Updates & Stories

Our employees are experts. With degrees in environmental education, geography, biology and natural resource management and certifications as RXB2 burn bosses and arborists, Conservation Corps… Read More

By: Danielle Yaste The International Water Institute (IWI) is a watershed based Non-Profit that has been working within the Red River Basin for over… Read More

Need help planning your next outdoor excursion? Stop by the new Adventure Station at REI in Bloomington! The Minnesota Department of… Read More

By: Caroline Fazzio Spend some time chatting with CCMI members, and you’ll quickly realize how interesting everyone is. I have met some truly remarkable people… Read More

By: Caroline Fazzio It has been a little over a month since myself and five other DNR IP’s took up lairs in the St Paul… Read More

By: Rhyan Schiker My apprenticeship with the Lac qui Parle SWCD has transformed to fit many different roles over the past six months. What started… Read More

By: Megan Zeiher, Recruitment Coordinator Recruitment season at Conservation Corps Minnesota & Iowa will be in full swing in just a couple of… Read More

I recently had the great pleasure of attending two Conservation Corps mid-year retreats; one for Individual Placements like me, and one for crews. The time spent with my fellow Corps members has been just the refreshment I needed. As Individual Placements, we don’t get as many opportunities to build camaraderie. It was nice to finally feel a true sense of community amongst my peers whether it was throwing down on the field during Corps Olympics or just relaxing around a campfire throwing a Frisbee. Victory was oh so sweet after my Olympics team, Loon, laid everything out there. Whatever hole was left from loss of dignity and sore muscles was quickly filled with s’mores. Besides the fun, I was glad we Individual Placements all got a chance to talk about our similar experiences; struggles, victories and all. Read More

During his four years of service in the Corps, Sean Wickhem did everything from documenting scenic easement parcels by canoe to leading youth in community service, training people how to camp to installing solar panels. Read more. Read More

During my three months as a solar heat outreach specialist, I have worked to make connections with community resources while figuring out exactly how my job works. Lately, I feel a lot more like I know what I am doing. I performed my solar furnace presentation for a crowd at an event called Solar Day, which I had devoted much of my work time to since starting. Despite my newness, everything went well. I managed to start a couple of relationships with groups interested in using solar furnaces for themselves and had fun sharing with various others. I even got to be on the local news! It was satisfying to see the payoff of jumping right in. That day is definitely a highlight of my service so far. Read More