February 24th, 2022 | The National Park Foundation today announced the official launch of ParkVentures within the organization's Outdoor Exploration initiative. ParkVentures supports programs and activities that help people create and strengthen life-long relationships with national parks, with a focus on communities that have been historically excluded from parks and may not feel a sense of belonging in the outdoors.

February 15th, 2022 | In honor of Black History Month, we’re sharing five Black-led outdoor groups to check out. Let’s be real—following a handful of Black-led nonprofits isn’t going to end systemic racism. But we all need to be actively educating ourselves, diversifying the content we consume and the brands we support, and consistently promoting Black voices. Following and supporting Black-led groups like these isn’t just an activity for Black History Month—a box to check off and forget about. There’s a wealth of experience, knowledge, insight, and wisdom to tap into from outlets like the ones we are sharing here. This is a movement, not a moment. So let’s get movin’!

February 1st, 2022 | This year the Forest Service started a major reconstruction project on the popular Cathedral Rock Trail. This project is tackling deferred maintenance on a trail unlike any other on the Coconino National Forest. As the Forest’s second busiest trail, and located in a sensitive place by Oak Creek, the project is needed to protect watershed health and to provide an enduring high-quality experience for trail users.

January 24, 2022 | Jessica’s time with ALCC changed her life. She shares, “I was a little lost before the program and I needed some direction. I was excited for a new beginning but not prepared for what was about to come. Reconnecting with ancestral lands gave me purpose and meaning again.” She found out about Conservation Legacy through her tribe’s Tribal Historic Preservation Office. These offices have many responsibilities and typically advise Federal agencies on the management of Tribal historic properties, supervise when there are archeological digs or prescribed burns on tribal lands, and conduct surveys and inventories of tribal historic properties.

January 21, 2022 | Watch this video that describes the complex history at the Arlington House.

January 21, 2021 | In early May 2020, Conservation Legacy was asked to pilot an AmeriCorps Contact Tracing program. Their Stewards Individual Placement Program was awarded funding to launch a VISTA Summer Associate (VSA) program that became known as the Colorado Containment Response Corps. Facing the urgent need for contact tracers, Conservation Legacy had to scale up quickly. Over the course of three weeks, they hired twelve former Corpsmembers and staff to implement the program and, out of more than 1,100 applicants, recruited 143 VISTA members. The group was diverse, including displaced PeaceCorps members, retirees, college students, stay-at-home parents, and AmeriCorps alums.

January 24th, 2022 | Hear more about Rodney Flora's experience with the Traditional Trades Apprenticeship Program.

For decades, the need for action on climate change and the need to address local Environmental Justice issues have driven a network of nonprofits to develop a series of programs that reduce carbon emissions, increase carbon sequestration, and improve climate resilience, while improving quality of life and creating opportunity for the most vulnerable residents. As the Department of the Interior develops a strategy for the Biden Administration for the Civilian Climate Corps, we respectfully submit the principles and models these Corps and partner organizations have developed for consideration.

January 20th, 2022 | The 18 people spending their day (or days, in some cases) with the trees included civilians from all walks of life, members of the Arizona and Nevada Conservation Corps, and a group of women who brought along two pack camels to help carry baby Joshua trees through some of the more treacherous terrain. Joshua trees typically have a lifespan of 150 years; if all goes according to plan, these saplings will become a fixture of the preserve for a long, long time.

January 20th, 2022 | Asheville native and Western Carolina University grad Stephanie Dillingham is spending her time post graduation in Highlands serving the Highlands Cashiers Land Trust maintaining trails and organizing educational efforts through AmeriCorps.