I’m just a little sick of this whole “jobs versus the environment” thing. First thing, the goal of good public policy should be to have both good jobs and a clean environment, not one or the other. Second thing, what about all those jobs that are actually FOR the environment?
Despite the bits of snow on the ground, summer is just around the corner for organizations in Minnesota that provide critical services to our parks, trails and natural areas. Groups like Conservation Corps are ramping up their hiring for summer workers.
If you know a teenager, let them know about Conservation Corps. Youth ages 15-18 spend four weeks learning about natural resources and then working hard building trails, clearing brush, and generally making Minnesota an even better place to live. Kids from all over Minnesota participate. Unlike some fancy summer camps, the Corps actually gives its members money, in the form of a small stipend. Applications are due in April.
Young adults, ages 18-25, have a huge range of opportunities in the Conservation Corps’ AmeriCorps program, and not just for summer. In fact, they’re hiring now for spring field crews in northern Minnesota.
Conservation Corps was originally known as Minnesota Conservation Corps, or MCC. It was a program housed inside the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. In the last ten years, the program was spun off from the DNR into a private nonprofit organization, but it’s never been more critical to getting the state’s natural resource work done.
Jobs versus the environment? Hah! Conservation Corps has jobs for the environment, and they’re hiring.