Boots on the ground: Members clean, pack, and plant to honor Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Every year, our Washington Conservation Corps (WCC) members join AmeriCorps programs across the country to make Martin Luther King Jr. Day a “day on” rather than a “day off.” On MLK Day of Service, members transform Dr. King's life and teachings into community service that empowers individuals and helps solve social problems. Let's take a look at some projects our members arranged this year!

Left to right: Members Raechal Burke, Jordan Billheimer, Presley Barbo, Emma Mobley, and Allie Trister spent MLK Day serving the non-profit organization Homeless Backpacks, in Lacey, packing bags of food for youth experiencing homelessness. Photo contributed by Raechal Burke.

Packing bags for food assistance  

One of our field crews in Tumwater took a break from planting trees and shrubs to help make sure youth experiencing homelessness had food for the following weekend. Members packed bags of food with Homeless Backpacks in Thurston County, an organization that provides free bags of food for middle and high school youth for the weekend, when government-supported meals are not available.

Members also served food or conducted inventory at 13 different food pantries or shelters across the state, including FISH Community Food Bank in Kittitas County, Everett Food Bank in Snohomish County, and Helping Hands Food Bank in Skagit County.

Mailing books to support education

Another field crew in Tumwater supported enrichment and educational opportunities for incarcerated people across the country through the nonprofit Books to Prisoners Olympia in Thurston County.

“It was a heartwarming and rewarding experience,” said WCC AmeriCorps member Grace McLarty. “We got to choose books based on letters we received, and write letters to incarcerated people.” The crew rounded out their day leading volunteers in invasive species removal with Capitol Land Trust. “We had an amazing day and are grateful to have been able to serve our communities,” Grace said.

Left to right: Members Julie Pick, Mason Haynes, and Rainer Connelly select books for specific prisoners based on hand-written letters. Photo by Grace McLarty.

Building and painting walls for accessible housing 

WCC members built homes, assembled furniture, and improved facilities at 15 different affordable housing or senior housing organizations across the state. In Jefferson, Pierce, and Skagit counties, members assisted with painting and construction activities with the global nonprofit housing organization Habitat for Humanity.

One of our crews cleaned rooms and facilities at Admiral House in King County, one of Plymouth Healing Communities’ apartment buildings. Plymouth Healing Communities provides housing and companionship to people living with housing instability and mental illness. Staff and residents invited our WCC members to enjoy food and conversation together after they wrapped up cleaning tasks, and our members shared that turned out to be a highlight of the day.

“My favorite and most challenging aspect of my MLK day of service experience was that it required me to exercise a completely different set of skills than the ones we use in our usual line of project work,” said AmeriCorps member Jon Simo. “Socializing with the residents is a skill that comes the least naturally to me than any other. However, that was precisely what made it so rewarding for me. I got to meet and help people from very different walks of life from my own.”

Planting trees for healthy ecosystems

Left to right: Members Bryan Sibrian, Ben Papadopoulos, Malise Yun, Abby Jackson, Lilya Jaeren, Tyler Ransier,
and Gabby Alampay. Photo contributed by Lilya Jaeren.

Seven Individual Placement AmeriCorps members opted to serve outdoors for their MLK Day of Service with Nisqually Land Trust in Thurston County. Together with community volunteers, they planted more than 1,000 native trees and shrubs.

“All seven of us do monitoring for our everyday projects so it was nice to do some environmental restoration, and good exercise digging holes and hammering stakes into the ground,” said Lilya Jaeren, who serves on the state Department of Natural Resources' Aquatic Reserves Team. “It was nice to know that our efforts will have a positive impact on the Nisqually River Watershed.”

In addition, a handful of crew members honed their leadership skills by teaching community volunteers about safety and planting techniques for a restoration event at Whatcom Falls Park in Skagit County, with Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association, City of Bellingham, and Washington Trails Association. In total, volunteers planted 592 native shrubs, ferns, and trees, re-planted more than 2,000 feet of social trails, spread almost 50 cubic yards of mulch, and removed almost 10 cubic yards of invasive Himalayan blackberry, English holly, and English ivy!

These activities will help improve habitat for salmon and octher wildlife along Whatcom Creek, and hopefully inspire local residents to continue getting their hands dirty and building community by attending future volunteer events.

Honoring Dr. King's legacy all year

Our WCC joins thousands of AmeriCorps members, community members, and organizations across the nation in striving to honor Dr. King's legacy every day. As an AmeriCorps program focusing on environmental stewardship, WCC commits to continuing conversations about justice and service, creating a service atmosphere where all can thrive, and working to ensure service opportunities are available to everyone.

Boots on the ground: AmeriCorps members embark on environmental projects statewide

Our 300 Washington Conservation Corps AmeriCorps members are three months into their 11-month service terms, gaining valuable hands-on field skills and supporting critical restoration and trail enhancement projects. Join us for a tour across the state to learn about a few of their accomplishments so far!

 Part of our Kirkland crew gathers around the nurse log they created. Photo by Kelli Sheldon.

Simulated nurse log boosts educational accessibility in King County

City of Kirkland is a new year-long partner for WCC and members are supporting the city’s Green Kirkland Partnership during their 11-month term. The program features collaboration between City of Kirkland, nonprofit partners, businesses, and the community to work toward restoring and maintaining more than 500 acres of urban parks and green spaces across the city.

Among our Kirkland crew’s first projects was a unique chance to support both education and physical accessibility efforts in the city’s McAuliffe Park. AmeriCorps members created a simulated nurse log in a more accessible space to educate the public about traditional old growth forest elements.

