New Hampshire Conservation Corps
The primary partners for this program are the New Hampshire Division of Parks and Recreation and Volunteer NH (AmeriCorps). Corps Members spend much of the winter months providing environmental education and service learning programs to elementary and middle school students in Manchester, NH as well as several community nonprofits. During the summer, the members are engaged in delivering conservation service to New Hampshire State Parks, mostly in the form of trail construction and maintenance, campground rehabilitation and historic preservation.
CLC Crew Works in the Spirit of the Wilderness Act
Two weeks of hiking, digging, and planting by the SCA’s Manchester CLC have produced three new tent pads and have rehabilitated damaged areas around the Blue Brook Shelter and Campground in the Wild River Wilderness of the
Discover the Power of NH State Parks with SCA and PSNH!
Imagine the very first time you climbed a mountain, wandered into a forest, or sat by the shores of a pristine lake. Maybe the experience was adventurous, peaceful or awe inspiring. Many New Hampshire residents may have to reach far back to recall these memories, however many visitors to New Hampshire’s State Parks are doing these things for the very first time.
That is where the New Hampshire Conservation Corps steps forward: for the third year the NHCC has teamed up with New Hampshire State Parks and Public Service of New Hampshire (PSNH) to provide the 2009 Discover the Power of Parks Program.
Corps Members Bridge Gaps in the Whites
The forecast called for showers and intermittent thunder storms with the possibility of a few sunspots throughout the week. A group of six SCA NHCC members armed with rock bars, shovels, buckets, hazel hoes and lots of rain gear, loaded up a very full van and headed north to the
The Ups and Downs of Things
Here at Bear Brook State Park the New Hampshire Conservation Corps is very fortunate to live in an old camp facility built in the earlier part of the last century. There is a great big lodge with a kitchen and modern shower and bathhouse. There’s an office building and many cabins. In the winter time the AmeriCorps members, literally, bunk-up in larger wood heated cabins. When the weather warms up a bit everyone can enjoy a little more “elbow room” by spreading out into the smaller rustic cabins. Unfortunately, these cabins have not had regular upkeep in many years. This year, with help of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and State Park support, we have been able to start giving these little cabins some much needed TLC.
CLC Rebuilds Tent Sites in Popular Backcountry Area
A crew of SCA’s Manchester CLC members trekked into the backcountry of
City Slickers: A Day in the Wild with the City Year NH AmeriCorps program
Interview with Earth Day Headlining Act: The Apostles
This year's Manchester Earth Day Celebration is shaping up to be one of the biggest events in NHCC history. Headlining the day's events will be The Apostles, a well established underground hip-hop duo from Brooklyn, NY. With their politically charged lyrics and soulful sound, MC's Griot and Megawatt will look to connect Saturday's crowd with city-life and environmental action. The Bear Brook Observer reached out to the group, to find out a little bit more about their roots, life as a musician and their anticipation of the upcoming show:
Conservation Skills Training Returns to Bear Brook – April 29th
Visitors to the park may soon believe they're seeing ghosts of the CCC in Bear Brook State Park.
Each year, skills trainers from across the conservation arena are invited to share their knowledge and techniques with the corps, ranging from rustic timber skills older than the trees to newer innovations like the grip hoist, a hand operated winch capable of lifting and moving massive boulders like they were skipping stones.
This season, we will kick off with an introduction to the basics of mechanical advantage - using simple machines to accomplish amazing tasks.
NHCC Members Gain Wilderness First Responder Skills
From February 23rd to March 3rd, the crew of the New Hampshire Conservation Corps completed a rigorous and informative Wilderness First Responder course. The crew spent nine days intensively training and preparing themselves for possible emergency situations in the front and back country.
Bear Brook’s Newest Residents Housed in Mop Closet
In the utility closet at Bear Brook, behind the brooms mops and shelves of earth friendly cleaning products there is something squirmy going on. Meet Bear Brook's new residents; a host of red wriggler worms.
