Conservation Legacy

“One would think I’ve seen and learned all I can from them, but I continue to form new perspectives on life with every dog I meet. When hiking with a dog, you learn to consider tiny things you’d normally just step on, and stop to smell the roses (and worms, and toads, and other things dogs sniff).” Stewards Individual Placements member Carolyn Sill shared a heartfelt and funny reflection during our Story Contest on her experiences with the BARK Ranger Program at Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park. Celebrating the dogs (and their humans) who made her year so memorable! 🐾 Read Carolyn’s full story here: https://ow.ly/Ae6C50XbYEJ

Alpine lakes, snow capped mountains, and soaring birds of prey—these are the sights that define life in Colorado’s backcountry. Today, we’re featuring a Story Contest entry from Southwest Conservation Corps member Andrew Brooks, who shared a stunning collection of photos captured during his term. Each image captures the beauty and adventure of serving on a backcountry trail crew. Take a look and imagine the views waiting for you out there!

Ever heard of a crew contract? At the start of each season, crews gather to set the tone for their time together. They will choose a name, talk through the kind of culture they want to create, and pledge commitments to each other and themselves. The Southwest Conservation Corps Los Valles “Saw Dogs” kicked off their season with a contract full of gems like: 👉 “Lower your ego, fam!” 👉 “Brother bear mentality” 👉 “Be considerate” 👉 “Give space, take space” 👉 “Give people grace and the benefit of the doubt” They wrote their pledges on a tree cookie as a memento, a reminder of the values they’ll lean on as the season unfolds. Crew contracts are just one of those special, unique traditions that make life in the field so great. Alumni, what contract promises from your own crew experience do you remember? Drop them in the comments!

We’re still reflecting on our 23rd birthday of Stewards VISTA! This program is especially meaningful for our Executive Director of our Stewards Individual Placements eastern region, April who is born and raised in Wyoming County, West Virginia. Hear a little more about the impact AmeriCorps VISTA is making every day across the country.

One of the best parts of conservation work? The surprise wildlife encounters! Today on #NationalAnimalDay we’re blessing your feed some of our members’ best animal sightings from the field— we've got bears, lizards, spiders, birds, pronghorn, pack mule and a teeny tiny snail for your viewing pleasure. ❤️ 🐻🦎🕷️🦅🦌🐴🐌

The moment you’ve all been waiting for… our 2025 Story Contest winners! 🥇 First Place: Wes Elrod, Southeast Conservation Corps 🥈 Second Place: Gabriella Trippi, Southwest Conservation Corps 🥉 Third Place: Alauna Roby, Conservation Corps New Mexico We also added a few special categories to celebrate even more amazing entries: ⭐ Favorite Staff Entry: Cody Fetty, Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps 🎨 Most Creative: Lauren Croissant, Appalachian Conservation Corps 🪡 Best Mixed Media: Dorothy Settles, Arizona Conservation Corps We were blown away by the poems, stories, videos, and other creative works you shared. Each entry reflected so much heart, talent, and passion for our programs, and it was an absolute joy to experience them all. Congrats to our winners! Read their stories in our blog: https://lnkd.in/dnQTyFpm

Conservation Legacy is thrilled to celebrate 10 years of programming with Appalachian Conservation Corps! What began as Great Appalachian Valley Conservation Corps, with just one staff member and one crew each season, has grown into a vibrant program with 10 incredible staff members, up to 10 crews per season, and 70+ individual placements each year. We’re so proud of how far ACC has come and can’t wait to see what the next 10 years bring! For your enjoyment… some throwback pics! 😍

Big shoutout to the Southeast Conservation Corps fall trail crew hard at work on boardwalk demolition and rebuilding along the Yockanookany Section of the Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail in Jackson, MS! This crew is the third in just two years to work along this stretch of trail, continuing a strong partnership with the Natchez Trace Parkway that has welcomed 16 crews over the last five years. Leading the way this fall are Jorge and Liv, who both started with SECC (pic #1 and #2) on our Leadership Development Crew and even worked on the Trace during that time. Now, they’ve traded their yellow hard hats for blue as they take on the role of crew leaders! Swipe to see the bridge demo and rebuild from start to finish >>