“A nurse log is a fallen tree that creates a nutrient rich habitat for young seedlings as it decays,” said crew supervisor Kelli Sheldon. Having a nurse log labeled in a public park affords people the opportunity to learn about ecosystem benefits they provide without requiring visitors hike on technical or uneven trail terrain.

AmeriCorps members started the project with a large poplar tree log. Members used handsaws, circular saws, and Pulaskis (a hand tool used to fight wildfires) to form a small trench on the top of the log. Then they planted a hemlock tree and red huckleberry bush. Finally, they covered the log with a thick coating of moss that grows naturally on nurse logs and provided moisture for the freshly planted vegetation.

A WCC AmeriCorps member enjoys the sunshine as she plants the tree sapling. Photo by Kelli Sheldon

“The crew had a great time constructing the nurse log. It was a great opportunity for us to try out some new hand tools and get creative,” Sheldon said. The AmeriCorps members supporting City of Kirkland shared they value the variety of projects and learning opportunities the city has offered.

“We served at one restoration site early in the year that was less than half an acre in size, yet we discovered and removed more than 10 different types of invasive species from that single site,” said AmeriCorps member Celia Thurman. “Not only was this a huge learning opportunity for the crew and me to learn how to identify these species, but I got to know how to manage each differently as well.”

This fall, members have supported restoration efforts at seven different Kirkland public parks,  improving 1.5 acres for to benefit the public while planting 292 native trees and shrubs.

Isthmus Trail gets a lift in Kilisut Harbor

In November, AmeriCorps members serving North Olympic Salmon Coalition (NOSC) spent a week improving the Isthmus Trail at Kilisut Harbor in Jefferson County. Members improved 88 feet of the trail leading to the beach, including building more stairs and adding a railing to ensure public safety and accessibility for community members.

“The crew groomed the remainder of the pathway leading to the beach so it was more clearly-defined and easier to traverse,” said AmeriCorps member Torin Blake.

AmeriCorps member Christian Akers installs rebar as part of the trail construction project.
Photo contributed by Owen French.

Finally, the crew planted 25 native shrubs around the staircase to prevent erosion and increase wildlife habitat. The trail improvements are part of the larger Kilisut Harbor Restoration Project, led by NOSC, that will create intertidal habitat by restoring the tidal connection between south Kilisut Harbor and Oak Bay.

Members support salmon recovery along upper Yakima basin

WCC AmeriCorps members serving the Yakama Nation collaborated with Mid-Columbia Fisheries Enhancement Group (MFEG) in mid-October to plant native trees and shrubs along a section of the North Fork Teanaway River in Kittitas County. Since the area was first designated for restoration in 2011, the final phases of this restoration project are long time coming.

In summer 2019, MFEG contracted to have several carefully engineered large woody debris structures installed in the river. The structures support salmon habitat by slowing water flow and creating small rearing pools ideal for juvenile salmon.

AmeriCorps member Isabel Casillas puts the finishing touches on a native tree along the North Fork Teanaway River. Photo by Laura Schlabach.

To restore the spaces affected by heavy log-installation equipment, AmeriCorps members led nine volunteers from Trout Unlimited who served 54 hours planting native trees and shrubs. The native plants will help secure the soil and protect the river from erosion.

In nearby Cle Elum, members also planted 4,500 native trees and shrubs along the Yakima River in six days. The vegetation will prevent erosion and eventually improve salmon habitat by shading and cooling the water, making it more conducive for spawning.

Padilla Bay visitors learn about salmon life-cycle

In addition to field crew opportunities, WCC offers an internship program called the Individual Placement (IP) program. IP Izzi Lavallee serves as an education coordinator at the Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in Skagit County. She is part of a team that teaches free monthly educational programs for Mini Explorers (ages 3 to 5) and Junior Ecologists (ages 6 to 9).

AmeriCorps member Izzi Lavallee.
Photo contributed by Izzi. 

"Each month we cover a host of different estuary related topics including curriculum like 'Awesome Eagles,' 'Marvelous Mammals,' 'Camouflage Critters,' or 'Elegant Eelgrass,'" Izzi said.  She describes an inspiring moment during a recent Junior Ecologist program.

“We learned about the importance of salmon ecologically and culturally, their role in the ecosystem, and the stages of their lifecycle. At the end of the class, I read ‘Salmon Creek’ by Annette LeBox and Karen Reczuch. It is a sonorous story about the lifecycle of salmon, told through the intimate lens of a particular Pacific wild salmon named Sumi,” she said.


The story concludes with Sumi completing her lifecycle and spawning her very own nest of eggs – known as redds. Izzi describes illustrations that beautifully capture eagles, otters, and bears feasting on the sea’s bounty, and poetic words that detail the creek’s fresh, earthy smell imprinting on Sumi’s eggs (the next generation of salmon who will return to spawn near the nest someday).

“The author leaves space for the audience to infer that Sumi has died,” Izzi said.  “A little girl with a sad and concerned look on her face asked, ‘Did Sumi die?’”

Izzi responded by gesturing to the salmon life cycle they had all drawn on the board, and it dawned on the children that Sumi’s life ended.

Izzi asked the youngsters, “Who else was able to live on in the story?”

Many small faces turned hopeful, especially after a little girl replied, “The bear and the eagle and her babies got to live because of her sacrifice” while a young boy chimed in confidently, “The cycle continues forever and ever!”

“It made me tear up a bit,” Izzi reflected. “This is why we do place-based environmental education. These kids are making connections, developing an understanding of ecology, finding love and meaning in these ecosystems. These kids are our future. Given access to rich, nourishing education, these kiddos will grow into strong advocates, stewards and protectors for our salmon creeks, for our home.”

