Vermont Youth Conservation Corps 2003 Yearbook and Annual Report Teaching individuals to take personal responsibility for all of their actions -The VYCC Mission As the VYCC approaches its 20th anniversary and applications are at an all time high, we are embarking on a campaign to build a much-needed permanent home and training center. This facility will allow us to reach the demand of youth that seek the VYCC experience and to lay a solid foundation for decades to come. A Message from the President Dear Friends, Our organization is built upon the idea of bringing people together to do great things. I want to invite you to become more involved with this wonderful organization that changes lives, protects and preserves Vermont’s natural areas, and helps build better communities across Vermont. In 1986 with a one dollar gift from the Legislature, a small band of friendly schemers set about creating this incredible organization. Their passion was driven by a belief that young people are vital to Vermont . her communities, economy, parks, and other special natural areas. Their vision was to marry the best of government with the best of the private sector to create a lasting legacy for Vermont. In 2005, the VYCC will celebrate its 20th year. The celebration of this important milestone will take place in Richmond, Vermont, at what will soon be the new permanent home and training center of the Corps. This new and permanent home will bring all the training, education, and operational functions of the VYCC under one roof. The efficiencies gained will be staggering. They, along with new visibility, this home will allow the VYCC to as much as triple in size. The VYCC’s Board of Directors began studying the idea of a central facility four years ago and after extensive planning instituted a $3.3 million capital campaign to make it a reality. I came to the VYCC twenty years ago as a 27-year-old kid with a bunch of ideas. I thought I might be around for 3 or 4 years. My experience has been that the VYCC keeps getting better and more exciting as time goes on. In fact, I am more passionate today than ever before! I would love with talk to you about how you can become more involved. It could be as simple as hosting an information meeting about the VYCC in your living room for friends and family, hanging posters at your place of employment, making a gift, or volunteering your time. In whatever way you can get involved, know that we welcome you with open arms! The VYCC is a wonderful community of people who come together to make a difference. I look forward to seeing you in the field. Cheers! From Left to Right: Megan Wenrich (Development Director), Jocelyn Parisi (Administrative Director), Thomas Hark Founding President & Chief Friendly Schemer! (President), Paul Schmidt (Vice President). 3 www.vycc.org 2003 Board of Directors Eric Hanson, Chair Caroline Wadhams Bennett, Vice Chair Rich McGarry, Treasurer Ron Redmond, Secretary Judi Manchester, Immediate Past Chair Rain Banbury Richard W. Darby Matt Fargo Beth Gilpin Hugh Griffiths Dean Haller Martha McDaniel Candy Moot Lee Powlus John Osmond John Zaber Doris Evans, Emeritus Headquarters Staff Thomas Hark, Founding President Paul Schmidt, Vice President Carrie Anderson, Conservation Manager Julie Brown, Parks Coordinator Brian Cotterill, Operations Manager Patrick Kell, Senior Parks Coordinator Bethany Lane, Development Office Manager John Leddy, Conservation Coordinator Jocelyn Parisi, Administrative Director Bridgette Remington, Administrative & IT Manager Polly Tobin, Program Director Megan Wenrich, Development Director Don Bicknell, Volunteer Cover Background: Camels Hump Cover Insets (Left to Right): Jen Houle (Corps Member), Jordan Haskins (Corps Member), Kuku Leadbeater(Corps Member), and Nathan Bahls (Crew Leader) Yearbook Editor: Bridgette Remington Copyeditor: Christine Zachai The VYCC is proud to be an AmeriCorps Program 4 Editor’s. Note The 2003 Yearbook is a celebration and illustration of the amazing conservation work completed this field season. As in the past we have asked all of the field crews to share a piece of their summer with us. Their stories and responses to that request are recorded in Contents the crew articles section. I hope you will enjoy read- ing the 2003 yearbook and getting to know all of the Program Overview 6 young people that make the VYCC what it is. Season Highlights 8 Staff in Focus 10 What is the Vermont Youth Project Profiles 12 Conservation Corps? The VYCC is a non-profit service, conservation, and Park Crews education organization. Our mission is to teach indi- Branbury 15 viduals to take personal responsibility for all of their Elmore 16 actions. We accomplish this mission by forming small Emerald Lake 17 teams of young people who work with excellent adult North Hero 18 leaders to complete high-priority conservation Silver Lake 19 projects. The challenges and experiences each crew St. Catherine 20 must overcome to be successful create an ideal set- GEMs & CMITs 21 ting to develop