Where are they now?

Adam Jacobson, now an Army Medic for the Honor Guard in Washington D.C., served as a Conservation Corps field crew member in 2009. Based in Bemidji, he planted trees in Big Bog, combated soil erosion and built trails for northern Minnesotans to enjoy. “Working in the Corps helped me see a bigger picture of the world. I saw that my actions could directly affect people and the environment.”

“Before I joined the Corps, I was reserved and I didn't like to try new activities or even meet new people. I feel that the Corps helped me to get out of my shell and participate in community activities,” Adam says. “The most valuable lesson I learned was to have a good attitude with everything you do. People will notice when you do your job well and without complaint. I had many fond memories with the Corps, and no matter where we went there was fun to be had.”

Jason Schmidt, a former Summer Youth Corps crew leader with Conservation Corps Minnesota (then MCC), is an Outward Bound instructor in the North Carolina Mountains. His Conservation Corps experience inspired him to continue living and working in the outdoors, says Schmidt, who joined Outward Bound four years ago.

As a teenager, Schmidt first heard about MCC through a recruitment ad in his local paper. “Even though it didn't sound like a lot of money, spending the summer outside sounded fun and has become a theme for me,” says Schmidt who, after serving MCC in the summer of 2000, went on to serve an AmeriCorps NCCC term in Charleston, S.C. He then served two years as a crew leader in the Southwest Conservation Corps in Tucson, Ariz. Schmidt says he chose Outward Bound because of their commitment to service, “instilled in me from my powerful AmeriCorps experience, which I never would have heard of had I not spent a summer in St. Croix. …Let the crew leaders know that what they are doing is invaluable, to take pride in it … they are changing lives!”  

Cathi Fouchi, a Minnesota DNR natural resource planner, served in the former Minnesota Conservation Corps in 1984 when it was a program of the DNR. She remembers her experience fondly. “The first few weeks I was loaned out to The Nature Conservancy on a prescribed burning crew. We burned some beautiful prairie areas,” says Fouchi, who served in Bemidji. “One was a night time burn.The site of the prairie burning towards our line is something that I will remember forever. I could easily imagine what early settlers must have thought when they first saw something like that.”

Fouchi went on to work for the DNR in various capacities including wildlife technician, assistant wildlife manager, wildlife program coordinator and watershed coordinator. She says her time with the Corps helped develop her career. “I gained and improved valuable skills … team work and prescribed burning … which were useful in life” 

Rudy Goldstein, a Conservaton Corps alumnus, kayaked from his Hutchinson, Minn. home on the Crow River to Hudson Bay. He launched the trip on Sunday, April 25 and paddled 30 miles a day for three months, raising environmental awareness and donations for Conservation Corps Minnesota.

Follow where Rudy's story took him during his journey by reading his blog:
http://paddlepaddle.blogspot.com/

Dirk Peterson, a Youth Conservation Corps alumnus who served in northern Minnesota, has been named the Minnesota DNR Fisheries Chief. “Citizen and agency interview panel members were impressed by Dirk’s depth of knowledge, breadth of experience and vision for serving the anglers and citizens of Minnesota,” says Dave Schad, DNR Fish and Wildlife division director.

In 1978, Dirk served as a YCC crew leader in the Isabella National Forest and worked on stream survey projects in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. “I enjoyed the work and the energy those 15-16 year olds brought to each day,” Dirk says. “I also learned how to be patient and how to take time to explain tasks.”

The same year, Dirk joined the Minnesota DNR and has managed fisheries operation in the central region since 2001. He played key roles in restoring metro area trout streams and creating an urban angling opportunity program. He has been involved in statewide fish and natural resource policy development, legislative relations, and working with commercial operations.