staff and Service and Conservation Corps members.

The CPA Team has scoped projects across the country, several of which have been completed. Among other locations, the finished work includes historic preservation projects at Camp Nelson National Monument, Andrew Johnson National Historic Site, Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Park, and Stones River National Battlefield.

Stones River National Battlefield (STRI) Cemetery is one of fourteen National Cemetery sites the National Park Service manages. Partnering with the Student Conservation Association (SCA), the site was cleaned and restored to maintain the sanctity of this historic resting place.

About the Project:

SCA Members at Stones River National Battlefield

SCA members worked with staff from STRI to preserve and renovate the site to be more accessible for future generations. Over the course of two months, the team cleaned approximately 800 headstones of Civil War and World War I and II soldiers. They also made ADA compliance renovations to the walkway for the Hazen Brigade Monument, the oldest Civil War monument still standing in its original battlefield location. In addition, the team was able to assist with smaller maintenance projects, including removing invasive Kudzu and Honeysuckle.

Through the project, the SCA team learned the history of the site and its significance to American History and the liberation of African Americans from slavery. Within the cemetery lay the remains of several members of the United States Colored Troops, Union Army regiments during the Civil War that primarily enlisted African American soldiers. The Stones River battle was instrumental in bringing the Union to victory and the region became a place where persons freed from enslavement settled down. As SCA Crew Leader Ilana Smith noted, there is a sign only 100 yards from the Hazen Brigade Monument acknowledging a post-Civil War freed person community called Cemetery that developed near the battlefield.

Conservation Impact:

The purpose of SCA’s work at STRI was to maintain the NPS lands at the battlefield. The project expanded to include maintenance of the main cemetery, renovation of the monument pathway, and removal of invasive species. Other conservation efforts included the removal of trash from a storm that had taken place a few months prior, and building 60 feet of cedar fencing.

Some of the crew’s accomplishments in numbers include:

Approximately 800 headstones at main cemetery cleaned
Approximately 72 feet of walkway around Hazen Brigade Monument renovated and improved
20 feet of cedar fence built at the parking lot of Fortress Rosencrans
Approximately 40 feet of cedar fence re-built on the west side of Nashville Highway
Approximately 883 invasive plants (Honeysuckle and Kudzu) manually removed
100 pounds of trash removed

Corpsmember Impact:

The SCA crew took several field trips to gain a better understanding of the history and community in the area. This included trips to historic Civil War sites, local farms, and several museums. This helped the crew build an appreciation for the work they were doing and how it affected the people of the community.

Several Corpsmembers took the opportunity to speak with NPS staff about their careers and explore future career opportunities. Three of the members became UTV certified which helped the team to more efficiently complete work. All members gained more skills in construction and maintenance. One Corpsmember noted, “I feel like we are walking away from Stones River with not just professional connections, but with friends and mentors too.”

Impact Story: Breyonna Conner, Tabitha Corps Chester

By: Emma Fantuzzo

Breyonna’s Background:

Most people associate Service and Conservation Corps with outdoor work, manual labor, and conservation. Breyonna Conner, a student at Newman University and the first member of her family to not only graduate high school (at the age of fifteen nonetheless), but also attend college – thinks differently. For Breyonna, her Corps experience with Tabitha Corps Chester allowed her to explore her passion for the medical field and gave her valuable hands-on experiences that she believes can be applied to any profession.

Breyonna grew up in Chester, PA. Ever since she was a kid she has been interested in medicine.

“I would always read medical books and watch medical shows…I really wanted to go into the medical field,” she says.

During her second year of college, while studying Biology Pre-Medicine and Spanish, Breyonna learned about Tabitha Corps Chester when the Corps handed out fliers in her neighborhood.

“I decided to join, just to try something new.”

Corps Experience:

Breyonna’s Corps term was her first job experience. While the work focused on green infrastructure, stormwater maintenance, and community clean-ups, Breyonna notes that her biggest take-aways were job readiness, resume writing, teamwork, and workforce development.

