Engaging future leaders who protect, restore, and enhance our nation’s lands through community-based service.
Reflecting on a Year of Connection and Conservation
Dear Supporters of Conservation Legacy,
As we look back on the past year, we see a tapestry of human connection, a shared purpose for our planet, and the beautiful landscapes that define our country. In 2023, we saw the power of working together to protect our precious ecosystems.
The idea of leaving a conservation legacy, one person at a time, runs through all our programs. Over 2,400 young people discovered a love for nature through hands-on experiences in restoring habitats and learning about the environment. These experiences plant the seeds for future conservation efforts in our parks.
Across different geographies, we worked on important conservation projects, serving 152,981 acres of land. These projects are vital for the health of our lands and waters. Healthy ecosystems give us clean air and water, regulate the climate, and provide homes for many species. From the teamwork to revive Oak Creek Canyon to the hard work of our crews in restoring land and trails, these successes show how powerful working together can be.
Dealing with big challenges like climate change, wildfire and drought means taking a collaborative approach to the implementing our programs.. Knowing that environmental issues are connected, we've teamed up with our partners to extend our conservation work across the country and recognize that is takes a very broad community of people to support our efforts.
Celebrating Successes
We want to thank the amazing individuals and partner organizations whose dedication and leadership have helped build a lasting conservation legacy. This year, we're proud to honor several people and projects.
The Legacy Achievement Award went to Harry Bruell. A Corpsmembers of the Year award was given to Christopher 'CJ' Franco The Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps Acoma Pueblo Water Delivery project was named Project of the Year.
Building on the achievements of this year's winners, we're excited to see what we can accomplish together in the future. With continued teamwork and dedication, we can ensure a healthy environment for generations to come. Thank you for your support.
With gratitude,
Amy Sovocool President, Conservation Legacy
Over 15,000 applications received for 942 jobs, crew and individual placement service opportunities across Conservation Legacy.
LOCAL PROGRAMS
COMMUNITY BASED LOCAL PROGRAMS
Conservation Legacy is now in its 25th year of operation supporting local programs that provide conservation service opportunities for youth, young adults, and veterans to work on public lands and in their communities.
Shifting Sands
The power of storytelling in the Great Sand Dunes
EXPLORING EVER-CHANGING landscapes and evolving ecosystems often makes one wonder about the history behind these enduring lands. What are the stories that have shaped this land, and how has this land, in turn, shaped those who have lived and traveled upon it?
For Jaiden Garcia, an Individual Placement intern with Southwest Conservation Corps, this wonder led to the creation of a remarkable project within Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. In collaboration with the National Park Service, Jaiden initiated a unique project—a guided hike that invites visitors to witness the transformation in landscape that many people simply drive by. This guided hike aims to take participants beyond the surface beauty of the park, bridging the gap between past and present, allowing participants to unravel the rich connection of Indigenous heritage intertwined with the land.
“The interpretive program consists of 13 stops on a half-mile hike through the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, along the Monte Ville Trail,” Jaiden explains. “The hike highlights a variety
of plants, from aspen, cottonwood, white fir, Douglas fir, and pinion pine trees to wild rose, rabbit brush, Indian paintbrush, chokeberry brush, and yucca. These plants and trees have been vital to the affiliated Tribes with the park, who have used them for medicinal purposes and traditional ceremonies. The Tribes still come here to gather resources.”
Jaiden’s connection to this project runs deep. “I grew up in a little town called Dulce, New Mexico, located on the Jicarilla Apache Reservation,” he shares. “I am half Spanish and half Jicarilla Apache, so this project resonated with me. I accepted the internship [with Southwest Conservation Corps] because I felt it had a big connection to my culture and heritage, with the Jicarilla Apache Nation being one of the 18 Tribes affiliated with the park… For me, one of the most valuable takeaways from this experience is having the ability to spread knowledge and awareness that Native Americans are still here.”
Kathy Faz Garcia, Program Manager with NPS Interpretation and Visitor Services, emphasizes the profound impact of Jaiden’s work, stating “Jaiden is spending his
second year at Great Sand Dunes, more involved with interpretive programming than last year. It has been a pleasure to witness his growth in the development of this culturally themed hike. His program is well-researched and includes personal elements that he is passionate about. This passion he has for the topic and the landscape is evident in how he presents it. Jaiden has really enhanced our program offerings.”