leadership, teamwork, and com- munication skills. Each year, the Corps hires almost Wilderness Crews 300 young people between the ages of 16 and 24 to West River Trail 1 & 2 23 manage state parks, build trails, restore rivers and Mobbs Farm & Niquette Bay 24 streams, and improve community greenspaces. Canty Trail & Snowden Peak 25 Philosophy Roving Crews The philosophy of the VYCC is simple and power- Roving 1 & 2 27 ful. As VYCC President Thomas Hark tells staff in Roving 3 & 4 28 training: “Our goal is for the program to ‘ooze’ with Roving 5& 6 29 education.” The conservation projects completed Roving 7 30 by the VYCC crews are important and, like the origi- Roving 8 & 9 31 nal Civilian Conservation Corps projects, will last for Roving 10 32 decades. However, these projects are also the vehicles Roving 11 & 12 33 used to accomplish our mission. Community Crews History Burlington 35 Since 1985 the VYCC has provided young people from Montpelier 36 every county and nearly every town in Vermont the VOCA/Richmond 37 opportunity to gain valuable natural resource train- ing and education. The VYCC has completed several News from the Home Office 38 million dollars worth of priority conservation work Future Home of the VYCC 42 in Vermont through partnerships with agencies and With Special Thanks 44 organizations such as the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation, Vermont Agency of Transportation, Natural Resources Conservation Ser- vice, Vermont Department of Environmental Conser- vation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Environmen- tal Protection Agency, U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, and Vermont’s Green Mountain Club. 5 Program Introduction The Vermont Youth Conservation Corps has four distinct types of crews: Roving, Community, Parks, and Wilderness. Each of the VYCC crews focuses on teaching personal re- sponsibility while completing priority conservation projects on public lands throughout Vermont. A sampling of projects includes trail construction and maintenance, backcountry bridge construction, landscape improvements on transpor- tation paths and in public parks, watershed restoration, park management, and facility improvement. Objectives 1. To promote conservation, education, and community service. 2. To educate, train, and help young people develop respect for the environment. 3. To provide worthwhile work and commu- nity service experiences for young people while protecting our parks, forests, and other precious natural resources. 4. To provide the highest quality educational and work experience possible. 5. To offer the experience to every young person who would like to enroll. 6. To be a world leader in the service and conservation corps movement. 7. To run a professional, effective, and highly effcient organization. Roving Crews Roving Crews camp for four-week sessions and live full-time in the outdoors. Roving Crews learn new skills such as watershed restoration, trail construction, and bridge construction, as well as see many different areas of Vermont. Often they will camp for the first two weeks in a state park and then camp for the next two weeks in a backcountry location where they will learn to filter their own water and live without electricity. Roving Crews complete projects for state and federal agencies, as well as local community sponsors. 6 Overview Community Crews On a VYCC Community Crew, Corps Members live at home and work as a team to improve alternative transportation routes, such as bike and pedestrian paths, and to enhance local natural areas. They may also learn innovative bio-en- gineering techniques in order to restore rivers and streams which have been adversely affected by erosion and pollu- tion. These crews are made possible through a variety of partnerships with federal, state, and local project sponsors and offer Corps Members an opportunity to improve and care for the resources in their local communities. Park Crews The Park Crews offer Corps Members the opportunity to work with the public in recreation and park manage- ment. The VYCC currently operates six Vermont State Parks. Crews are responsible for all aspects of the parks including managing the camping reservation system, reg- istering park visitors, maintaining and improving the grounds and facilities, and managing concession sales. The Corps Members also develop and lead educational and recreational activities for park visitors such as na- ture hikes, children's activities, and Saturday night camp- fires. Through this process, Corps Members gain valu- able business, communication, and park management skills as they operate some of Vermont’s largest state parks efficiently and professionally. Wilderness Crews For those Corps Members who seek an exceptionally chal- lenging experience, Wilderness Crews are available. Wil- derness Corps Members live and work in the backcountry for four weeks at a time. They become self-reliant while learn- ing the importance of teamwork with other members of the crew.