Breyonna worked with the Chester Asthma Prevention Program to help clean up neighborhoods that were at high risk for asthma due to illegal dumping and pollution.

“We cleaned up these areas in hopes that asthma rates would go down but to also help our community, protect the environment, and improve the quality of life for local residents.”

Breyonna speaks of the gratitude of the people living in the areas she helped to clean and how touched she was to be able to contribute.

“The happiness that you get from seeing the work that you’ve done make a positive impact in the city is very rewarding,” she said.

Breyonna mentioned a particularly impactful project, “When we first arrived at the clean-up site, there were no kids playing on the playground because there was trash and drugs everywhere. After we cleaned up the playground, for the next two days that we came back, we saw all the kids in the neighborhood playing on the playground.”

As a result of her Corps term, Breyonna was able to apply for an internship and scholarship at one of Tabitha Corps Chester partners, Monroe Energy. The internship was medically focused and allowed Breyonna to work with a nurse practitioner.

She says, “This was a good experience that allowed to me to see if I enjoyed working in the medical field and also helped me figure out what specialty I would like to pursue.”

Breyonna is also currently working on a research study with two Doctors, focusing on neurological diseases. This was also an opportunity that stemmed from participating in Tabitha Corps Chester.

Looking Forward:

In the future, Breyonna dreams of creating her own Corps program with a medical focus. She wants to help students explore the medical field and its many different facets while gaining hands on experience, like she was able to do with Tabitha Corps.

Breyonna plans to attend medical school and would like to become an emergency room physician.

She believes that Corps can help youth step outside their comfort zone.

“Even if you aren’t going into something specifically geared to green infrastructure, the skills that you learn can be applied anywhere, not just to that specific field.”

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Materials from The Corps Network 2024 Member Meeting

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CPA Team Impact Story: Abraham Lincoln Birthplace NHP

By: Emma Fantuzzo

About the CPA Team:

With support from the National Park Foundation, the Corps Project Assistance (CPA) Team was created by The Corps Network to aid the National Park Service (NPS) in scoping and creating cost estimates for facility-related projects at small and medium-size parks across the country. These parks often lack the staff capacity and funding to undertake the work on their own. The projects, which are funded through the Great American Outdoors Act, are meant to be carried out by crews consisting of NPS staff and Service and Conservation Corps members.

Over the past two years, the CPA Team has scoped projects across the country, several of which have been completed. The finished projects include historic preservation projects at Camp Nelson National Monument, Andrew Johnson National Historic Site, and Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Park

We talked with Scott Powell, Facility Manager and Acting Superintendent of Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Park, about his experience working with Corps and the impact he saw on the Corpsmembers.

Q: What was the project the Corps worked on and why was this work needed?

Scott: This project was focused on the replacement of 2,000 Linear feet of deteriorated split rail fencing found throughout the landscapes of Abraham Lincoln Birthplace NHP. These fences were in an advanced state of deterioration and by replacing them provided a restoration of the park’s historical appearance, significantly improving the preservation of cultural and natural resources as well as the visitor experiences in the park. The project was taken on by a crew of five Corpsmembers and a Crew Leader from American Conservation Experience.

Q: Why is the park partnering with a Corps program to complete this project and what are some benefits to the park?

Scott: The park partnered with Corps to not only address the issues with the deteriorated fence that was identified in the park’s Cultural Landscape Report but also to provide Corpsmembers the opportunity to learn. Corpsmembers gained knowledge and skills of things like, operational risk management, the use of hand and power tools, split rail fence construction, carpentry, and understanding of the history of NPS and Abraham Lincoln Birthplace NHP, and the purpose of land management agencies.
Completion of this project successfully addressed the need for the restoration of a more historically accurate cultural landscape. Replacing the deteriorated fence with new split rail improved the look of the site requiring much less maintenance for many years. This project aligns with Park’s Foundation Document in that it supports the presentation of a cultural landscape as it appeared when first constructed and provides an opportunity for visitors to immerse themselves in that period of history.

Q: What were some highlights of the partnership that you observed?

