Washington Conservation Corps

Washington Conservation Corps conserves and enhances the natural resources of Washington while providing meaningful service opportunities to young adults and military veterans.

• About Us
  Washington Conservation Corps (WCC), an AmeriCorps program housed within the Washington Department of Ecology, creates future leaders through community involvement and mentorship. We have more than 350 members and experienced staff statewide who restore critical habitat, build trails, and respond to local and national disasters.
  
  Through AmeriCorps, the WCC provides hands-on experience, field skills, and training opportunities to young adults between 18 and 25 and military veterans. We work in partnership with nonprofit and governmental organizations that apply for WCC crews or individual placement members to complete projects.
  
  WCC offers two types of positions: field crew and Individual Placement positions. Field crews consist of five AmeriCorps members led by a crew supervisor. We have three crew types: restoration, trail, and spike. Our restoration crews improve habitat for fish and wildlife. Trail crews complete recreational projects on public lands. Spike crews travel around the state to complete short-term restoration or recreation projects for our partner agencies and organizations. The WCC's internship program is called the Individual Placement (IP) program. Instead of serving on a six-person crew, our IPs serve natural resource organizations throughout the state of Washington.
• Our Impact
  Collectively, our field crew and IP AmeriCorps members plant over 1 million trees annually, build or improve over 400 miles of trail, and respond to local and national disasters.
  
  Our restoration field crews serve on public lands to improve habitat for fish and wildlife. Typical projects include planting native trees and shrubs along rivers and streams, removing invasive species, implementing erosion control techniques, and participating in salmon recovery projects. Our trail crews build and improve urban and backcountry trails to improve access and safety. Typical trail crew projects involve constructing or improving recreational trails, building bridges and boardwalks, upgrading and maintaining campgrounds, and installing environmental education facilities. Our spike crews travel around the state to complete a variety of short-term projects for our partner agencies and organizations. Projects include establishing in-stream structures and channels, constructing livestock exclusionary fencing, and collecting marine debris from coastal beaches, along with restoration and trail projects.
  
  IPs serve within a sponsor organization assisting biologists, foresters, environmental educators, and more. Typical IP projects include engaging in environmental research, creating outreach materials to recruit volunteers and / or inform the public about environmental topics, assisting with monitoring projects, and designing restoration projects.