This project is a testament to the power of storytelling and the importance of preserving the legacy of our natural landscapes. It serves as an invitation, encouraging folks to witness the tales etched into the landscape and held by the park’s ecosystems, bringing past and present together. By offering visitors this opportunity to learn about the rich history of Great Sand Dunes, Jaiden, Southwest Conservation Corps and the National Park Service are fostering a deeper understanding of the balance between humans and nature. This guided hike is a celebration of culture and land, highlighting the timeless bond between people and their natural environment.
Protecting Oak Creek Canyon
Collective Impact in the Arizona high
desert
IN ARIZONA, tucked amongst the pines and red rocks, 12-mile long Oak Creek flows year-round through the canyon, carrying the snows of the high peaks near Flagstaff south to the Verde River. This unique and vital source of perennial water provides resources to the people and wildlife of the high desert.
To say Oak Creek Canyon is well loved is an understatement. State highway 89A was built along the creek, through the bottom of the canyon, and has created many access points for the four million annual visitors. The creekside habitat has been degraded by soil erosion and transport sediment along with chemical and human pollutants that have found their way into Oak Creek.
The Arizona Water Protection Fund Commission with the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, in 2020, began the Path to Protection at Oak Creek: Social Trail Rehabilitation for Watershed Health project and a coalition was formed. Partners include the Arizona Department of Transportation, Arizona State Parks & Trails, Conservation Legacy, and the U.S. Forest Service, with generous funding from the National Forest Foundation and the REI Foundation.
Along beautiful Oak Creek Canyon, crews with Arizona Conservation Corps and Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps have been at the forefront of preserving this section of landscape. Crews constructed hundreds of feet of log barrier fencing, spread loads of forest brush to close unsustainable trails, built steps to maintain creek access for the public, and spread mulch to help capture pollutants before they get into the creek itself.
In just under four years, there have been measurable improvements in water quality, riparian habitat, recreational access and public safety in the canyon. This national and state-level award-winning project has been recognized by the National Association of Environmental Professionals and Arizona Forward.
As the project is nearing its final phases, crews will continue work through May of 2024, reaching the finish line and providing an example of the power of collaboration, collective impact and hard work along this beloved creek.
Climate Resiliency
Mitigating climate crisis through people and nature-based solutions
IN PARTNERSHIP
, Conservation Legacy mobilizes, trains, and supports young people focused on implementing nature-based strategies, working towards adaptive and resilient ecosystems in a changing climate. These actions focus on designing programs and implementing projects that restore, protect, conserve, and manage lands and waters. Projects include restoring wetlands to reduce coastal and inland flooding, fuel mitigation to reduce the risk of wildfire, waterways restoration to reduce the impacts of drought, and building urban green spaces to reduce urban heat islands, and more. Interdependence between communities and lands means that projects that improve ecosystem health also support positive social, economic, and community outcomes.
Protecting Coastal Communities
Conservation Corps North Carolina has been working to mitigate the impacts of increasingly destructive storms and sea level rise in eastern North Carolina through vegetative management and hazard tree removal at the Croatan National Forest and along the Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
Watershed Corps
Appalachian Conservation Corps, after two successful pilot years, is implementing the Watershed Corps in 2024, in support of watershed conservation efforts across Virginia. This program provides the capacity to complete riparian projects and implement forest health plans. Project work includes tree planting, site monitoring, non-native species control, prescribed fire preparation, and more.
Fire Fuels Mitigation
Across the United States, Conservation Legacy supports fuels mitigation work to reduce the intensity of wildfire, creating defensible space in communities, property protection, and the protection of local water sources on public lands.
Landscape Resiliency
Conservation Legacy supports landscape resiliency projects in both wild and urban spaces. Across the U.S., our programs are planting trees, working on urban reforestation projects and more—abating temperature and air quality impacts from climate change in our communities.
Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps also specifically supports local farm corps programs, fielding restoration crews focused on supporting climate adaptation and dust mitigation, as well as Indigenous knowledge and community agriculture. Crews of Indigenous youth work on native plant seeding projects, community education and facilitating seed banks, providing a resilient community resource in the face of a changing world.
Community Engagement
Conservation Legacy’s Stewards Individual Placement program is engaging youth and volunteers in climate action through resiliency, mitigation, adaptation, and communication projects with a specific NPS Community Volunteer Ambassador Climate Cohort targeting island NPS sites including those in US territories, Hawaii, and Alaska in partnership with the Office of Insular Affairs and the Climate Change Response Program.
Women in Conservation
Supporting conservation experiences for women in partnership with the National Park Foundation
AT CONSERVATION LEGACY, womens+ programming is focused on promoting diversity and inclusivity in conservation and natural resource management. These spaces provide a supportive learning environment for under-represented groups, including ciswomen, trans individuals, non-binary individuals, and gender-fluid individuals. This program offers opportunities for personal and professional growth, with a focus on gaining certifications to kick start careers in environmental stewardship.
In 2023, with support from the National Park Foundation, Conservation Legacy operated two womens+ crews, each with Appalachian Conservation Corps and Southeast Conservation Corps.
A crew of six young women served at Shenandoah National Park with Appalachian Conservation Corps (ACC) after gaining their saw certifications. Supported by a cadre of all-female staff, the crew worked to clear overlooks along Skyline drive. These overlooks are a critical aspect of the Park’s infrastructure that allow visitors to both see amazing views and enjoy interpretive signage within easy access of their vehicles. The overlooks also provide early successional habitat in an otherwise largely closed canopy hardwood ecosystem. They crew completed trail maintenance throughout the Park. Members gained skills in a supportive environment, build experience, and networked with Park employees to learn pathways to NPS employment.
At Southeast Conservation Corps (SECC), the womens+ crew collaborated with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Trails Forever Crew to undertake rigorous environmental conservation and restoration projects. These projects encompassed a wide range of tasks, from trail construction and maintenance to invasive species removal and habitat restoration.
Throughout their tenure, crew members actively learned and applied new environmental conservation skills, engaged in environmental education activities, and mastered the use of hand and power tools. Additionally, they had the opportunity to shadow partners within the national park, gaining insights into various fields such as wildlife management, fishery management, vegetation monitoring, and archaeology.
A Culture of Conservation
Elena Prest shares her experience supporting the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service as a Tribal WaterCorps intern
HELLO MY NAME IS ELENA. I am a Tribal member of the Skokomish Tribe. I was born and raised in the state of Washington. As a young girl I was taught to love and respect all life and to show appreciation for the natural resources that fed my people. My parents taught me to love the outdoors. We often spent time together camping, floating down the river, and walking the beach looking for eagle feathers.
Being surrounded by different bodies of water from lakes and the Hood Canal, to the robust and amazing Skokomish River, I was taught to practice my treaty rights by fishing and shellfish harvesting for clams, oysters, and geoduck just as my people have done for generations. These experiences planted the seeds firmly for my growing passion for fisheries and natural resources conservation work.
By age 14, my love for salmon led me to work at my Tribal hatchery where I helped raise chum salmon. I felt the pull to help preserve and to be able to sustain salmon fisheries for future generations to carry on our important tradition of fishing. Since day one at the hatchery, I knew my participation in the process of the salmon life cycle would lead to me finding a career working with salmon.
From the start of this internship, my experience has been packed with extensive field work.
“It's truly a blessing to see the salmon runs.”
Awesome, right? On the first day in this role, I was in the field at Lake Washington for a predation study. This was a study on which non-native species prey on Chinook fry that come out of the Cedar River into Lake Washington. We collected diet samples by gastric lavage, which is pumping of the fish’s stomach to see what they have eaten, and recorded basic data such as the species of fish and the lengths. These samples were stored away until they could be processed in the lab for diet analysis and genetic analysis of well digested salmon.
An additional opportunity I was able to experience was working on the mass marking trailers. These trailers are used to mark salmon and steelhead for harvest management. The two most widely used ways of marking fish for harvest management are coded wire tags and an external visible mark (mass marking). A coded wire
tag is a stainless-steel wire that is placed in a juvenile salmon snout that has numbers or individual codes for specific batches of fish. Mass marking is the removal of the adipose fin which is near the tail of the fish. This whole process of clipping and tagging is used to identify that these fish are from a hatchery.
