News & Updates

On the sunny afternoon of May, 13 Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota employees teamed up with Conservation Corps and the City of Eagan to plant more than 100 dozen seed bombs at Patrick Eagan Park in Eagan. The Corps’ first and largest seed bomb making event took place at the Blue Cross CareFest last fall where employees made more than 70 dozen seed bombs, and other native seed balls were created by more than 200 volunteers in 2013. Seeds in the 'bombs' (which were stored over the winter) contain more than a dozen varieties of native flowers and grasses that attract honeybees and butterflies and prevent soil erosion ― perfect for the park’s native habitat. The area planted was recently treated with a prescribed burn to remove invasive species. Read More

In 2013, Conservation Corps Minnesota significantly expanded its volunteer events in the metro area. Throughout the year, we led four seed bomb events and redesigned our website to accommodate volunteer signups. Our crew members led 2,543 volunteers in 12,677 hours of work restoring 316 acres of land and nine miles of trail.These numbers wouldn’t have been possible without the support of a volunteer-focused grant from REI. In previous years, REI’s grants supplied the Corps with equipment and funding to start programs like I Can Camp, but REI recently shifted its focus to funding volunteer initiatives. Read More

Looking for more ways to get directly involved with Conservation Corps Minnesota & Iowa? Want to work alongside our youth crews, be active… Read More

Front row, from left: Amy Yoakum (Story County Conservation), Chris Severson, Allison McIntosh, Theo Westhues, Katie Thompson, Josh Meggers. Back… Read More

By Dita Amtey, Youth Outdoors AmeriCorps member Corps members build raised plant beds at Brooklyn Center High School. Foreground: Santwoine… Read More

We are excited to welcome four new people to our Board of Directors. They come from a variety of backgrounds and experience, and we look… Read More