Archive

Northwest field crews partner on Bureau of Reclamation work

During July and August, Corps crews worked with the Bureau of Reclamation in the Dakotas to restore reservoirs and canals that are vital to the region’s water supply, agricultural industry and outdoor recreational opportunities, and to build and repair fencing and gates. Crews worked in partnership with the Bureau of Reclamation Dakota Area Office and the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks, who provided training and mentorship. Read More

Memorial bench installed to honor Corps apprentice

On September 12, a crowd gathered at at Fritz Loven Park near Brainerd to help install a memorial bench in honor of Caitlin Daudt, a 2014 Corps apprentice. Daudt died last summer in a vehicle collision while on her way to serve at her host site, Crow Wing County Soil and Water Conservation District. She was an exemplary member of Conservation Corps. Her life and work spoke volumes about the passion she had for service, the environment and the people of her community.  Read More

State Fair crowds visit Corps booth

Terrific weather graced this year’s Minnesota State Fair, and we greeted hundreds of fairgoers who stopped by our booth across from the DNR fishpond to hear about our work, connect with alumni and learn about invasive species.  Read More

Disaster response crew returns from Saipan

After 38 days in Saipan, a four-member Conservation Corps disaster response crew returns home Friday, October 9. Serving with Texas Conservation… Read More

All rivers lead to the ocean

There is something about that little bubbling noise of a creek that brings my entire life into perspective. The water is carefree. It has no recollection of itself nor does it worry about others. All it knows is to flow with the constant pull of gravity downstream. But if I were a creek, I would hope to flow to the ocean. I want to be a part of something greater than myself.  Read More

Finding seeds and hope in the grass

When I lifted my head up I was alone. Burgundy and purple seed heads brushed against my face and shoulders. The sound of grass shaking in the wind washed all around the deeply rolling hills and over the high ridges that surrounded me. Inside that glacial kettle, a bowl of land ringed by undulating hills and ridges, my world had compressed. A pair of hawks banked along the ridges, crying out into the wind, certain of their place on this back forty. Alone, surrounded by a virgin tallgrass prairie, steeped in the purples, blues and gold of fall, I was transported to a Minnesota that once was, and perhaps to a future that might be again. Read More