Scott: Seeing the impact on Corpsmembers was my biggest highlight. Most of the Corpsmembers had never seen a split rail fence, much less removed and installed a new one in its place. It was a highlight to see these youth engaging with their hands to build something that will affect this park and its visitors for years to come. The park leadership was also able to schedule a meeting with the Corpsmembers to discuss our career paths and ways that a person can start a career with the NPS.
It is my hope that each Corpsmember took away the importance of teamwork and how to rely on other members of their team to accomplish goals. I would also hope that the members understand the importance of our nations National Park’s and their historical resources and have a better understanding of the NPS mission.

Q: Was this your first Corps collaboration and what would you like to see out of future collaborations?

Scott: This was not the park’s first time working with the Corps. The park has utilized Corpsmembers to perform maintenance on trails, help build a rip rap drainage in the park. It is always a pleasure to work with the Corps and engage with its members. The park hopes to utilize the Corps in the future by working on one of the backcountry trails or even being part of replacing the remaining split rail fence in the park.
I think that other parks looking to work with Corps should make it happen. Engaging our youth while working with the Corps to rehabilitate historical assets and landscapes is vital not only to the future of NPS but also to the future of the United States of America.

Public Lands Corps Guides for Forest Service Partners

Many organizations in The Corps Network’s membership are Public Lands Corps (PLC). These are programs that partner with government resource management agencies and Tribal entities to help maintain and improve our lands and waters. Young people who serve in PLC programs and meet a set of requirements are eligible to receive the Public Lands Corps Hiring Authority, which can help them secure a job with a federal resource management agency upon completing their service.

The U.S. Forest Service recently provided the following guides to Public Lands Corps partners. Among these resources is a PLC Implementation Guide for Forest Service Partners, which discusses PLC eligibility requirements, PLC certification issuance process, and points of contact in the Forest Service. Also included is a Public Land Corps Resource Guide for Participants, which discusses eligibility requirements, how to request a PLC certificate, and more. Last is a resource on How to Request PLC Certifications.

Questions about these resources can be directed to Kelsey Chun, Program Specialist at USFS: kelsey.chun@usda.gov

Resources:

Public Land Corps Implementation Guide

Public Land Corps Resource Guide

How to Request PLC Certifications

Corps Oral History: Andrew Moore

By: Emma Fantuzzo

About the Corps Oral History Project:

The Corps movement dates to President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) of the 1930s – ‘40s. The CCC offered young, mostly white, men the opportunity to work and earn money during the Great Depression. The “CCC boys” planted billions of trees, built hundreds of parks, and established a legacy of conservation across the country.

While the CCC certainly provided a framework for modern Corps, it wasn’t until the 1970s and ‘80s that a new, more equitable, and ever-evolving Corps movement began to emerge. This oral history project gathers insights from the dreamers, innovators, and leaders who made today’s network of Service and Conservation Corps possible.

Andy’s Background:

Andrew Moore was introduced to the Corps movement in 1987 when he joined the Human Environment Center (HEC) as a staff member. At the time, HEC served as the fiscal agent for The Corps Network’s predecessor, the National Association of Service and Conservation Corps (NASCC).

“At that point, we had about 40 programs that we knew of around the country. Many of them were statewide programs, there was a tiny spattering of local programs. So that was the beginning, back in ’87.”

Andy went on to work with NASCC for the next 15 years in various roles. In 1988 he staffed a partnership with Public/ Private Ventures called the Urban Corps Expansion Project which set out to build on examples in places like Oakland, San Francisco and LA, to plant Corps in at least 15 cities around the country. Several of these start-up Corps are still active, such as the Greater Miami Service and Conservation Corps.

In the 90s, building on the momentum created during the Bush administration, the Clinton administration brought more attention and resources to National Service with the creation of the Corporation for National Service. During that time, Andy, still working with NASCC, worked on federal agency partnerships and funding flows for Corps.

