Corps ranks grow in 2012

Each year, Conservation Corps Minnesota & Iowa programs engage an increasing number of youth and young adults. 2012 was no exception. Last year, 540 Conservation Corps members:

• Served 17,800 hours on emergency response and recovery (Kansas tornadoes and East Coast Hurricane Sandy response)
• Served 10,874 hours on wildland fire response, suppressing wildfire, gridding and patrolling almost 35,000 acres
• Planted more than 150,000 trees and plants
• Constructed / improved 427 miles of motorized and 463 miles of non-motorized trails
• Participated in more than 24,550 hours of personal development training and more than 27,900 hours of technical skills training

Amelia Kramka, Jaakko Abrahamson and Sarah Thornburgh, 2012 corps members from the West Zone Superior National Forest crew.Beside these highlights, corps members completed an impressive amount of work that included debris removal, environmental education, community outreach, erosion control, GIS/GPS data and mapping, prescribed burning, seed collection, wetland restoration, invasive plant removal, carpentry, home energy improvements, rain garden installation, surveys and many more activities. More than ever, Conservation Corps continues to restore resources and change lives.