Members distribute salmon carcasses in Chiwawa River

Our Wenatchee Spike Crew spent the first half of October adding marine-derived nutrients to the Chiwawa River using a method many likely would deem too stinky for their liking: tossing in dead salmon carcasses.

WCC partner Cascade Columbia Fisheries Enhancement Group (CFEG) is leading the five-year Chiwawa River Nutrient Enhancement Project to give the local waterway a nutrient boost.  Our AmeriCorps members quite literally carried the project in year two. During two back-to-back weeks, members carried 50-pound bags of condensed salmon carcasses (known as analogs or pellets) to dump into the beautiful Chiwawa River.

WCC AmeriCorps members carry heavy bags of salmon analogs
to distribute in the Chiwawa River. Photo contributed by CFEG.

CFEG timed the project to mimic the nutrients that would naturally occur after returning Chinook and Coho salmon spawn. The analogs will decompose and return nutrients to the river, which will in turn provide a food source for insects juvenile salmon eat.  By the end of the second week, members had dispersed 42,000 pounds of salmon analogs to the river.

Wildlife are not the only ones who benefit from nutrient enhancement; the project afforded new AmeriCorps members  an opportunity  to get to know one another. Before hauling each 50-pound bag of salmon analog through a mile-long trek to the river, they cheered “for the fish!” to one another before lifting a bag.

AmeriCorps member Kevin Wooldridge reflected on his first spike experience. "For me, there was so much more to the project than just dumping pellets into the river," he said. "This was an opportunity to spend quality time with the members of my crew. Being able to share the experience together was one of the best parts of the Chiwawa River Nutrient Enhancement Project!"

Giving back: WCC Director Bridget Talebi earns national leadership award

On Sept. 19, Bridget Talebi, director for our Washington Conservation Corps (WCC), was named 2019 Outstanding Service Program Staff Member by America’s Service Commissions. The national nonprofit, nonpartisan association represents 52 state service commissions from across the United States and its territories.

For nearly two decades, Bridget has selflessly served the residents of Washington, first as a member of our WCC starting in 2001, then in multiple roles serving the WCC including operations manager and now director of the 350-position strong statewide service program.

Bridget Talebi (WCC Director, pictured center) with Amber Martin-Jahn (Executive Director of the Serve Washington Commission, pictured right) and Jenny Benson (Program Officer for Serve Washington Commission, pictured left).*

Every year, America’s Service Commissions recognizes the leadership and accomplishments of state service commissions and their commissioners, staff, service programs, and legislative champions around the nation.

The organization’s 2019 national leadership award recognizes Bridget for her long-standing commitment to give back to her community while also strengthening the WCC, the national AmeriCorps program, and other programs in Washington providing national service to the public. Bridget is the first recipient for this new award category.

“I’m so proud to see Bridget Talebi of Washington Conservation Corps receive this national honor,” said Amber Martin-Jahn, Executive Director of the Serve Washington Commission, who nominated Talebi for the award. “Bridget is the epitome of a team player and has been a remarkable change agent for AmeriCorps culture in the state of Washington. Most recently, Bridget has done incredible work to make sure AmeriCorps recruitment and staff hiring practices are as inclusive and equitable as possible.”

WCC offers young adults and military veterans hands-on opportunities to gain experience in environmental restoration, monitoring and research, local and national disaster response services, and education projects.

Bridget’s tireless efforts on behalf of the WCC have been instrumental in helping restore and preserve hundreds of acres of riparian habitat as well as improving water quality and salmon habitat across the state.

In words of colleague Gordon White, who oversees our statewide shoreline protection and environmental review activities, “Bridget is WCC at her core. There are countless examples of Bridget digging in through difficult times. Whenever there is difficult work needing done, she is the first to volunteer.”

WCC also responds around the state and across the country to help recovery efforts in communities affected by wildfires, floods, mudslides, hurricanes, tornadoes and other disasters.

Her work has touched the lives of thousands of Washington residents, including hundreds of current and former WCC members—many of whom chose to work in environmental careers after their service.

“We are delighted to recognize Bridget Talebi as this year’s Outstanding Service Program Staff Member,” said Kaira Esgate, CEO of America’s Service Commissions. “This is the first year we have given an award in this category, and we feel that Bridget’s commitment to excellence and innovation at the Washington Conservation Corps is the perfect representation of what a great AmeriCorps program staff member can be.”

*Photo by Laura Schlabach

Boots on the ground: WCC as a stepping-stone to disaster management career

A decade ago, Nina Rubenstein was swinging a pick-mattock on a Washington Conservation Corps restoration crew. Today she serves as the emergency manager for Providence St. Joseph Health’s Oregon region. It all started with saying “yes” to some exciting – and challenging – opportunities as an AmeriCorps member.

Nina grew up in the world of land conservation. Her father’s experience in the legal arena exposed her to the environmental field, and Nina joined our WCC in 2009 to gain hands-on experience. But she was further enticed by a new angle: the prospect of disaster response deployments.

Nina served on a restoration crew during her
WCC AmeriCorps member days. Photo
contributed by Nina Rubenstein.

During her first year as a WCC AmeriCorps member, Nina deployed to Mississippi to assist communities after devastating tornadoes. The deployment call arrived just before a major stand-up comedy show she was set to open, in front of an audience that included Bill Gates. “I had five minutes to decide whether to deploy, and I weighed what I would have to miss back home,” she said. “I decided to pass up the show, and disaster response turned out to be a calling. That’s pretty cool.”