CLC Cleanup Derryfield Country Club
The Manchester Conservation Leadership Corps' (CLC) third event of the year took us to the Derryfield Country Club, managed by the Manchester Parks, Recreation and Cemeteries Department. The golf course had experienced severe damage from the December ice-storm, which knocked down hundreds of branches from the ancient white pines that line the fairways of these Manchester links.
From NHCC Director, Mike Vecchiarelli
The students and staff that make up SCA’s NHCC are well into the challenges of the 2009 program year as these stories show. And, we anticipate there will be new challenges that NHCC is uniquely qualified to meet, among which will likely be a resurgence in use of parks and state lands.
As families look for low-cost ways to vacation, our forests, waterways, and beaches will be obvious choices. Our public services will be charged to do more with less. Our natural resources will be used to their limits. As our state’s leaders work to use stimulus funds, create jobs, and preserve NH’s natural treasures, NHCC, not unlike the Civilian Conservation Corps of the 30’s, stands ready to roll up its sleeves and get to work.
With 15 years of work in NH’s schools, parks, and forests to our credit, NHCC has the experience, people, and tools to provide great conservation service at economical costs. If you would like to learn more about SCA’s New Hampshire Conservation Corps, please email Director Mike Vecchiarelli, mvecchiarelli@thesca.org, or Conservation Manager Sam Commarto, scommarto@thesca.org, or call at 603.485.2191.
Manchester High School Students Work at Organic Farm
NHCC's Conservation Leadership Corps [CLC] began the year with a visit to the Nelson Farm in Strafford, NH. Each year, these high school students volunteer in exchange for fresh produce, helping the farm become more productive and geared to education, as well as generating great fresh food for the NHCC summer season. Farm operator Shawn Stimpson said, "I like working with SCA because it gives me an opportunity to learn how to teach farming, and it gives the volunteers a chance to learn how to farm."
2009 NHCC Education Season
Members Teach Local Students About Responsible Water Use
How can students apply what they learn about the environment to their everyday lives? How can we motivate youth to take action improving their local environment? What can kids do to make others in their community aware of environmental issues? Twenty-four members of SCA's New Hampshire Conservation Corps are keeping these questions in mind as they conduct their annual "Education Season" providing environmental education to fourth and eighth grade students at thirteen schools in the Allenstown and Manchester School districts.
NHCC Swears in and "Warms up" to Volunteering
The 26 newest members of the NHCC concluded their first week in early January with an AmeriCorps swearing-in ceremony followed by an introduction to volunteer service at the Medvil Housing Co-op in Goffstown. In collaboration with StayWarmNH, Governor John Lynch's initiative to winterize homes in low-income areas, the volunteers spent the afternoon installing window wraps, weather stripping, low-flow showerheads, and energy-saving light bulbs.
Laura Richardson, Project Director of StayWarmNH, said of the occasion, "The Medvil experience really resonated with the homeowners. It has been a pleasure working with [SCA NHCC] on StayWarm."
Find out more at www.staywarmnh.org/
CLC Ecology Hike in Bear Brook State Park
On March 7th, Manchester CLC members visited Bear Brook State Park, home of the SCA New Hampshire Conservation Corps. In the morning, NHCC member Jim Vidoni led an ecology hike through the park to Smith Pond. CLC members learned about different tree species found in the park and their importance to the ecosystem.
After lunch, the crew was treated to an introduction and question and answer session about the NHCC program, the SCA and conservation career paths. When asked why returning CLC members continued to participate, Chris Mealey described his experience from a conservation crew. “It gave me opportunities to do things I never thought I could do. Last year I helped build a rock staircase, which was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.”
Later in the day the members worked on presentations for the Annual SCA Earth Day Celebration at Veteran’s Park in Manchester. This year we are working to install a Green Roof (roof-top garden) on a Manchester Public School. At the Earth Day celebration, the members will be presenting how green roofs work, their history and benefits.
Come to Earth Day
Bring the whole family and join the SCA NH Conservation Corps for the 5th annual Earth Day Celebration at Veteran's Park on Saturday, April 18th. The celebration begins at 11am, following the Adopt-A-Block neighborhood cleanup, and will include a variety of activities for people of all ages. Expect face painting, paper making, educational booths and an Eco-raffle! Go here for more
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