Updates & Stories

One year after the release of wasps that attack emerald ash borer (EAB), crew member Jered Bourquin recently found the wasps’ larvae at Great River Bluffs State Park on the Mississippi River southeast of Winona.  Read More

Caitlin Daudt served as an apprentice at the Crow Wing County SWCD in 2014. Caitlin Daudt served as an… Read More

In mid-November, Northwest District crew members completed their service term with a two-day celebration at Itasca State Park. Crews toured the solar and thermal energy powered Waldsee BioHaus at Concordia Language Village, visited the Conservation Corps-built Adirondack shelter at Coffee Pot Landing on the Mississippi River and faced off with a chili cook-off competition.  Read More

As the end of this journey nears I am filled with trepidation, but also hope. The uncertainty of the future is what keeps the mind sharp in the present. We must march on towards the goals we set only to form new ones when the previous is reached, such is the engine of progress. In the final weeks of my term here I look back fondly on the people I have met and worked with, the places I have seen and the changes I have made on a landscape I have grown to love. Read More

Last time I left you all with the story of my pre-installation excitement. Now I can finally say that our mission is accomplished! Installation day has come and gone and the work went more smoothly than I had hoped. Ben and Roger from RREAL made the trek down to Anamosa, Iowa and showed some weatherization crew members and me what it means to be solar installation rock stars. You know that feeling you get when you hear your favorite guitar player lay down some tasty licks? That is what was going on inside my head as I stood in a dusty basement watching the whole thing go down. Read More

At first glance, this truck simply looks like any other work truck with a few dents and scratches for added character, but it really is the sixth and probably the most important member of the Three Rivers II crew. I decided immediately that I would call it Bench Seat (it’s not really a creative name since the front seat is an undivided bench seat), and was even the namesake of our crew during introductions at orientation. Sadly, the truck is an inanimate object. However, if this truck could talk, it would have plenty to tell from its time in the Conservation Corps. From this past term, there are plenty of stories to tell. Read More

The sudden coming of winter this week reminded me of a few things: how much I love being in the woods with a quiet falling snow as the sun approaches the horizon, how much I’ve come to terms with the fact that I’ll be spending an absurd amount of time in traffic in the coming months, and how much I need to start a serious job search. With 2014 coming to an end, so is my second and last term with the Conservation Corps. Having considered and rejected the thought of simply posting my resume for my final blog post, I think I’ll highlight some of the more unique work experiences and qualifications I’ve accumulated as a crew member and crew leader on a field crew with the Conservation Corps Minnesota & Iowa.I’ve learned what it means to work smart. It falls somewhere between pulling weeds for 10 hours without a break and taking the time to analyze how each individual weed should be dealt with. It means working hard, it means knowing why you’re working hard and it means recognizing when your hard work has finished the job. Read More

Yesterday afternoon, while spraying buckthorn behind our local Department of Natural Resources office, the Ottertail Crew took a short break to watch a juvenile bald eagle harangue a cluster of frightened mallards. No luck; it's still figuring this out, it seems. We can appreciate that.This is our last workweek together as a crew. Spraying invasives is frustrating and sometimes demoralizing work, but this week the crew is pleasant and contemplative. We discuss families and vacations, job interviews and tickets home. It's just that time of year. There's a lot of words for the emotions that come with leaving a program like this, but suffice it to say we've enjoyed our time together and will miss one another when we leave. Read More

Wow! We are overwhelmed and grateful for you generous support of the Corps on Give To The Max Day! We exceeded our goal and secured the match, raising $6,300 to support life-changing experience for young people and our natural resources. Read More

More than 10 years ago, Minnesota Conservation Corps crews built the only disability-accessible fishing pier currently in use in northern Minnesota, on a beautiful trout stream near Bemidji. In late October, the Northwoods crew rebuilt three of the pier’s four fishing platforms on the banks of the Clearwater River.  Read More