A formative first - and second - deployment

She removed debris from land where homes had once stood, and led weekly safety meetings. Survivors who owned a crawfish business hosted a full crawfish boil for members at the camp where members were staying during deployment.

“I remember it being my first immersive experience in the South,” she said. Its lasting impact made her want to continue serving on disaster responses. “I decided I would not only do a second year in the WCC, but I would deploy again at any opportunity,” she said.

That opportunity arose when 360 confirmed tornadoes tore across the Southern, Midwestern, and Northeastern regions of the United States in just three days. Nina and WCC’s disaster response teams arrived in northern Alabama a month later, charged with managing a volunteer resource center.

The disaster response teams also needed a logistics coordinator. Already serving as an assistant supervisor and ready for more responsibility, Nina jumped at the chance. Leading the administrative and logistical side of the deployment meant making many phone calls to match field projects with the skill level of the volunteers.

“It was really gratifying to spend time on the phone with people who felt like they had been forgotten,” she said.

Disaster response in a new setting: a classroom

The second deployment to Alabama helped solidify her calling to disaster response. “I saw that the logistical side of things could be a much broader path, and I realized ‘I want to know what path that is,’” she said.

After returning from Alabama, Nina researched options for finishing her undergraduate degree and landed on the Homeland Security Studies program at Tulane University in New Orleans. A few months later, she finished her second service term in the WCC and headed off to Tulane University.

Nina poses at Department of Homeland Security's Center
for Domestic Preparedness in Anniston, Ala. She has visited
the training facility for healthcare emergency management
twice for different courses. Photo contributed by Nina Rubenstein.

After a deep dive into emergency management curriculum—including an in-depth study of the effects of Hurricane Katrina—Nina moved back to the West Coast and secured an emergency management coordinator position with PeaceHealth, a hospital system based in Vancouver, Wash.

She put her experience and new degree to use, building an emergency management program for the two hospitals in southwest Washington. A year and a half later, a colleague from the hospital emergency management field contacted her about a management position at Providence Health & Services in Portland. She hopped on the phone to learn more, and a month later, started her emergency manager position.

Expanding her skills, with a nod to AmeriCorps service

Nina’s team at Providence St. Joseph Health is in charge of emergency management plans for six hospitals and more than 100 clinics and acute care centers. Typical projects include developing full-scale exercises to demonstrate preparedness, including staff training, and building a disaster equipment cache for the region she serves.

She also develops protocols regarding how hospitals manage medical and trauma surge capacity—when patients occupy all beds and services might need to be scaled up to meet the demand. To prepare for mass casualty incidents, Nina designs and leads exercises like “15 ‘till 50,” where the hospital has 15 minutes to prepare to receive 50 incoming patients.

Looking back, the days of waking up at 6 a.m. to meet her WCC restoration crew in Renton provided pivotal experience along her vocational journey.

“In school, and more so now, I found that I knew what I was talking about because I had done it. Applying for jobs and school, I could say I had two years’ work experience in this field, in a supervisory role,” she said. “That was absolutely a leg up in the job market.”

Fast forward to 2019: WCC deploys to Iowa

On July 8, 2019, 10 WCC AmeriCorps members and three crew supervisors deployed to Fremont and Mills Counties in Iowa, to support communities after devastating flooding in spring 2019. Members are spending the month assisting homeowners and operating a disaster response center. Keeping safety a top priority in summer heat, teams are taking turns hydrating and resting, and donning protective Tyvek suits to conduct mold suppression and remove water-damaged material from affected homes.

 Five of our WCC crews are designated disaster response crews, though any crew has the potential to deploy. Our Washington Conservation Corps (WCC) provides disaster services in Washington and beyond, assisting communities after fires, floods, hurricanes, tornados, oil spills, and more.

WCC AmeriCorps members remove invasive species at Camp Murray.
Photo by Taylor Belisle.

Apply to WCC today

Do you want to gain hands-on environmental experience, build your résumé, and make a difference in your community? WCC is currently recruiting for the 2019-2020 AmeriCorps service year! Learn more and apply online: www.ecology.wa.gov/wcc.

Boots on the ground: WCC answers deployment calls to the Carolinas and Florida

In addition to planting native trees and shrubs along rivers and streams, and building hiking trails, our Washington Conservation Corps (WCC) members provide disaster services in Washington and across the country. Our members and supervisors have assisted communities after fires, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, oil spills, and more. So far this fall, our members have been deployed to South Carolina and Florida to assist families after devastating hurricanes. Learn more about our latest deployments below!

Last Sunday, Dec. 2, 36 AmeriCorps members and WCC staff departed for North Carolina and Florida to assist communities after Hurricanes Florence and Michael made landfall. Members will collaborate with AmeriCorps programs from around the nation to remove hazard trees, install roof tarps, muck and gut structures, and serve as command staff to help organize the overall response effort.  Learn more about current WCC community assistance and recovery activities in a recent blog.

Our AmeriCorps members install a tarp on a home in Florida.
Photo contributed by Chelsea Krimme.

Continuing response in Florida 

Our AmeriCorps members have been serving in Florida since mid-October. The first wave of AmeriCorps members helped set up response operations in Tallahassee, train additional AmeriCorps program members, and returned home to Washington Nov. 20.

Full of fresh energy, a second wave of 24 members and supervisors arrived in Florida this past weekend, ready to hit the ground running! They spent their first few days in Panama City training on how to install roof tarps, learning command staff roles, and getting ready to move into the field to assist people and communities impacted by Hurricane Michael. Primary field projects will include removing debris and hazard trees from homes, structures, and yards. They will also potentially be involved in stripping homes down to the bare studs to remove water-damaged material and prevent mold. This activity is called “mucking and gutting.”

