Mountain Alliance of Conservation Corps

The Mountain Alliance of Conservation Corps is a collaborative effort of the various conservation corps in the Four Corners region of the Southwest. Its purpose is to provide opportunities for member corps to work more closely with one another, to enhance funding possibilities, and facilitate a more meaningful experience for individual Corpsmembers

 

 

Introduction

The Mountain Alliance of Conservation Corps (MACC, www.mountaincorps.org), was formed in 2005 by the corps programs of the four-corners region of the Southwest with the goal of collaboration and advancement of the corps movement as a whole. Member corps partner on service projects, share resources, collectively seek funding opportunities, and work together to facilitate a more meaningful experience for individual corpsmembers.

Mission

To build a strong alliance of supportive Corps across the region, providing a seamless network of programs that offer high-quality experiences for participants and complete high-quality projects for partners.

Programs

The Mountain Alliance of Conservation Corps is:

• Canyon Country Youth Corps (CCYC, www.fourcornersschool.org)
• Coconino Rural Environment Corps (CREC, www.crecweb.org)
• Nevada Conservation Corps (NCC, www.greatbasininstitute.org)
• Rocky Mountain Youth Corps, Taos (RMYC, www.youthcorps.org)
• Southwest Conservation Corps (SCC, www.sccorps.org)

Corps Programs

What is a corps?

“Corps are heirs to the tremendous legacy of the Civilian Conservation Corps, a Depression-era program that engaged six million young men in conservation work. Like the legendary CCC of the ‘30s, today’s corps are a proven strategy for giving young men and women the chance to change their communities, their own lives and those of their families through service. In short, corps are amazingly versatile, cost-effective programs that allow young people to accomplish important conservation, community restoration and human service projects, while also developing employment and citizenship skills.”

-National Association of Service and Conservation Corps (NASCC, www.nascc.org)

What is the difference between a corps and a contractor?

While corps programs often perform the same types of project work as contractors, that is where the similarities end. Corps programs, by contrast, build young people and community as much as they do trails. They are motivated primarily by their corpsmembers’ personal and professional development and the positive effects of their service on the community. Though each corps program has a slightly different approach to corpsmember development, they each enhance their members’ service experience in order to facilitate learning and growth.

What do MACC programs have in common?

MACC’s program standards are available at www.mountaincorps.org/standards. pdf. They outline the minimum standards required of every MACC corps’ operations. How are the MACC corps different? Though more alike than they are different, MACC corps vary in significant ways. Two important differences are in the age groups served by each and their individual scope of work. Each program can also determine how and with whom they will partner. Some partner with divisions of government, while others partner with 501(c)3 non-profit organizations and each partnership has its own set of requirements and limitations. MACC assists its member corps in overcoming some of these limitations, thus generating beneficial opportunities for future projects.

Corps Profiles
Canyon Country Youth Corps
Monticello, UT

A youth employment program, for ages 16-23, to do needed service work on public lands. Eight to ten member crews work for 6-10 weeks in the summer to do trail work, revegetation projects, excavate, document, or protect sites.

Coconino Rural Environment Corps
Flagstaff, AZ

CREC offers youth, 16-18, and young adults, 18-25, the opportunity to serve their community, country and environment through hands-on conservation work. Project partners include virtually all of Arizona’s land management agencies.

Nevada Conservation Corps
Reno, NV

The NCC provides students and young professionals opportunities to make meaningful contributions toward protecting and conserving Nevada’s natural heritage, while also gaining valuable work experience.

Rocky Mountain Youth Corps
Taos, NM

Rocky Mountain Youth Corps addresses critical local issues in a meaningful way from creating fire-safe, ecologically sound communities to providing valuable life and job skills to community youth. RMYC preserves and restores the native habitat of northern New Mexico and builds an all inclusive community through the team service by 16 -25 year old youth.

Southwest Conservation Corps
Durango, CO & Tucson, AZ

SCC empowers individuals to positively impact their lives, their communities and the environment. Young people aged 14-25 years old choose from seven distinct programs across Southern Arizona and throughout the Four Corners region. All programs involve crew-based service completing meaningful projects on public lands.