In this issue

• Three of four volunteers at a prescribed burn were former MCCers
• Spring sweepers
• This season's hot new crews
• MCC's summer youth corps hired
• Join MCC's team as an AmeriCorps VISTA member

Every few years, Peace Church in Duluth, MN lights a prescribed burn on their property. This year, three former MCC corpsmembers were found volunteering together on the April burn. Doug Bowen-Bailey, Craig Bublitz, and Martha Minchak are members of the Peace Church and all were members of MCC.

The three are friends today, although they did not serve in the corps at the same time or capacity. Doug was a summer staff in the Summer Youth Program in 1995. Martha spent 1984-1986 researching and surveying deer wintering while Craig was on a seasonal crew near Thief Lake in 1986-1987. The three are pictured on the right column.

MCC tools typically include saws, GPS units, and shovels, but in April you would have seen the Duluth Crew with brooms in hand. The crew was sweeping the driveways and sidewalks for Duluth residents to ultimately protect Lake Superior.

Each spring, the sand applied for winter road safety is washed into storm drains which lead directly into local creeks and Lake Superior. The run off quickly adds up to an enormous amount of sediment. The South St. Louis Soil and Water Conservation District and the City of Duluth raised awareness and created a disposal program for the sand, asking Duluth residents to sweep and rake up the sand instead of letting it wash into the streets.

MCC was given a list of households who were unable to sweep their sidewalks, due to age or disability. The crew spent a day sweeping and raking for these residents. "I really felt good about the project," said Sara Muchowski of the Duluth crew.

Spring just got more exciting at MCC with the addition of two new seasonal young adult crews. The Canoe & Boat Route Crew and the Shoreline Restoration Crews are starting work on Monday, May 15.

The Canoe & Boat Route Crew is dedicated to the Minnesota DNR Trails & Waterways program. For the next six months, the crew will be maintaining designated canoe and boating routes across the state. The crew will do GPS surveys, maintain campsites, remove snags, and keep the routes in excellent condition for all boaters.

The Shoreline Restoration Crew is a three month crew dedicated to the Minnesota DNR Shoreline Habitat Restoration Program. The crew will be working across the state on projects that will ultimately improve water quality, improve wildlife habitat, and stop erosion on many of Minnesota's lakes.

90 youth have been hired to be part of MCC's 2006 Summer Youth Program. The 15-18 year olds are excited to begin and will arrive at St. Croix State Park on June 18, 2006. 17 of the youth are returning for a second summer as Youth Leaders or as members of the new wilderness crews. The youth will spend the summer working and camping on crews across Minnesota.

Over 150 youth applied to the summer program, and MCC is always looking for ways to support more youth in the program. You can help by sponsoring a summer youth participant. Contact Rolf Hagberg to find out more.

MCC is currently accepting applications for our Alumni and Recruitment VISTA member. As our Alumni and Recruitment VISTA you would create networks with different communities for ongoing recruitment, in addition to strengthening MCC's alumni base and opportunities. Your work will boost the corpsmember experience and help create service-learning opportunities for nearly 200 youth and young adults.

Applications will be accepted through June 16, 2006. The year of service begins in mid-August. Find out more by visiting MCC's web page.

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