Posted: 8/6/03

FLís Clark is a summer MCC worker

Joshua Clark of Forest Lake, will soon complete eight weeks of service as a corpsmember with the Minnesota Conservation Corps Summer Youth Residential Program. Joshua is serving in a residential work program, which provides Minnesota youth, ages 15 to 18, the opportunity to learn and earn money, while carrying out natural resource and conservation projects around the state.

When not working out in the field, Joshua and 50 other MCC youth are stationed at a base camp in St. Croix State Park, near Hinckley.

This year's corps is the first group to serve in the MCC Summer Youth Residential Program since its move from the Department of Natural Resources to a non-profit organization in July.

Recruiting from every corner of the state, the program currently employs youth from a broad spectrum of communities and cultures. Past work projects have included erosion control, building and maintaining hiking trails, historical restoration, timber stand improvement, nest box construction, and wildlife habitat restoration.

A unique element to the program is the inclusion of deaf or hard-of-hearing corpsmembers and staff. This element crosses cultural boundaries and allows participants to learn how to overcome communication barriers. Corpsmembers learn the skills it takes to get along with other people, to be willing to share and compromise, and to be a working part of a team and community.

Corpsmembers spend their summer living in a rustic setting without electricity or running water. While in base camp at St. Johnís Landing in St. Croix State Park, youth and staff live in cabins built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s.

The crews, however, spend a majority of the summer at ìspike camps,î living out of tents and preparing their own meals at the work sites.

Project locations for this season include sites along the north shore of Lake Superior, including: Tettegouche, Gooseberry Falls, and Split Rock Lighthouse State Parks. Other spike camp locations include: St. Croix National Scenic Riverway, Grand Portage National Monument, Isle Royale National Park and other publicly owned natural resource areas.

The MCC summer program is a service-learning program where the development of leadership skills and a strong work ethic is stressed. Each evening, the youth participate in an educational activity.

These activities include: plant and animal identification, leadership and teamwork skills, school and career exploration, American Sign Language instruction, and presentations by individuals working in the conservation field or by deaf or hard-of-hearing professionals. Weekends are a time for relaxation and include free time for camping, hiking, canoeing, ultimate frisbee and other activities.

While with the program, youth gain valuable skills in career planning, job searching, and resume building. After eight weeks every corpsmember will have successfully completed a resume that will aid them in any future professional endeavors. Youth finish the MCC program knowing they have grown as individuals, as well as contributed to the well-being of our state's natural resources.

For more information and an application to next year's program, write to the address listed below, or contact MCC on the web at www.mcc.friends.org.

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