Chelsea Krimme, a WCC crew supervisor, demonstrates
how to safely remove a hazard tree. Photo contributed
by Leo Arias.

As of Nov. 12, AmeriCorps Disaster Response Teams, also called A-DRTs, had removed 383 hazard trees and installed tarps or performed temporary repairs on 31 homes or structures in Florida.

Answering a call to North Carolina  

We have 12 WCC AmeriCorps members and supervisors teaming up with Utah Conservation Corps to assist communities in North Carolina, based out of the town of Willard. While several will hold command staff positions, the other 10 will serve as strike teams, assisting survivors with muck and gut projects. They are focusing on suppressing mold in homes and serving as a “mobile strike team unit” –  assisting prioritized homes and structures located farther away that have yet to receive assistance.

Support continues in South Carolina

Our second wave of members serving in South Carolina arrived in mid-November and they have already settled into their roles as part of command staff. AmeriCorps member Daja Curtis, serving as a media officer for AmeriCorps Disaster Response Team, was deeply affected by the effects of the storm immediately upon arrival.

Before moving out into the field, AmeriCorps members
receive training on tarp installation procedures.
Photo contributed by Chelsea Krimme.

“After only being here for three days, I have been touched by the stories and amazing spirits of the survivors,” Curtis said. “The homeowners I've been in contact with have been underserved and faced many hardships, but they stay hopeful doing everything they can to start their lives over with a smile on their face.”

As of Dec. 4, A-DRTs have cleared 3,539 cubic yards of debris and conducted mold suppression on 11 South Carolina homes.

Learn more about WCC

Ecology's Washington Conservation Corps, an AmeriCorps program, provides hands-on experience, field skills, and training opportunities to young adults between 18 and 25 and military veterans. WCC consists of three subprograms: the original WCC, Veteran Conservation Corps and Puget SoundCorps. Recruitment for 11-month positions in the 2018-19 year has wrapped up, but six-month positions will open in January 2019! See photos of the types of projects WCC members support during their service in our WCC Projects Flickr set and WCC Featured Projects Story Map. Learn more on our website. 

Boots on the ground: WCC assists communities after Hurricanes Florence, Michael

In addition to planting native trees and shrubs along rivers and streams, and creating and improving hiking trails, our Washington Conservation Corps (WCC) members provide disaster services in Washington and across the country. Our crews and supervisors have assisted communities after fires, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, oil spills, and more. Join us for a closer look into our recent and ongoing deployments to South Carolina and Florida to assist communities after Hurricanes Florence and Michael made landfall.

Sixty-two AmeriCorps Disaster Response Team members gather in Bennettsville
in early November (about 60 percent of the entire team). Photo contributed
by Luke Wigle.

Starting off a new service year with disaster deployment

WCC’s 285 members kicked off a new year of AmeriCorps service on Oct. 1. And just two weeks later, 12 WCC AmeriCorps members and crew supervisors traded their shovels for deployment ID badges as they departed for South Carolina to assist communities after Hurricane Florence hit in September.

Our teams were charged with setting up operations for additional AmeriCorps Disaster Response Teams (A-DRTs), and leading training sessions, such as cultural awareness, and safety, upon their arrival. Other tasks included managing volunteers and donations, and supporting call centers to record homeowners and community members’ existing projects and needs. They also headed out to the field to lead “muck and gut” efforts – stripping a home down to the studs to remove water-damaged material.

As of Nov. 17, A-DRTs had cleared 2,800 cubic yards of debris from homes and yards, and mucked and gutted 70 structures among many other accomplishments!

WCC AmeriCorps member Seth Benish and supervisor Rob Crawford team
up on the first muck and gut project. Photo contributed by Kristine Solis.

Redirected to serve in Florida

After helping establish deployment operations in South Carolina, five of our 12 WCC AmeriCorps members and a supervisor traveled to Florida to start setting up similar operations in Tallahassee. Communities there also need assistance after the devastating effects of Hurricane Michael, especially on projects like hazard tree removal and roof tarp installation.

Our teams also welcomed incoming A-DRTs from six more AmeriCorps programs from other parts of the country, and provided initial training including how to install roof tarps effectively. 

As of Nov. 12, A-DRTs also had removed 383 hazard trees and installed tarps or performed 

temporary repairs on 31 homes or structures.

WCC AmeriCorps members remove debris from
a home in Florida. Photo contributed by Paolo Rosen.

 Fresh energy in South Carolina

Members serving the initial deployment to South Carolina returned home to Washington on Nov. 15, and our members serving in Florida will return home on Nov. 20. On Friday, Nov. 16, five additional WCC AmeriCorps members departed for South Carolina to continue serving communities affected by Hurricane Florence.

Learn more about what happens leading up to and during a disaster response assignment on our latest blog. If federal authorities request and our resources allow, WCC also stands poised to help other communities in other U.S. states and territories recover from recent natural disasters.

Learn more about WCC

Ecology's Washington Conservation Corps, an AmeriCorps program, provides hands-on experience, field skills, and training opportunities to young adults between 18 and 25 and military veterans. WCC consists of three subprograms: the original WCC, Veteran Conservation Corps and Puget SoundCorps. Six-month positions will open in January 2019! See photos of the types of projects WCC members support during their service in our WCC Projects Flickr set and WCC Featured Projects Story Map. Learn more on our website. 

A WCC AmeriCorps member learns how to safely install a roof
tarp. Photo contributed by Paolo Rosen.

Boots on the ground: How does WCC respond to out-of-state disasters?

