Conservation Corps Minnesota & Iowa

The Youth Outdoors program connects Twin Cities youth, ages 15-18, to the natural environment through paid conservation and community improvement projects while they gain job experience and college/career skills for the future. Young adults, ages 18-25, serve as AmeriCorps members who lead the youth in educational and service-learning activities and complete challenging, but impactful conservation projects as part of a field crew when not leading youth.

Youth Outdoors AmeriCorps members grow personally and professionally during their service term while gaining hands-on conservation skills in the field and receiving youth development training. In the spring and fall AmeriCorps members supervise, motivate, direct, and coordinate youth in a rigorous program of work, education, and training during after-school and weekend hours.

Through this work program youth participants make new friends, build practical skills, engage with nature, grow as active citizens and leaders, and prepare for future education and employment. The program focuses on youth development and job training, with environmental conservation as a learning vehicle.

Young adults, ages 18-25, who join our Youth Outdoors program are committing to a full-time AmeriCorps experience for a full-year, six-month, or three-month term.

Field Crews serve outdoors restoring habitat, managing natural resources, and occasionally responding to natural disasters or community needs.

The Field Crew program prioritizes personal and professional growth while teaching hands-on conservation skills in the field. Corpsmembers develop technical skills throughout their term while completing challenging and impactful conservation projects. Typical projects include removing invasive species, building and improving trails, stabilizing stream banks/controlling erosion, planting native trees, and conducting prescribed burns. Habitat restoration projects are performed in partnership with public land management agencies such as the State Department of Natural Resources, US Fish & Wildlife Service, National Park Service, cities, counties, and trail associations. Projects vary by region and crew location.

Serving with our Field Crews is a full-time AmeriCorps experience that requires a full-year, six-month, or three-month commitment.

Individual Placement (IP) members serve in a single placement setting at nonprofits, local government agencies, or higher education institutions. Service projects focus on natural resource management, climate change resiliency, and community outreach and education.

The Individual Placement program provides a unique full-year service experience where Corpsmembers support a variety of projects to expand the capacity and reach of a partnering host site while receiving specialized skills-training unique to the position or agency. Host sites, service activities, and the quantity of positions vary from year to year and are based throughout Minnesota and surrounding states.

During the summer, the Individual Placement program offers three-month Soil and Water Corpsmember positions where members serve alongside a natural resource professional at a Minnesota Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD). These seasonal AmeriCorps positions offer valuable experience in soil and water conservation and landowner and community engagement.

Serving with our Individual Placement program is a full-time AmeriCorps experience that requires a full-year or three-month commitment.

The Increasing Diversity in Environmental Careers (IDEC) program provides a unique college-to-careers pathway for underrepresented STEM college students, specifically, women, racial and ethnic minorities, or individuals with disabilities, who want to pursue a career in environmental and natural resources fields. Students receive a fellowship, mentorship, and paid internship during their academic journey.

IDEC is a partnership between the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MN DNR), Conservation Corps Minnesota & Iowa (CCMI), the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), and the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR).