Conservation Legacy

We are thrilled to announce the launch of Energy Community AmeriCorps! This innovative initiative has been designed to empower communities impacted by previous or pending coal mine and power plant closures. We aim to bridge the gap between environmental and economic concerns by focusing on a more diversified economic portfolio within these communities. Developed in partnership with the White House Climate Policy Office, the Energy Communities Interagency Working Group, and AmeriCorps, this project will place AmeriCorps VISTA members with local organizations working to create opportunities in advanced manufacturing, small businesses, tourism and more. You may notice these VISTA members soon impacting regions near you! The priority regions include Appalachian Ohio, Eastern Kentucky, Illinois Coal Basin, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and more. Join us on this journey! ➡️ Visit our website to learn more and see how you can contribute: StewardsLegacy.org/ECAP Your support makes all the difference! AmeriCorps & Stewards Individual Placements & EnergyCommunities & Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC)

🚨🚨🚨👉 Every year, Conservation Legacy supports more than 1,800 AmeriCorps members, but these programs are in jeopardy. @VoicesforNationalService is having a day of action TODAY to prevent funding cuts. Together, we can ensure these vital programs continue to thrive and serve our communities! Visit Voices for National Service to learn more about the impact of AmeriCorps and how you can support its future. #AmeriCorps #CommunityService #SupportAmeriCorps

This past month, a team of Conservation Legacy staff members attended the PGM One conference, a nonprofit organization established for BIPOC individuals to gather, learn, heal, and collaborate on US-based environmental movements. It was our first time back since 2019, and we couldn't have been more excited to participate. 🌟 Our booth was a hive of activity, with five dedicated staff members—representing from CCNC, ALCC, and CL—sharing our mission and engaging with attendees. A special shoutout to one of our stellar team members, who presented an inspiring session on Latina women in conservation. Way to go, Juliana! 🌠 And on top of all that, the team met up with one of our board members, CJ Goulding, during this event! What a week it was. 🌱 Thank you to everyone who stopped by the Conservation Legacy booth and attended this conference with the goal of collaboration. We're looking forward to continuing these important conversations! Conservation Corps North Carolina & Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps

🎷Check out this fun story that features Conservation Legacy intern, Garrett Kirkland and his educational work with four federally recognized tribes at the New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park. Read the full article to learn more about his role with Stewards Individual Placements and the unique blend of music and history in the heart of New Orleans! #JazzNPS #ConservationLegacy #NewOrleans https://ow.ly/brHp50SlMGJ Stewards Individual Placements

🌟Meet the Executive Directors of Conservation Legacy 🌟 Meet our newest Executive Director from from Chattanooga, Tennessee, Southeast Conservation Corps' Darcy Welch! Fun Fact: Darcy has very deep Appalachian roots and grew up with a woodland state park as her backyard playground, spending countless hours exploring caves, splashing in creeks, and napping in the woods. Every day in first grade, she would fill her mouth with water from the water fountain and run out past the blacktop to where a sapling had been planted that seemed thirsty and watered it. She didn’t think anyone noticed, but her first-grade teacher would remind her of it years later. 🥰🌳 😋 Favorite Snack: "I can blow through a bag of wasabi peas (sans the artificial colors and GMOs being ideal). They are the perfect crunchy, sweet-n-spicy snack! -It’s on my bucket list to grow my own horseradish and trial test my way to the perfect recipe using my food dehydrator!" Thank you for your leadership, Darcy! We are so happy to have you as part of the Conservation Legacy team. Southeast Conservation Corps

Rounding out our celebration of National Forest Week, let’s shine a spotlight on one of West Virginia’s legendary scenic locations—the Monongahela National Forest! ⛰️ This forest is a true gem with its rugged landscape, rivers, blueberry thickets, highland bogs, and exposed rock areas. From 900 feet to 4,861 feet at Spruce Knob, the highest point in West Virginia, the Monongahela invites year-round adventure. This forest contains the beauty of five Wilderness Areas, the legendary Seneca Rocks, and the unique Cranberry Glades Botanical Area. The forest is also the source of six major river systems, and the name Monongahela comes from the Lenape language, meaning “the river of falling banks” or “many landslides” referring to the area’s major floods. 🌳 #NationalForestWeek #MonongahelaNationalForest National Forest Foundation 📍 Monongahela National Forest 📸 2018, Conservation Legacy crew completing rockwork and using highline tools.

With so many incredible National Forests across the nation, let’s continue National Forest Week and highlight of one of North Carolina’s four National Forests—Croatan National Forest! 🌟🌊 This forest is a favorite of Conservation Corps North Carolina with 160,000 acres of coastal land bordered by the Nuese River, the Bogue Sound, and the White Oak River. Within this forest is the opportunity to explore the diverse landscape from interior woodlands to saltwater estuaries and raised swamps known as pocosins. The name Croatan recognizes the small Algonquin tribe and their modern-day Lumbee descendants who still live, fish, and hunt along the northern Outer Banks. The term Croatan means "council town" or "talk town" and refers to a place where councils were held. 🌲 #NationalForestWeek #TontoNationalForest 📍 Croatan National Forest

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🌟Meet the Executive Directors of Conservation Legacy 🌟 Next up, meet our fearless leader from North Carolina, Jessie Birckhead, who has been at the helm of CCNC since 2022! 🦜 Fun Fact: Jessie is a lifelong birder and has seen over 1,200 species of birds so far. Her favorites include the Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Waved Albatross, and Capuchinbird. 🍅 Favorite Snack: "Nothing beats fresh cherry tomatoes right off the vine in the summer!" If you love birds, OG Stanley's thermoses or ESPECIALLY horses, Jessie is your gal. Thanks, Jessie, for all your hard work leading the incredible team at CCNC! Conservation Corps North Carolina

Shout out to our partners at National Forest Foundation for bringing us an annual celebration of this country's awe-inspiring National Forests! 🌲✨ Let us start National Forest week with a tribute to the largest National Forest in Arizona—Tonto National Forest! Embracing nearly 3 million acres of stunning landscapes, Tonto ranges from desert cacti to pine-forested mountains. With altitudes from 1,300 to 7,900 feet, it offers year-round adventures, from winter desert canyons to summer lakes and cool pine retreats. Tonto National Forest boasts 900 miles of trails and eight Wilderness Areas. Within the land, there is a rich history of the Hohokam people and the Apache and Yavapai tribes whose stories with the region span more than a thousand years and remain significant today. 🌵🏞️ #NationalForestWeek #TontoNationalForest 📍 Tonto National Forest Interested in learning a little more? Follow the link for some history on how the Tonto National Forest got its name: https://ow.ly/9uCc50Sv2Ht.