Conservation Corps Minnesota’s

Summer Youth Corps

2013: 1st Session

“Summer

of the Wild

Things!”

The Roots of Conservation Corps Minnesota

Civilian Conservation Corps

In the 1930's the country was financially and morally bankrupt and the spirit of the people was at

an all-time low. It has been estimated that more than two million youths were aimlessly wandering

the cities and the country in search of jobs and a future. On March 4, 1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt

became President of the United States. In the first 100 days in office, he initiated several programs

to get the country going again. The most widely acclaimed and accepted by nearly all the people at

that time was the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). The plan was to recruit young men into a

peace time army, an army that would save the land, forests, waters, and build parks and, at the

same time, save the youths themselves.

The Department of Labor recruited the men; clothing was provided by the Army which also man-

aged the camps. Control of the work accomplished by the CCC was done under the direction of the

U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Park Service, Soil Conservation Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,

Bureau of Land Management, and the Bureau of Reclamation.

Life in the Corps appealed to the American frontier spirit. The 3,240,393 young men and at least

one woman worked for $1.00/day, room and board. Many now say it was the best years of their

lives.

The Civilian Conservation Corps was the only government conservation group that worked to save

our country's environment on a national scale. It still holds that title. The accomplishments of the

Civilian Conservation Corps qualifies them as the true conservationalists long before there was an

Earth Day. On millions of acres these men of the CCC worked to slow down the erosion and to re-

plant the depleted forests. They built more than a thousand national, state, county, and city parks.

In reality, they saved our country, a country that had been for over two centuries ravaged by rich

and poor alike.

Youth Conservation Corps

In August of 1970, the 91st Congress enacted legislation to create the Youth Conservation Corps

(YCC) program. Patterned after the CCC, the main objectives of the YCC program was to accom-

plish needed conservation work on public lands, to provide gainful employment for 15 through 18

year olds from all segments of society, and to develop youth through education and appreciation of

the Nation's natural environment and heritage. Supervisors at each YCC site were required to pro-

vide a structured environmental awareness program for the youth involved. In addition to earning

money, participants had the opportunity to learn to work with others and experience a sense of ac-

complishment. The program was also designed to benefit local communities as businesses enjoy the

economic benefits that result from the sale of materials and supplies. Earning minimum wage, par-

ticipants in the YCC program worked an average of 40 hours per week for a period of 8 to 10 weeks

during the summer months.

Young Adult Conservation Corps

Similar to the YCC, the Young Adult Conservation Corps (YACC) was authorized through the

Youth Employment and Demonstration Projects Act of 1977, for the purpose of providing employ-

ment to unemployed youths to accomplish conservation work on Federal and non-Federal public

lands. The YACC differed from the YCC in that YACC programs were often year-round and extend-

ed beyond federal lands to include non-federal lands and waters.

The average age of YACC enrollees also covered a greater span with many participants reaching into

their mid-twenties. In addition, many YACC initiatives offered post education and training bene-

fits. In 1981, President Reagan requested that the funding for the YCC program be discontinued.

Both programs were then eliminated by the end of 1982.

Minnesota Conservation Corps

When federal support ended, the Minnesota Legislature created the Minnesota Conservation Corps

(MCC) with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The program carried a similar

focus of engaging youth and young adults in natural resource work. In 1996, MCC also became an

AmeriCorps service program as part of a nationwide initiative. MCC remained within the Minnesota

DNR until it was eliminated from the state budget in 2003. At this time, MCC’s programs transi-

tioned into an existing non-profit, the Friends of the Minnesota Conservation Corps.

Current Programs for Youth and Young Adults with the Minnesota Conservation Corps

The MCC has three major youth programs in full swing. The Summer Youth Program is designed

for high school aged youth and is based in Hinckley, MN at St. Croix State Park. The Youth Out-

doors Program employs high school youth from the St. Paul area to do conservation work in the

Twin Cities. The Summer Youth Program employs young people ages 15-18 years old who work 35

hours per week, with an additional 5 hours of environmental education. The Young Adult Program

employs people ages 18-25 for six to twelve months and is affiliated with AmeriCorps. The young

adult crews work a 40 hour week and are placed on various projects throughout the state of Minne-

sota. All corpsmembers earn minimum wage and receive both formal and informal instruction in

career development, natural resource management, and environmental awareness/ethics.

MCC is more than a job, it is a service commitment to the natural resources of Minnesota. MCC al-

lows Minnesota's young people a unique opportunity to gain work experience and learn about life

skills. It is a program open to all youth, including disadvantaged and handicapped persons, in which

the participants return more to the state in

terms of production than they earn in wages.

“The bond that links your

true family is not one of

blood, but of respect and

joy in each other’s lives.

Rarely do members of one

family grow up under the

same roof.”

-Unknown

“We can do

no great things—only small things

with great love.”

-Mother Te-resa

Kaisa

Jake

Jonathan

Ellen

Alex

“I don’t know what

your destiny will

be, but one thing I

do know: the only

ones among you

who will be really

happy are those

who have sought

and found how to

serve.”

-Albert Schweitzer

Cooks!

A day in the life of a swamper…..

Getting up early to fix ALL the tents that were bro-

ken and needed to be sent out with crews, oh also

you need to be ready to go with a headstaff to go and

visit a crew, in 10 minutes, all the while planning a

strategy to conquer the world….

