Member Stories

Most of the problems in life come because of two reasons. First, we act without thinking. Second, we keep thinking without acting. For some of us life is -sort of- figured out at different moments of our lives, after high school, during or after college, etc. At those points, we believe things are organized enough that it would not be much of a problem, and then we set cruise control. Ironically, that’s when we completely lose control. We lose track. We lose motivation. Sometimes we even lose ourselves and who we believe we want to be.I joined the Corps at the age limit, 25. Perhaps a bit too late, perhaps at the right moment. However, since the beginning I had so many questions and doubts about if this was going to be the right move for me. Will volunteering full-time interfere with my future plans? Will it be possible for me to live with an stipend and debt on my shoulders? What about the career I already started, will I have to start from zero again? What if Minnesota is not the right place? And questions kept coming, and coming, and coming. Read More

I’m Jackie, and I just moved all the way back to my home state of Iowa from Portland, Oregon for my new job. My position is pretty unique because I am working independently, a state away from the primary host organization. RREAL is based in Pine River, Minnesota while I am stationed with Hawkeye Area Community Action Program (HACAP) in Hiawatha, IA.RREAL provides solar furnaces, a service we call Solar Assistance, to low income families as a long-term alternative to standard energy assistance. Energy assistance is provided by community action programs (CAPs) such as HACAP. Read More

The cold weather has begun to set in here in southeast Minnesota! The leaves have been changing colors and many plants are losing their leaves, which means it is time to cut and spray invasive species that stay green long after other plants have died off for the winter! In addition to buckthorn which we have been feverously cutting because their ivy green leaves stick out like an eye sore, we have been searching for, GPSing, cutting and spraying the roots of invasive Oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus). Read More

As we go week to week working on different projects, it’s easy to consider our work done, the projects finished. This makes sense for most projects; you paint your walls and they’re painted until you paint them again, you build a deck and it’s there until you remove it. When working with nature, as we typically do at the Conservation Corps, it turns out projects are rarely done.  Read More

 “Ask not what you can do for your country. Ask what’s for lunch.” ― Orson WellesFor eight months, my crew has intensely pursued culinary adventures. We snacked on Mexican style marzipan, chili seasoned mangos and homemade pretzels. We feasted on elk, venison and bear. For lunch, we unleashed Tupperware full of bulgur salad, pesto and roasted chicken. And notoriously end the day in a frozen yogurt haze. Read More

With summer drawing to a close my crew and I ventured out to Teddy Roosevelt National Park for a ten day spike. The last day of the trip, barred from spraying herbicide by a misting rain, our project host took us on a tour of the north unit of the park. In the middle of the 14 mile driving loop we stopped and ran through the rain to a small lean-to perched on the edge of an impressive vista. Like so many structures in state and national parks I recognized the cut stone and well-built masonry of the CCCs.  Standing dry beneath the roof and looking out into the mist I let my mind wander, appreciating the view in front of me and how it gave me a sense of place in the world and in history. Read More