Conservation Corps Member

What You Will Do

Our Corps consists of twenty-six college-aged Conservation Corps members who spend 350-hours outdoors, learning about environmental conservation and carrying out community service work. The summer is broken into three primary parts:

Part I – Training
A 7 to 10-day environmental conservation and leadership training with the whole Corps.

Part II – Site Placement
Conservation Corps Members are placed in teams of 2- 4 at one of several host sites for four days of the five-day work week (Monday to Thursday). Site examples: County of Rockland Drainage Agency, Town of Ramapo Department of Public Works, and the Division of Environmental Resources. Sites change annually. At these sites, members work on various types of conservation projects for 250 hours of service time.

Part III – Friday Projects
On Friday of each week all our Members come together for hands on group service projects which will total about 50 hours.

Term of Service

• Start Date: On or about Monday May 18, 2026
• End Date: Friday, August 7, 2026*
• Hours: 350 (100 training, 250 direct service)
• Hours Per Week: 35-40
• Days of Service: Monday through Friday and some weekends

*Members can serve until August 31, 2026 to complete the required hours.

Training: What You Will Learn

(50 hours) We offer an experience that has components of classic environmentalism and community action projects while also exposing you to hands on government and not-for-profit environmental conservation work. Our 50 hours of environmental training and 50 hours of Friday service projects provides environmental education on a huge variety of topics such as public speaking, pollution and consumerism, career options, and event planning. Below is an example of some of the skills that many of our Corps Members learn every summer:

• How to plan volunteer events and lead groups of people in volunteer service.
• How to speak effectively and engage an audience.
• How to teach people of all ages about environmental conservation.
• Different career opportunities in the conservation, environmental, and public service fields.
• How government and not for profit organizations operate and serve the community.
• How to conduct water quality assessments, build hiking trails, outreach to a community, local species identification, composting, and stream evaluation.
• Environmental issues such as pollution, soil erosion, waste and recycling, invasive species, history of local forests, local food, sustainable agriculture, storm water management and more!

Service: What Type of Work

(250 Hours) Each site placement offers customized community service experiences with unique environmental opportunities. Below is an example of some of the work our Corps Members have done in previous summers:

• Patrolling local rivers and streams removing blockages and cleaning up trash.
• Inspecting, measuring, documenting, and photographing storm drains and outfalls to ensure storm water flow and quality of water.
• Repairing and building hiking trails throughout local parks. In addition, beautifying and cleaning up county parks.
• Visiting farmer’s markets and summer camps to teach about composting, recycling, eco-systems and water quality.
• Producing educational videos to outreach to about environmental threats and how to properly compost.
• Designing, facilitating, and building park infrastructure to increase use and access.
• Distributing educational materials on environmental issues to residents of Rockland County.

Site Placement

Corps Member are placed at one of several service sites for four out of the five-day work week (Monday – Thursday). You spend eight hours a day at these sites immersed in a conservation project specific to that community and organization. Sites change annually. Past service sites have included:

• Rockland County Drainage Agency
• Cornell Cooperative Extension of Rockland County
• Rockland County Division of Environmental Resources
• Clarkstown Planning Department
• Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University
• Town of Ramapo Department of Public Works
• Rockland County Soil & Water Conservation District
• Rockland Lake State Park

Community Impact: Friday Projects

(50 Hours) On Friday’s our whole Corps come together for group service projects and exploration days. Some past service-learning days were:

• Trash clean-ups and river/stream clean-ups
• Working on local organic farms: digging swales, planting crops, harvesting produce, and more.
• Trail building and design.
• Native American Stewardship Project
• Invasive species removal.
• Visiting environmental research centers to learn about global environmental issues.
• Networking and skills building with other environmental organizations.
• Building stairs and other infrastructure at local parks
• Group hikes and swimming in beautiful lakes.
• Planting shrubs, trees, plants, etc.

Why You Should Join

• Receive training and experiential education in environmental conservation.
• Spend your summer outdoors making a difference with other like-minded people.
• Gain experience in an environmental workplace, as well as valuable professional contacts.
• Get experiential education and training in environmental conservation.
• Explore the Rockland County region and see all it has to offer.
• Receive a living allowance of $3,500.
• Upon successful completion of service, Corps members receive an education award in the amount of $1,565.08.

Requirements

• Must be at least 18 – 25 years of age. Out of school youth are welcome to apply, but must be able to begin full-time on or about May, 18, 2026.
• Must be a US Citizen or permanent legal resident.
• Ability to motivate and work with people from all ages and backgrounds.
• Throughout service experience, members may be expected to conduct physically strenuous field work; use tools that require repetitive motion; and/or lift/carry/move heavy items.
• Transportation to various locations around Rockland County and the surrounding regions.
• Conservation Corps Members must serve 350 hours within the parameters of the program.
• Pass a criminal history background check.
• Attending all days of training. 5/18/26-5/29/26.