September 25, 2019 | Navy Veteran Tyler Welch used to patrol the streets of Iraq as a corpsman. Now, he’s fighting a new battle against fires.

Welch is part of the Veterans Fire Corps crewmember program, run through the Southeast Conservation Corps. SECC is an AmeriCorps-affiliated non profit that engages recent-era Veterans, partnering with the U.S. Forest Service Southeast Region. SECC started the Veterans Fire Corps program in 2018. The 10-month intensive training program engages recent-era military Veterans up to age 35 in fuels reduction, fuels management, and wildland firefighting.

September 25, 2019 | Hanging Rock State Park was brilliantly built in the 1930s by the original CCCs (Civilian Conservation Corps). The park was lucky enough to have the opportunity to house a new edition of the CCCs in this five-person CCNC crew with a crew leader this month. The crew set up their camping tents just yards away from the original CCC Camp 3422 and reported for duty. Their first assignment was to hike Ruben Mountain trail and de-berm, which is to remove the hump of soil that collects at the edge of the trail and prevents water from sheeting off properly.

September 25, 2019 | The construction of Baileys Trail will help with the ecotourism industry in Athens and Southeast Ohio.

Southeast Ohio hosts thousands of visitors each year all coming in for ecotourism, which is a form of tourism that recreates in and fosters healthy ecosystems, equitable community development and fair financial gains. Activities include hiking, mountain biking, kayaking and appreciating nature.  

September 11, 2019 | The story behind how four high schoolers formed a first-ever work crew comprised entirely of women to tackle backlogged projects in Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park this summer.

September 6, 2019 | America’s national park system is getting wilder by the second—and that’s not great news for visitors. This country’s park system is made up of more than 85 million acres of outdoor space. It features pristine forestland, breathtaking canyons, and monumental former battlefields across all 50 states.

September 4, 2019 | This month, Stewards Program Coordinator and former Klondike CVA, Allie Burdick, along with Communications Team member Amber Wong, sat down with Seattle Area National Park Sites (including Klondike) superintendent Charles Beall to talk about his positive experience working with four years of CVAs.

August 27, 2019 | Monarch Mountain’s Ski Conservation Fund has disbursed a little more than $30,000 to three different area conservation projects, the National Forest Foundation announced last week.

The fund gave $12,000 to the Monarch Pass Gravel Pit Restoration Project, $13,200 to the Boss Lake Trail Improvement Project and $7,600 to develop cross-country ski trails near Monarch Mountain.

The gravel pit project is being handled by Trout Unlimited, and the other two projects are being run by Southwest Conservation Corps.

August 27, 2019 | Arizona Conservation Corps (AZCC) White Mountains Crew 361 joined HistoriCorps for a week of historic preservation work in Pinedale, AZ. Located in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest, the crew worked on the Pinedale Ranger Station originally built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1934. Upon arrival, the former barn was quite a sight – panels of white and teal lead paint were peeling off the sides, patches of rooftiles were curled and missing, and failing wood was clearly visible. 

August 27, 2019 | As the National Park Service celebrates 103 years of preserving America’s natural and cultural resources, the National Park Foundation Monday announced a more than $3.5 million investment in expanding young, diverse leaders’ capacity to help protect national parks, lift up communities, and gain in-demand job skills training through service corps programs.

Service corps are locally-based organizations that engage young adults and veterans in projects that address recreation, conservation, disaster response, and community needs.

August 26, 2019 | SOLOMON — At the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension in Solomon, a group of stakeholders gathered for a morning breakfast and presentation on the Gila River watershed.

The group included politicians, educators, scientists and others touring the Gila Watershed Partnership’s restoration sites on the Gila River. The GWP has been working the past several years to remove tamarisk in several locations along the river and replacing the invasive species with native trees and other plant life in order to protect the watershed.