“We set the wheels in motion beginning in ’93 and ‘94 for increased partnerships between Corps and the National Park Service and to some degree the Forest Service, Fish and Wildlife, and other federal agencies. NASCC took another major step by applying successfully to the US Department of Labor support welfare-to-work “Corps to Career” projects with several member Corps… That was right around 2000, at the peak time of funding for youth employment from the federal government. It’s never been the same since.”

In 2002, Andy left NASCC and began consulting with Corps on strategic planning and partnership development. This led him to begin consulting with the National League of Cities where he currently works as the Director of Youth and Young Adult Connections. Andy continues to look for ways to utilize and expand Corps work.

Andy’s Insights:

Q: What was the Corps Community like when you started? How has it changed?

Andy: If I go all the way back to ’87, the leaders in the Corps world were largely people who had experience in that Jimmy Carter era of the Young Adult Conservation Corps programs at the state level. In the latter half of the 1980s and first half of the 1990s and I think especially through the Urban Corps Expansion Project, we were able to create leadership roles for more people of color, for women, and just really start to diversify what the leadership in staffing of the Corps world looked like.

I think there have been discussions and debates over time about who can best benefit from participation in a Corps. I’d like to think that emphasis on providing opportunities for young people who had less opportunity starting out is a big emphasis in the Corps world. The Corps Network is a major participant in ongoing policy support for opportunity youth, so I am glad to see that. Even the Corporation for National Service has come around after many years of resisting our role in employment and training to embrace that under the current leadership.

Q: Where do you think the Corps movement is headed and what could be improved going forward?

Andy: I’m still interested in, and this goes back to when we started doing training in urban stream restoration 30 years ago – thinking about young people, wondering what Corps can do to strengthen ties with employers or demonstrate that they are really delivering young people credentials and experience that will pay off well in public or private sector jobs after they leave the Corps. I’m imagining that there is still work to do to tighten up the connections. I know that it is difficult work. So that’s one area.

Despite the growth of federal funding and federal partnerships, I think there’s so much need for more Corps. There is a huge population of opportunity youth, five million across the country, and a lot more young people should have a Corps experience. There’s a long way to go to be operating at the scale that we need to be operating.

Sitting where I do at National League of Cities, I’m not sure that we have really maximized the potential for Corps to work with cities. I think the relationship between PowerCorps and the Philadelphia Water Department is a good model of mutually beneficial relationships…as I’ve talked to Corps in recent years, I have the sense that cities are not always welcoming partners and that there are legal barriers in place, and I wish we could do more to break those down and make sure that Corps and cities are working together.

NASCC Staff in 2000, Andy third from left

Q: What do you feel is the effect Corps have on young people’s lives?

Andy: First is the connection to local projects and being able to go back to a site and say, “I contributed to this, I did this.” Second, I think there’s something for crew-based Corps. Strong team identification, and the ability to really connect with a mentor and a crew supervisor. That can pay a lot of dividends. Best case, a chance to complete or advance your education in a way that’s grounded in the actual work experience so that it feels relevant and creates a sense of forward momentum in terms of credentialing and so forth. And creating a consistent source of income, even if small scale. It gives young people on that track the opportunity to earn money.

Q: Do you have any stories from your experiences that you’d like to share?

Andy: In Montana and Arizona we had to go through a couple of rounds to get it right, to get to a structure that would work in each of the states. To have the Corps working in huge geographic areas, a lot of rural space and population concentration, a lot to figure out in terms of how to make a Corps work in those states. Unlike California, which always has forest fires and disasters that contribute to the need for the CCC, those states have been somewhat more insulated from those disasters so they had to figure out working relationships and funding flows that would work. It was gratifying to work alongside them. I was there as an advisor, trying to bring in ideas from other places to help tighten up their thinking, so those were great experiences working in those two states, and both of which as I understand still have a lot of Corps activity.

I wish the Corps community the best. I wish I had more time to connect with people I’ve met over time. Always eager to hear stories of success and challenges and standing ready to help add momentum to the successes and work through the challenges.

Primary Contact Invitation

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Past Corpsmembers of the Year Table

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Legacy Achievement Awardees Table

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