Swamper, we salute you and your service!

Jonny

Haleigh

Sam Darian Taylor

Sydney Allison Susie

Gina Rachel

Carl

Maclaine

Eura

Kiwi Adam

Adam Sarah

Dillon Anika

Andrea

Melissa

Nick

Gabe

Taylor

Jesse

“

“The Wind” by John Barlow

I sat barefoot under a tree,

letting the breeze stir my

hair and bring the smell of

flowers from the garden

below. The wind said to

me, “You are me and I am

you.” This puzzled me

and I asked the wind to

explain. He lifted me and

took me to a mountain top

where he cooled hikers

who had just finished

their climb. He said, “You

can bring relief to those in

need.” He took me to an

island where he swept re-

freshing sea air to those

on the beach. “You can

bring comfort to those

around you.” He took me

to a street corner where he hit those walking with cold air and

icy water. “You have the power to hurt.” He took me to the

site of a tornado as it ripped a house off the ground. “You

have the power to destroy.” He took me and set me back un-

der the tree. “Do what you will,” he said, “but remember that

you—like I—will be known by what you do for others.

B-1

Susie Krikava (CL), Taylor Hays (CL), Megan Abbott, Panda Davis, Krista Leusman,

Paige Olson, Zinnia Vang, Nou Yang

A-1

Leif Young (CL), Kailob Miller (CL), John Hurd, Elijah Hollins, Hayden Lovett,

Heng Vang, Simon Vue, Thomas Ellenbecker

A-2

Big Boots’ Secret Hideaway (Shhhhh!)

B-2

Sydney Stock (CL), Anika Van Eaton (CL, Not Pictured), LaShaya Alexander,

Quanitrea Davis, Monica Lindahl, Maddison Rabold, Zoe Webb,

Shannon Patterson

A-3

Dillon McLeod (CL), Adam Terrell (CL), Stephon Buchanon, Everett Hommes, Moe

Ludwig, Evan Pak, Jonathan Tseng, John Wagner, Ben Vogel

B-3

Eura Chang (CL), Rachel Czech (CL), Kangie Bell, Courtney Dierling,

Julia McDonald, Margret Rossing, Anna Widmer, Tenzin Dolkar

A-4

Adam Cox (CL), Jesse Yeager (CL), Michael Burton, Jordan

Bartholomew, David Mattson, Matthew Parten, Clay Tubbs, Ian Wall

B-4

Melissa Danzl (CL), Allison Dobscha (CL), Sydney Cain, Samantha Etzel,

Aberdeen McEvers, Sara Thieschafer, Erin Willaby, Jennifer Carlenberg

B-5

Andrea Slotke (CL), Sarah Evans (CL), Bessa Furman, Debora Garcia, Ashly

Narvaiz, Brianna Thompson, Yer Xiong, Kelsee Stevens

A-5

Maclaine Sorden (CL), Jonny Gall (CL), Donovan Fletcher, Dima Iresso, No-

ah Milun, Edgar Saenz, Cha Vang, Axel Walters

A-6

Taylor Yerrick (CL), Sam Kilpatrick (Swamper), Joseph Giunta, John Easter, Blake

Nielsen, Jonah Schmisek, Jacob Trom, Thao Xiong

B-6

Sam Styles (CL), Kiwi Johnson (CL), Morgan Anderson, Elizabeth Backlund,

Kelsey Prickett, Tiffany Tran, Sam Wichlidal

B-7

Haleigh Fontenot, Darian Lightfoot, Erin Barrett, Marissa Lietzke, Shelby

Phalen, Alyssa Valdez-Pec, Madeline Langevin

A-7

Carl Tanner (CL), Nick Smedes (CL), Eli Hark, Nou Cheng, Kristoffer Nielsen, Maxwell

Stafford, Oakley Oldenburg, Scott Yang

Staff Training: To the North

Shore and

BEYOND!

Training at St. John’s!!!

“We do not remember days… We remember moments”

-Cesare Parese

Super Awesome

Crews Fo Lyfe!

Spike at St. John’s —Axel This week we did our work here in St. Crox It was pretty fun and I’m just being coy So we didn’t get to leave this time for spike Our work went like this like Monday mornins wake up at 7 o’clock Made it to morning exercises right on the spot They made us run and do jazzy jacks Then push-ups and stretches like what the crap Then we had to drive for 45 minutes We showed up and our work was already finished Just kidding I was asleep so mentally trippin We spent all day with mosquitoes and weed whippin 4 o’clock came and I was excited man! We were so dang tired we all slept in the van Tuesday’s work was the exact same deal Working till noon and PBJ’s were our meal Wednesday’s work was drastically changed We paired up with a group and then a park we cleaned Then at 2 D said “Let’s leave crew!” “I have a fun new job to do!” That was false, we went back to that same trail We were so excited that we moved like a snail Thursday we all woke up in fear We had to do work right here This is how the day went, take a look First we helped the chefs cook This next part’s gross, sorry to spoil it We had to super sanitize the toilets Next we cleaned the sinks, showers and more At the end we mopped the floor That leads us to now here today Our spike was the best, what else can we say!?

What?! That’s AWESOME!

“Life is a verb!”

-Charlotte G.