Updates & Stories

After 11 years on the Conservation Corps staff, Lisa Cassioppi is off to new adventures – leading canoe trips with Wilderness Inquiry and conducting Gypsy Moth surveys… Read More

Amy Levander, a 1990 Summer Youth Corps alumna, recently added Corps Volunteer to her title as she helped out at the 2014 St. Croix Boom Site Cleanup event led by current SYC participants. Levander was eager to volunteer with the Corps 24 years after her service because she strongly believes the Corps is an important program. “The Corps does great work not only by helping clean up our natural areas, but also by helping young people discover who they want to be,” she said. Levander attributes her experience in the SYC to helping her grow up -- learning a lot about herself and figuring out the kind of person she wanted to be. Read More

September 24-27, 2014Saint Paul, MinnesotaJoin CCC family and friends from across the country for the 2014 CCC Legacy annual gathering. On Thursday, September 25 we open the doors to all Corps alumni and friends for a celebration at Flat Earth Brewery in Saint Paul, featuring musician Ann Reed, beer tastings and pizza from Savoy’s.  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

We build bridges and docks, walls and trails, staircases to the highest elevations and well… you get the idea. We build things. It’s easy to see the structures we construct. They are lasting and useful, but its not easy to see the qualities we build in people.We build character. Not like regular character, but more like the character your grandad talks about when he used to walk ten miles to school uphill both ways, barefoot...through the snow.We build relationships. Not the “Hey, I saw you in the grocery store one time” kind of relationships, but the “You changed my life, thank you for being here and being who you are” kind of relationships.We build strength. The old man muscle, the kind that makes you feel like “Popeye ain’t got nothin’ on me”. Strength of the will and power of the spirit. Read More

Four days out of the week my alarm sounds promptly at 4:30 a.m. to signal the start of my day. For the first few weeks I certainly struggled to become accustomed to this early hour, but now it’s nice to see the world before it’s fully awake. After packing a filling lunch, I head away from the sunrise, towards the corn fields and to the shop.Upon arriving at the shop, I head into the locker room to lace up my boots before joining the other early arrivals in the break room before the morning meeting. As 6:30 a.m. draws near, the room begins to fill up with corps members, full-time staff and seasonal employees. Right on schedule, our fearless leader, Jeff, begins the meeting with the goals for the rest of the week and what to watch out for when working in the areas we are assigned. Read More

It’s unfortunate that the phrase 'Save the World' isn’t taken seriously. There should be how-to books, college courses, job descriptions, marketing campaigns that all don the phrase. Of course, serious use of the phrase would require popular agreement that we live in a world that needs saving. Plausible, at least until you ask the follow up question, “Saving from what?” Well, since I’m the only one here, I’m going to take the liberty to define some terms and make some assumptions. Because I’m here to save the world, and I know plenty of other folks who share that exact mission. Read More

This summer has been absolutely action packed. I feel as though I have been living like a drifter on the run from the law, but that is probably just my imagination getting away with me. I swear that I am a regular law-abiding citizen, though I haven’t spent a full week at home for the past two months. Lately it seems there is always some event or place to spread the word on solar assistance, whether it be client calls, fairs, classes, conferences, or retreats. This leads me to travel hundreds of miles in just one or two days and sleep in strange places on the regular. It is both maddening and so very fun! Read More

My supervisor at the Ramsey Conservation District (RCD) came up to my desk last week and asked, “Would you mind spending Thursday catching butterflies?”Conservation Corps Minnesota and Iowa is one of the few organizations I can think of where that question would ever be asked to an employee. I currently serve in the Apprentice Academy, an amazing program which allows about 37 young adults to spend the summer serving alongside conservation professionals at Minnesota Soil and Water Conservation Districts across the state. I have learned so much in such a short time and gained a host of skills, including butterfly surveying for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Read More

June has meant the return of real warm weather, and with that, some of our favorite work. The Ottertail crew spent two weeks in Becker County this month on the beautiful North Country Trail, a long-distance trail that will eventually stretch from New York to North Dakota. We had the pleasure of working with Ray Vlasek, volunteer coordinator for the Laurentian Lakes chapter of the North Country Trail Association, who graciously put down his pulaski for a few minutes one lunchtime to talk about life, trails, and what it’s like to work with the Corps. Read More