Crew members sitting in circle in forest

What We Do

Conservation Legacy focuses on local impact—engaging youth, young adults and veterans in conservation and service programs from 15 locations nationwide. We are embedded in our communities to meet the on-the-ground conservation needs. Our programs are a part of and supported by the larger national organization, Conservation Legacy.

Where We Operate

Office Locations

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Programming

We operate two basic types of programming, as well as several unique signature program models:

Crew Based

Conservation crew programming is a team-based experience where a cohort of peers work on conservation service projects such as traditional trail work, fence construction and maintenance, fire fuels reduction/mitigation/rehab, habitat and watershed restoration, historic preservation, invasive species management, inventory and mapping, mining reclamation/restoration, parks/campground maintenance and tree planting and seeding.

Individual Placements

Individual Placement programming places participants in communities for up to a year long term of service with federal agencies and community-based non profits, working on projects in habitat and watershed restoration, historic preservation, invasive species management, inventory and mapping, mining reclamation/restoration, parks maintenance, tree planting and seeding, energy efficiency, education/interpretation, volunteer management, capacity building and communications.

Signature Program Models

Affinity Crew Programming

Conservation Legacy programs offer unique program models for underrepresented groups to find unity and community in their common identity. An Affinity Crew is a group of people that share a specific identity, typically underrepresented in the field of conservation. Some examples across our corps programs include: Women & Non-Binary Crews, Veterans Crews, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Crews, American Sign Language Inclusion Crews and more.

AmeriCorps Disaster Response Teams

Conservation Legacy programs are active members of the AmeriCorps Disaster Response Team (A-DRT), supported by the Corporation for National and Community Service, leveraging program resources to assist communities in disaster relief and recovery. Crews are deployed as response teams on an as-needed basis across all programs.

Ancestral Lands

Ancestral Lands engages Native youth and young adults in meaningful conservation projects on Native and Public Lands. Ancestral Lands stands as a program model (individual crews) within Arizona Conservation Corps, as well as its own corps: Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps. Visit the websites for more information!

The programs are rooted in the culture and heritage of local tribal communities. The power and impact of Ancestral Lands programming is due to the community investment and support for each program tribally and locally, combined with the network of operational support from Conservation Legacy.

Community Volunteer Ambassadors

Find more information on the Stewards Individual Placements CVA webpage.

Scientists-in-the-Parks

Find more information on the Stewards Individual Placements SIP webpage or at ScientistsInParks.org.

Historic Preservation Training Center

Find more information on the Stewards Individual Placements HPTC webpage.

Small Teams

Strike Teams: The Southwest Conservation Corp's Strike Team Program is an AmeriCorps program that selects young adults, generally ages 18-25, to complete conservation work on public and private land, serving local communities. Strike Teams have the unique opportunity to work with watershed partnerships, river restoration groups, and land management agencies. Visit the Southwest Conservation Corps website for more information.

Ecological Monitoring Teams: Participants work in a three-person crew to monitor ecological health on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) terrain. This can include National Monuments, vegetation treatments, rangeland allotments, and reference areas. Crews will manage all aspects of vegetation monitoring using the BLM Assessment, Inventory, and Monitoring (AIM) methodology. Visit the Southwest Conservation Corps and Conservation Corps New Mexico websites for more information.

Veterans Fire Corps

Veterans Fire Corps (VFC) is a collaborative initiative of Conservation Legacy, run in partnership with state and federal agencies. The VFC engages recent-era Veterans on priority hazardous fuels projects while developing the next generation of wildland firefighters.

Visit our program websites with Veterans Fire Corps opportunities: Arizona Conservation Corps | Conservation Corps New Mexico | Southeast Conservation Corps | Southwest Conservation Corps

Youth Programming

Youth and High School Conservation Crews empower teens aged 14-18 to engage with summer conservation projects in local communities! Crews consist of 4-8 crew members and experienced crew leaders programs offer both residential and non-residential programs. Age requirements, crew size, and residential availability vary by program.

Visit our program websites with youth opportunities: Conservation Corps North Carolina | Appalachian Conservation Corps | Arizona Conservation Corps | Southwest Conservation Corps | Preserve America Youth Summit