Another amazing project I really enjoyed being a part of was the Selective Fisheries Project with the Lower Elwha Tribe. Working on the beautiful Elwha River I got to fish using tangle nets and drift down the river in an effort to capture fish and place radio tags in them. Being part of this project I gained skills working as a team, recording data, collecting samples, tracking, and different methods of capturing salmon. This selective fisheries project will help improve a sustainable fishery for the Elwha Tribe. I was inspired by the opportunity to learn about the history of
the dam removal to restore fish passageways that were cut off when the dams were built in the early 1900s. This in turn devastated the Elwha Tribe’s way of life and traditions as native people. It is truly a blessing to be able to see the salmon runs and salmon passage in the Elwha River restored. I am privileged to have been able to participate in this project as well as all of the other experiences.
I know I will carry these experiences with me into my next job role. This whole experience made me want to strive towards a degree in fisheries management, to work as a professional assisting in the growth and preservation of salmon. After this internship, I plan on going back to further my education and pave a pathway for a career in fisheries work among the Skokomish Tribe. I am very grateful for this amazing opportunity to gain knowledge and new skills while getting in field experiences.
2023 HONOREES
Legacy Achievement Award, Corpsmember and Project of the Year Awards
THE LEGACY ACHIEVEMENT
AWARD, and the Corpsmember and Project of the Year Awards, are The Corps Network's highest honors. Given annually, these awards recognize standout individuals and organizations within The Corps Network’s 150+ Service and Conservation Corps. Honorees are selected through a competitive nomination and review process.
Legacy Achievement
Harry Bruell
Formerly President and CEO, Conservation Legacy
Harry Bruell has over 30 years of nonprofit leadership, with significant contributions during his 26 years in the Corps community. Starting at the Durham Service Corps in the early 1990s, he eventually led the Southwest Conservation Corps in Colorado. He was instrumental in developing Conservation Legacy, an organization that now represents eight Corps programs that annually engage more than 2,000 participants in stewardship projects and workforce development across the country. Bruell also served on The Corps Network’s Board of Directors and chaired the 21st Century Conservation Service Corps federal advisory committee. Since 2017, he has focused on mental health as CEO of PathPoint in Santa Barbara, CA.
Corpsmember of the Year
Christopher “CJ” Franco Stewards Individual Placements
CJ worked in national parks in food and beverage positions and volunteered with the National Park Service before joining a Corps. He wanted to follow his dream of preserving beautiful scenery for the next generation. After serving terms with Conservation Corps North Carolina (CCNC), and as a crew leader with Arizona Conservation Corps (AZCC), he then joined a third term as a Historic Preservation Training Center (HPTC) Indian Youth Service Corps intern with Haleakala National Park. CJ’s focus has been trail maintenance and historic preservation. To access the worksites, which are located inside a crater, CJ and his crew must hike 10-18 miles one way, leading a team of donkeys to transport their supplies. He completed his A100 flight class and became certified to be a flight crew member to assist with the heli-ops, also transporting project materials. In addition to the outstanding work in the field, CJ has played an integral part in two rescue operations involving visitors to the park, receiving a letter of commendation from the park for his efforts. Haleakala National Park has expressed they hope to bring him on as a full-time staff member upon the completion of his current internship.
Project of the Year
Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps Acoma Pueblo Water Delivery
Supported by AmeriCorps Members
The Pueblo of Acoma experienced a major water infrastructure failure in October 2022, leaving the entire community without running water. The local health clinic, dialysis center, and schools were forced to close; many people who cannot haul water faced a crisis. This is where Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps (ALCC) stepped in to help. ALCC has experience doing disaster relief projects, but had never supported crisis relief so close to home. With support from the Conservation Lands Foundation and private donors, ALCC crews could begin delivering potable water and other supplies to community members in need. A crew of 10 AmeriCorps members has been serving approximately 20 households daily, averaging nearly 100 community members reached. Corps are not new to disaster relief, but these projects are almost always supported by federal or state dollars. In this situation, the Corps had no funding from the federal, state, or Tribal government. Using a network of supporters and their strong relationship with the community of Acoma, ALCC was able to fill a critical need.
