Education & Community Outreach

I recently had the great pleasure of attending two Conservation Corps mid-year retreats; one for Individual Placements like me, and one for crews. The time spent with my fellow Corps members has been just the refreshment I needed. As Individual Placements, we don’t get as many opportunities to build camaraderie. It was nice to finally feel a true sense of community amongst my peers whether it was throwing down on the field during Corps Olympics or just relaxing around a campfire throwing a Frisbee. Victory was oh so sweet after my Olympics team, Loon, laid everything out there. Whatever hole was left from loss of dignity and sore muscles was quickly filled with s’mores. Besides the fun, I was glad we Individual Placements all got a chance to talk about our similar experiences; struggles, victories and all. 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