Our Washington Conservation Corps (WCC) provides disaster services in Washington and across the country. Our crews and supervisors have assisted communities after fires, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, oil spills, and more. Join us for a closer look inside the process of how we implement out-of-state deployments and a disaster response roundup from the AmeriCorps service year that we just concluded!

Our AmeriCorps members responded to severe flooding in Missouri in 2016.

WCC services requested at the federal level

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has a direct partnership with the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), the federal agency that administers AmeriCorps. When a disaster strikes, FEMA can leverage AmeriCorps members—including our Washington Conservation Corps—to assist disaster response efforts by issuing a “mission assignment” dedicating funds for direct service in identified, underserved communities affected by the disaster. 

How do AmeriCorps members fit in?

Nationwide, 17 programs collectively respond to disaster mission assignments. Working together, they form AmeriCorps Disaster Response Teams or A-DRT. Many of these programs are similar to WCC, providing hands-on service opportunities to youth, young adults, and military veterans. 

A-DRT members gather for a photo during the third wave of
response efforts in Missouri in 2016.

‘How many crews can you send, and when can they arrive?’

When a disaster response assignment is likely, CNCS puts out a call for availability to all A-DRTs across the country. They report to FEMA how many A-DRT members are available, and when. 

In the WCC, our project coordinators manage our 52 crews and 19 individual placement AmeriCorps members. They work closely with WCC Program Director Nick Mott to determine if we are able to respond. WCC strives to respond as often as we can, while also prioritizing our habitat restoration and trail projects for our partners here in Washington. 

Upon finalizing the mission assignment, a flurry of travel plans and logistics begin. WCC staff and supervisors coordinate tools and supplies, order team identification badges, and make sure our AmeriCorps members have the information they need to pack for disaster deployments that can take them away from home for up to 30 days at a time.

WCC supervisors and members hold key leadership positions

With 15 years of disaster response experience, WCC often receives requests to take key leadership positions during disaster deployments. WCC supervisors often serve as incident commander, safety officer, or planning chief. From our experiences, WCC knows how to work in a formalized incident command structure. Their defined roles during deployments help ensure effective communication as well as smooth transitions between different waves of A-DRT members. While WCC deploys at least one of our five disaster response specialists each mission assignment, any WCC crew has the potential of deploying.

Personal protective equipment such as Tyvek suits and respirators
help keep members safe during field assignments.

After A-DRTs arrive, our WCC supervisors and AmeriCorps members lead and participate in trainings. They also set up forward operating bases or primary “hubs” in identified communities. This means another wave of details and logistics: securing food distribution, laundry and shower facilities, tool and equipment storage, and more!

Then, members head out to assist communities in need in the form of “strike teams.” AmeriCorps members receive training to complete a variety of field tasks, including:

• Removing hazard trees from homes and structures.

• Installing blue tarps and making temporary roof repairs. 

• “Mucking and “gutting” – a term for stripping a home to remove water-damaged material.

• Removing debris from homes and yards.

• Conducting mold suppression.

WCC’s training program also focuses on managing volunteers and volunteer reception centers as well as mental health, safety, and communications needs. 

Year-in-Review: 2017-2018 Disaster Response

In addition to restoring salmon habitat, planting native trees and shrubs, and building trails, the 2017-2018 AmeriCorps service year was a whirlwind of disaster response accomplishments! WCC embarked on the largest deployment in program history due to an unprecedented request from FEMA after Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria made landfall in September 2017.

In six months, WCC deployed two-thirds of program member and staff to Texas, Florida, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico to assist underserved communities after these devastating hurricanes.

In response to the hurricanes, WCC and A-DRT:

• Mucked and gutted 611 structures.

• Cleared 53,979 cubic yards of debris from homes and yards.

• Temporarily repaired or installed tarps on 544 roofs.

• Sorted 132,713 pounds of donations.

• Removed 2,284 trees posing a hazard.

Our AmeriCorps members filled and placed sandbags in
three eastern Washington counties in May.

When local disasters occur, local and tribal government partners also request WCC assistance. In May, WCC deployed teams to fill and stack sandbags for residents in Ferry, Okanogan and Pend Oreille counties after severe flooding. We also responded to 12 wildfires, mostly in northwest Washington. In total, 258 members and staff provided nearly 120,000 hours to communities in need over the course of last year.

Learn more about WCC

Ecology's Washington Conservation Corps, an AmeriCorps program, provides hands-on experience, field skills, and training opportunities to young adults between 18 and 25 and military veterans. WCC consists of three subprograms: the original WCC, Veteran Conservation Corps and Puget SoundCorps. Recruitment for the 2018-19 year is just wrapping up, but six-month positions will open in January 2019! See photos of the types of projects WCC members support during their service in our WCC Projects Flickr set and WCC Featured Projects Story Map. Learn more on our website.

Our AmeriCorps members restore habitat for wildlife and salmon, and build and
maintain backcountry and urban trails across Washington.

Boots on the ground: Touring WCC projects across the state

From the peaks of the Olympic Mountains to the fields of Eastern Washington, our 53 (six-member) Washington Conservation Corps crews and 14 Individual Placement AmeriCorps members complete hundreds of restoration and habitat enhancement projects annually. Join us on a spin around the state to learn more about a few of the projects our AmeriCorps members have contributed to this year!

Assessing smolt traps along Padden Creek in North Puget Sound

This spring, WCC AmeriCorps members serving the City of Bellingham started checking smolt traps along Padden Creek - in some long-awaited sunshine! Several years ago, the City of Bellingham helped re-route – or “daylight” – a portion of Padden Creek that once ran through a tunnel. The project has helped restore fish passage, improve water quality, and reduce flood risks for nearby residents. Members played a key role in kicking off the planting phase of the city project, installing more than 15,000 native plants and ensuring freshly planted shrubs survived their first spring.

