Updates & Stories

Earlier this year in mid-June, half of the North Woods crew—myself, Will, and Nate—helped the Water Trails crew for a week in clearing a portion of the Mississippi River near Bemidji of fallen trees. South of Lake Irving, a stretch of river about three miles long running through the woods was unnavigable.After unloading a jon boat from a trailer at an access point on the north side of Lake Irving, we packed in our gear: chainsaws, gasoline, bar and chain oil—a biodegradable type for use in water—hand saws, loppers, helmets, chaps, a saw box with tools for maintenance and repair, and our lunches. We followed the Water Trails crew across the lake into a marshy area where the river began. The forest around us soon became thick, and soon we spotted the first tree lying across the river. We agreed with the Water Trails crew to observe them working on a tree to learn, then we would go down the river and work ahead of them, after they would leap-frog ahead of us. Read More

For the better part of my service term I worked on facilitating two solar furnace installations through my host organization, HACAP. I have sifted through their weatherization clients, completed outreach through energy conservation classes for those receiving energy assistance, and identified three homes for a system! With some luck, my team should be mounting solar panels on walls by early November. This is what I have been waiting for! Read More

Our youth crews are working to cut the seed heads off the burdock throughout this area to help prevent further spread of burdock and clearing vines from the area. Our youth crews discovered exactly why burdock is harmful to the environment when we found a dead Song Sparrow trapped in some of the burs.  Even though it might not be a necessarily fun project for some of our youth, seeing that sparrow made them more willing to continue because they all agreed they didn’t want to see any more birds harmed.  As an adult crew, we have been steadily clearing the buckthorn over the last few weeks, prepping the area for a Make a Difference Day volunteer project at the end of this month.  Read More

Most people these days have heard of Dutch elm disease or of the emerald ash borer infecting and killing numerous elm and ash trees. These trees are not alone; oak trees have their own disease to which they are all susceptible simply called “oak wilt.” Oak wilt is a very aggressive fungal disease that can kill an oak within two or three months of infection. It can be spread by beetles that carry the fungus to the wounds of healthy trees or, most commonly, through root grafts. Read More

Why did I come here? Was it to get away? Perhaps to “find myself”, whatever that means. I keep mulling it over in my head and only one thing comes to mind. Opportunity is nothing without action. I see a possibility. I turn it, hold it in my hands, feel for weight and potential abnormalities and then say, “why not?” Every time I think about it, I didn’t come here to be something else, or to escape from my surroundings. I came here to see what would happen…as if making a decision would somehow cause my whole everything to collapse into a singularity and then explode into a nebulous dispersal of my existence. Read More

We were lucky to host the annual gathering of CCC Legacy here in Saint Paul, Minnesota, September 24-27, 2014. What a great group of people came together from around the country!  Read More

If a picture is really worth a thousand words, then I hope you’re ready to read a novel. (Actually it would be a novella, a novel requires over 40,000 words).  But don’t worry, after a couple more short sentences you won’t have to read another single word.I’ve always tried to make a point of stopping to smell the flowers, hear the sounds, and see the sights when in nature.  I haven’t figured out how to share the sounds and scents yet, but have a gander at the things my eyes have gravitated towards over the course of the summer months of this Conservation Corps term. I like flowers. Read More

As a whole, the Ottertail crew is not a morning crew. Every morning, without fail, we eat granola and bagels, because nobody will ever wake up to make hot breakfast. “Mrrmph” and “aaahm” are typical morning greetings. You can imagine the crew’s reaction when I announced our project hosts’ plan for duck banding of meeting up at 6 a.m. the following morning, a full hour earlier than usual, and head for the hills. Read More

This summer, the Corps joined forces with Superior National Forest to hire and train 12 young adult corps members to serve in Northeast Minnesota. Through its Faces of Tomorrow initiative, Superior National Forest offered intensive training and work experience to under-represented individuals to help them move into full-time conservation positions. Read More

In July, Corps field coordinators installed seven yurts at three state park and recreation areas, offering unique lodging for visitors. The 20-foot shelters, made with Colorado Yurt Co. materials, are equipped with woodstoves for year-round use and are located in remote areas not accessible by car.  Read More