Archive for the 'Corps Members' Category

Save gas…carpool! The VYCC encourages Corps Members to carpool to the West Monitor Barn in Richmond, VT for Crew Start Ups and Closures. Corps members looking for a ride or who are able to provide a ride for someone else should leave a comment below. Please post contact information, what session you will be working on, and what town you will be leaving from or returning to on Start Ups and Closures.

If you have any questions, please contact the VYCC at (802) 434 – 3969 x200.

We look forward to meeting you and travel safe!

Session 1: June 19 – July 17, 2010

Session 2: July 24 – August 22, 2010

What’s it like to be a VYCC Corps Member? We work hard, maintain trails, get muddy, build puncheon, and restore natural areas through erosion control and invasive species eradication. When not working, our residential crews camp out beneath the stars, cook meals over stoves, discuss controversial articles from the VYCC’s WoRd book, and partake in lighthearted shenanigans! Over four weeks of “roughing it” in the wilderness, we work together to strengthen communities and make friendships that last a lifetime.

Still having a hard time imagining a VYCC crew? Check out our slideshow of crew journal excerpts, WoRD articles, and pictures from the 2009 season!

*To read the WoRD articles and crew journals, we suggest you view the slideshow in full screen mode. After clicking play, click the full-screen button at the bottom right hand corner of the picture.

Thank you to all of our Crews who worked so hard over the last two months! Through the sweltering heat and torrential downpours, our Crews took it upon themselves to make a difference in the world. Collectively, we built foot bridges, restored natural areas, removed invasive species, improved erosion control systems, expanded trail networks, and helped make Vermont a more beautiful community!

If you find yourself missing the early mornings, dirt and grime, rock bars, and–above all–the passionate and amazing people, check out our Second Session slideshow from last Sunday’s closure:

2nd Session Slideshow: http://vycc.org/alumni/2009closure.html

See you next summer for another round of high-priority conservation work!

Second Session Crew Closure is Sunday, August 23rd! All VYCC Corps Members will need to be picked up from the VYCC Headquarters in Richmond, VT. Parents, friends, and family members should plan to arrive at the West Monitor Barn at 12:30 p.m. to pick up Corps Members. We will do a final Circle Up and Crew activity from 1-2pm, after which Corps Members will be free to head home.

If you have any questions about Crew Closure, please call the VYCC Headquarters at 802.434.3969 x200.

See you Sunday, August 23rd at 12:30!

Directions to the VYCC Headquarters in Richmond, VT:

From I-89 Southbound, take Exit 11 (Richmond). From the exit ramp, turn right no Rte. 2 East towards Richmond. The West Monitor Barn is located on the left side of Rte. 2, two miles after the light in the town of Richmond.

Where can you find Corps Members, delicious food, and a great VYCC celebration? At our Second Session Crew Open Houses! Each Crew will host its own potluck meal to celebrate its efforts, achievements, and completed work projects. Come experience the life of a VYCC Corps Member and see the fruits of their hard work. If you plan on attending, please bring a dish to share! For questions or to RSVP, contact Kris at 802.434.3969 x122.

Roving 1: August 22, VYCC West Monitor Barn, 5:30 pm

Roving 2: August 12, August 12, Campsite in Chittenden, 5 pm *Call 802.434.3969 x122 for directions

Roving 3: August 19, VYCC West Monitor Barn, 5-7 pm

Roving 4: August 19, VYCC West Monitor Barn, 5 pm

Roving 5: August 19, Lakewood Campground in Swanton, 6 pm

Roving 6: August 19, Manchester Forest Service, 12-2 pm

Roving 7: August 19, tentatively the Pittsfield Town Green, 5-7:30 pm

Roving 8: August 19, Campsite behind Millstone Hill Lodge in East Barre, 5 pm

Wilderness 1: August 16, Killawatt Park Ballfields in Hartford, 5 pm

Wilderness 2: August 16, Gifford Woods State Park near Killington, 12-4 pm

Woodstock Community Crew: August 12, Forest Center at the Marsh- Billings National Historical Park, 4-7 pm

St. Albans Community Crew: August 12, Milton, 6  pm

Montpelier Community Crew: August 12, Hubbard Park in Montpelier, 5 pm

Richmond Community Crew: August 19, VYCC West Monitor Barn in the Hay Mow, 5pm, featuring Nepalese cuisine!
**Please check back periodically for updates.**

Serving as an AmeriCorps (AC) Corps Member for the VYCC’s Park Program is an opportunity to gain firsthand experience in public lands management and environmental education. AC Corps Members work on a broad array of conservation and environmental education projects, ranging from tree plantings to teaching children how to hold frogs. The work is challenging and rewarding with great opportunities for growth.

Join the VYCC Team! For more information, visit here.

This month, we are starting a new and recurring section of the VYCC Enews. “On The Land” will be a forum to describe the activities and initiatives on our 400-acre property. We have lots of exciting things happening here, all directed at meeting our broad goals for our land, including stewarding the land sustainably, developing an effective outdoor classroom, and using the land as a valuable community resource.

This month, we started a partnership with Camels Hump Middle School (CHMS) to monitor reptiles and amphibians on our property. Our first step was hosting a training led by the Vermont State Herpetologist and Director of the Vermont Reptile and Amphibian Atlas, Jim Andrews. Jim trained over 30 CHMS teachers and parents, as well as VYCC staff and instructors, on the identification and ecology of frogs, salamanders and snakes that we are likely to find on our land. Jim also discussed how to construct monitoring stations (called cover boards) for snakes and amphibians. This week, 80 students from CHMS visited our property and constructed 15 cover boards for amphibians and 10 for snakes. More students will be visiting next week to construct an additional 5 stations for amphibians and 30 or more for snakes.

If you would like a map showing the locations of VYCC monitoring stations, contact our Land Stewardship Specialist, Bradley Materick and he will send you a copy. This partnership represents a perfect example of the use of our land as an effective outdoor classroom and a valuable community resource, and we want to thank Jim Andrews and the teachers at CHMS who have helped get this project of the ground!