WCC AmeriCorps members and supervisor Paul Argites team up
to record data at a smolt trap along Padden Creek. Photo by Mitch Metcalf.

In addition, our restoration crews are often involved in installing and gathering data from smolt traps – structures in a stream that help measure the quantity of juvenile fish moving through a waterway. Members also conduct stream surveys and take photos using previously installed photo points.

Data from smolt traps along Padden Creek show how juvenile salmonids are using the creek following the 2015 daylighting project. On a single spring day, members recorded more than 400 juvenile fish in the traps.

Restoring the Klickitat River in Eastern Washington

In fall 2017, ten AmeriCorps members serving in Eastern Washington spent two weeks transporting and planting native trees and shrubs along a four-mile stretch of Klickitat River that provides habitat for threatened salmon and steelhead. Our members transported native plants as much as four miles a day by foot, planting 6,098 native trees and shrubs along the river.

Since the project required long hikes to reach planting sites, members learned about project preparation as well as proper techniques for planting in difficult, rocky soil.  

“Our days consisted of de-potting plants for a specific section, loading them in plant bags and starting our hike that was anywhere from a half-mile to four miles long, depending on what section we were at,” said WCC crew supervisor Leo Arias.

Members take a well-deserved lunch break along the Klickitat River.
Photo contributed by Adrianne Grimm.

The native vegetation will create shade for juvenile salmon and improve erosion control, important elements to the overall effort of helping the river reconnect with its floodplain.

The Klickitat River restoration project also involved adding large woody debris and re-establishing backwater channels to create more suitable habitat for juvenile salmon. Yakama Nation Fisheries  and non-profit Columbia Land Trust have been collaborating on the large-scale floodplain restoration project since 2007. 

Monitoring seagrass in Washington's Puget Sound aquatic reserves

Puget SoundCorps members serving the state Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) Aquatic Reserves Program starting hitting Puget Sound beaches in April to support seagrass monitoring and more. DNR will use the data to learn more about seagrass, a critical component for a healthy nearshore ecosystem. 

WCC AmeriCorps member Lydia Mahr monitors common
eelgrass in a plot on Cypress Island Aquatic Reserve. Photo
contributed by Taylor Belisle.

What does collecting this data actually involve? Members place square plots along a transect – a long measuring tape – and record the species and numbers of all seagrass within the plot. They also collect sediment samples for examination back at the lab. AmeriCorps members also use temperature and light sensors to collect even more information about current water conditions. 

'Spring cleaning' the Overland Trail on Kitsap Peninsula

Our DNR crew serving in Tahuya in Kitsap County embarked on spring projects by getting the Overland Trail ready for seasonal hikers. The 18.5-mile trail, located near Belfair, was full of thick brush and downed trees after the blustery 2017-18 winter. With a summer of upcoming recreation support projects, the Overland Trail and surrounding trail networks afforded members a great opportunity to get in rhythm with multi-week trail projects.

During their first week, members navigated through a few power equipment glitches but the crew conquered initial tasks such as removing encroaching plants and brush, digging drainage structures to move water off the trail, and removing hazards such as sharp sticks and leaning but standing dead trees. 

Sometimes crews team up to complete trail projects! Here, 10 WCC
AmeriCorps members from two crews in northwest Washington gather on
a freshly-constructed section of the Harry-Osborne State Forest trail.
Photo contributed by Trevor Cassidy. 

“An extended trail assignment gives a crew the chance to get acquainted with a backcountry setting and developing efficiencies as they progress from week to week,” said supervisor Brennan Moores. “We have fallen into our grove of daily operations. Crew members are keying in on safety and continue to maintain our standard crew procedures: Safety, quality and quantity." 

A month into the project, our members completed activities on the Overland Trail and moved on to building fencing. They provided hikers with a trail free of hazards and drainage channels cleared of leaves. Their efforts also mean all-terrain vehicles are more likely to stay on the trail rather than driving through wooded areas to avoid standing water and harming sensitive understory plants.

Individual Placement Program members clean up Longfellow Creek Legacy Trail on Martin Luther King Jr Day

WCC Individual Placement member Stevie Knapp organized a debris cleanup along Longfellow Creek Legacy Trail for her Martin Luther King Jr Day project in February. Stevie scouted the project site before the event, but on the morning of the national holiday, she spotted a section of the creek that had gone unnoticed during their initial site visit.

“The area was filled with garbage, so much so that you could barely see the creek,” Stevie said, adding that members chose to refocus their efforts on the newly spotted section.

Since MLK Day this winter, Stevie has organized workshops
on Plastics Pollution and Policy for August 2018 as part of
her role as King Conservation District's education program
coordinator. Photo by Laura Schlabach.

After a welcome and safety talk, the five-person team donned gloves and grabbed some buckets to start collecting debris. Just four hours later, the team had collected 978 glass bottles, 20 cardboard containers, 150 plastic bags, 70 plastic food packaging items, 76 aluminum cans, and more miscellaneous items.

“This event goes to show that even with a small amount of people, you can make a big difference,” Stevie said.  The next day, she sent the data to Ocean Conservancy, a nonprofit environmental advocacy group that advises ocean policy at federal and state levels.

Join WCC

Do you want to help the environment, meet great people and make a difference in your community? WCC is currently recruiting for the 2018-2019 AmeriCorps service year! Ecology's WCC consists of three subprograms: the original WCC, Veteran Conservation Corps and Puget SoundCorps.

