Archive

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

In mid-October, Field Coordinator Derick Schneibel and five crew members from Iowa headed to Detroit to help communities recover from an August 11 storm that dumped more than 4.5 inches of rain on the city, the most on a single day in 89 years. Read More

In mid-October, Field Coordinator Derick Schneibel and five crew members from Iowa headed to Detroit to help communities recover from an August 11 storm that dumped more than 4.5 inches of rain on the city, the most on a single day in 89 years. The storm flooded streets and caused heavy damage to more than 118,000 homes and businesses. Schneibel and cre­­w members partnered with Nechama, All Hands, NCCC and other AmeriCorps Disaster Response Teams from Montana, Arizona and Texas on the efforts, which included assessing damage to homes, scheduling work and digging in to muck and gut the ruins. The three-week deployment was a powerful experience for both crew members and the people they served. Read More