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Grantmakers support bridges to diverse workforce
Diverse young people are being offered bridges to academic and career paths in environmental science fields where they are typically underrepresented, thanks to charitable grants as well as government support. Read More
Restoring prairie with fire
“If the conditions had been any different today, we would not have been able to pull off this burn,” said Dustin Looman, Conservation Corps southern district assistant manager. Looman, the lead burn boss at a Dakota County fairgrounds burn in Farmington on May 15, was describing the precision and expertise required to manage prescribed burns, including monitoring wind speed and direction. Read More
Volunteers and YO crews plant rain garden at Como Pool
Visitors to the Como Pool in Saint Paul will be greeting by sedge-filled rain gardens at the pool’s entrance and a beautifully landscaped pool area, thanks in part to volunteers and Youth Outdoors crew members. Read More
Drought makes for extra busy field crew fire season
With an early snow melt in Minnesota and most of the state in a drought, this spring’s fire season has been the busiest since 2010 for field crews. The DNR began requesting crews in March, the earliest ever and before many corps members had completed fire training. During one week, 11 crews were out on fires, requiring staff members to suit up and complete scheduled prescribed burning projects. In all, virtually every field crew has been called up to battle wildfires, with almost a dozen in the Bemidji area alone, one of the driest areas of the state. Read More
Crews help shade Rochester boulevards
About 100 volunteers and Corps field crews partnered with the nonprofit RNeighbors to plant almost 200 trees on May 2 in Rochester, Minn. Read More
Corps alumni rendezvous to clean up garden site
Drawn together by their common experience in Corps programs, youth alumni spent the morning cleaning up and prepping a Youth Farm garden site in West Saint Paul on April 25. Read More