See photos of the types of projects WCC members support during their service in our WCC Projects Flickr set. Learn more and apply online today to become a WCC member: www.ecology.wa.gov/wcc

Boots on the Ground: WCC deploys 37 to assist flood response efforts, 35 more on standby

WCC crew readies sandbag berm near Pend Oreille River at Newport.

Today, Friday, May 18, we will have 37 Washington Conservation Corps (WCC) members deployed to Eastern Washington to help communities in Okanogan and Pend Oreille counties respond to the most severe flooding the region has seen in more than 40 years.

Late last week, rain and high daytime temperatures caused significant snowpack melt, pushing many rivers out of their banks. Many local governments directly affected by flooding requested emergency assistance from our WCC AmeriCorps members and staff.

Our WCC crews are deployed to the following communities to help fill, stack and place sandbags to keep floodwaters out of people’s homes:

• 16 members and staff in Newport in Pend Oreille County.
• 18 members and staff in Okanogan in Okanogan County and Cusick in Pend Oreille County.
• Five members and staff in Tonasket in Okanogan County.



WCC members and staff filling sandbags

 in Cusick.

In addition, we have six more members and staff actively supporting a Department of Natural Resources base camp in Okanogan where more than 225 DNR, regional fire district, and other interagency staff are staying during the current flood response. Our responsibilities at the camp include organizing and loading supplies like pumps and hoses, loading trucks, and supporting facilities.

Should we receive additional assistance requests, we have another 35 members and staff on standby ready to deploy to help with flood response efforts.

On Friday, May 11, Gov. Jay Inslee issued a state of emergency to make resources available as flooding and high-risk conditions continue. A total of 20 Eastern Washington counties face potential flooding.

When local disasters such as flooding occur, local and tribal government partners and state officials often request on-the-ground assistance from our WCC.

The National Weather Service is predicting more flooding as hot weather drives more snowmelt to various river systems – especially the Okanogan, Similkameen, Kettle, and Pend Oreille rivers.

The WCC provides hands-on experience, field skills, and training opportunities to young adults between 18 and 25 and military veterans. Our 300 members and 53 field supervisors across the state restore critical habitat, build trails, and protect the state’s natural, historic and environmental resources. They also respond to out-of-state and local disasters.

Learn more about WCC

Ecology's Washington Conservation Corps, an AmeriCorps program, consists of three subprograms: the original WCC, Veteran Conservation Corps and Puget SoundCorps. We are currently recruiting for three-month AmeriCorps members positions. Recruitment for the 2018-19 year will begin in July! See photos of the types of projects WCC members support during their service in our WCC Projects Flickr set and WCC Featured Projects Story Map. Learn more and apply online today.

Boots on the Ground: WCC responds to severe flooding in Eastern Washington

WCC members and volunteers filling sandbags at 5 a.m. in Okanogan

This past weekend, we deployed several Washington Conservation Corps (WCC) crews to help the towns of Okanogan, Tonasket, and Cusick after rain, high daytime temperatures and significant snowpack melt caused severe flooding in Okanogan, Pend Oreille, and Ferry counties.

 

Our WCC AmeriCorps members and crew supervisors spent about 16 hours Saturday, May 12, assisting community efforts to fill, stack and place sandbags to keep floodwaters out of people’s homes.

On Friday, May 11, Gov. Jay Inslee issued a state of emergency to make resources available as flooding and high-risk conditions continue. A total of 20 Eastern Washington counties face potential flooding.

When local disasters such as flooding occur, local and tribal government partners and state officials often request on-the-ground assistance from our WCC.

We currently have two WCC crews deployed to Tonasket and three to Okanogan in Okanogan County. Another crew is serving in the town of Cusick in Pend Oreille County.

A seventh WCC crew is being deployed to the Okanogan County Fairgrounds in Okanogan to set up and manage a camp base for our response partners at the state Department of Natural Resources.

  

WCC members getting sandbags ready in Tonasket.

On Monday afternoon, water levels remained lower than the flooding levels experienced on Friday and Saturday.

However, the National Weather Service is predicting a second flood crest later this week that could be higher than the first as hot weather drives more snowmelt to different river systems in Eastern Washington – especially the Okanogan, Similkameen, Kettle, and Pend Oreille rivers.

The WCC provides hands-on experience, field skills, and training opportunities to young adults between 18 and 25 and military veterans. Our 300 members and 53 field supervisors across the state restore critical habitat, build trails, and protect the state’s natural, historic and environmental resources. They also respond to out-of-state and local disasters.

WCC disaster response program

 

Our WCC crews have responded to local floods, wildfires, oil spills and landslides and have also been deployed to provide disaster relief and recovery assistance for communities affected by floods, hurricanes and tornadoes around the nation. Four WCC crews are designated disaster response crews but any crew has the potential to be deployed.


Sandbags readied in Tonasket.

• Members and staff are trained to safely and effectively:
• Clean up homes, roads and structures
• Install emergency repairs such as roof tarps
• Manage volunteers and donations
• Remove hazard trees and debris
• Set up and operate emergency shelters

 Learn more about WCC

 

Ecology's Washington Conservation Corps, an AmeriCorps program, consists of three subprograms: the original WCC, Veteran Conservation Corps and Puget SoundCorps. We are currently recruiting for three-month AmeriCorps members positions. Recruitment for the 2018-19 year will begin in July! See photos of the types of projects WCC members support during their service in our WCC Projects Flickr set and WCC Featured Projects Story Map. Learn more and apply online today.