News

Hello VYCC Alumni and friends,

Happy Autumn! We are writing to let you know that the 2008 Alumni Rendezvous has been postponed until December when the VYCC will be hosting a large holiday event at the West Monitor Barn. We hope you will join with us as alumni, project sponsors, community members, donors, staff, and members of the VYCC Board of Directors get together to celebrate the successful completion of our 23rd season. We will be sending out more information about the event in the near future. We apologize for the late notice and look forward to seeing you in December!

Cheers, The VYCC

The Vermont Youth Conservation Corps (VYCC) is again seeking transportation enhancement projects for our crews. We are looking ahead to the 2009 field season and anticipate receiving funding from the Federal Highway Administration and the Vermont Agency of Transportation. With this funding, the VYCC will complete high-priority conservation projects that match at least one of the transportation enhancement activities listed on the back of this memo.

12 Transportation Enhancement Criteria and more information (PDF)

Project Proposal Form (PDF)

If your project is eligible and selected, you may receive the following:

• One fully-funded VYCC crew of up to eight crew members and two adult leaders
• Reimbursement for some or all materials used on your work project
• High-quality, long-lasting improvements to your community resource

If you are interested in making improvements to paths and trails that serve as community connectors and green space linkages, do not delay; we have a limited number of crew weeks available. Please see the “Hire a Crew” section of our website at www.vycc.org for more information or to view a printable project proposal form. Please mail the completed project proposal form with the requested additional information to our office by November 3, 2008.

If you have a project which needs to be completed, but you feel it does not meet the transportation enhancement criteria listed on the back of this memo, VYCC crews are also available on a cost-share basis. Please visit our website for more information on this option.

Again, the application deadline for transportation enhancement project proposals is November 3, 2008.

Please call John Leddy if you would like to discuss project ideas or for more information about the application process. We look forward to receiving your application.

John Leddy
Operations Director
802-434-3969 ext. 137

The Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation in partnership with the Vermont Trails and Greenways Council will be hosting the Second Annual Vermont Trail Symposium on Saturday, October 18th, at Groton State Forest. The day will consist of a number of skill building workshops presented by trail professionals from around the state. We will also honor individuals and organizations who have dedicated countless hours of time energy towards the cause of recreation. Come join us for a day of dirt, fun, and celebration!

Please visit www.vermonttrailsandgreenways.org for more information or e-mail our very own Justin Kenney at jkenney@vycc.org.

The VYCC has wrapped up its summer season but that doesn’t mean the work is completed! September 15th marked the first day of the Conservation and Community Leadership Program fall calendar. The fall season launched with a crew headed to Greensboro to complete trail work at Barr Hill and Long Pond Natural Areas in partnership with the Freeman Foundation, the Greensboro Conservation Commission, and The Nature Conservancy. Over the next few weeks three CCL fall crews will complete 14 weeks of conservation projects around the state.

School is in session for our VermontFutures School Program Crews! The VYCC is now operating five school crews throughout Vermont. Partnerships with local schools include The Center for Technology – Essex, Mount Mansfield Union High School, Lamoille Union High School, Woodstock Union High School, and Champlain Valley Union High School. Over 50 high school students from around the state will be participating in the School Program this year completing projects in agriculture and natural resources in and around their home communities.

Visit the School Crew Leaders webpage and learn more about the amazing people leading these crews!

The third annual Denim and Diamonds was a huge success!  Over 130 people turned out for a great party, and raised almost $41,000 in support of the VYCC’s programs for youth and the environment.  Many thanks to our Event Sponsors, including:

Vermont Tent Company

Bolton Valley Resort

Chittenden Bank

Fairpoint Communications

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If you weren’t able to attend  the event, you can still support the VYCC by donating an item or service to our Holiday Online Auction … and save the date of November 15 to check out vycc.cmarket.com and purchase some of the amazing items we have, including a family season pass from Bolton Valley Resort, a season pass to Sugarbush, restaurant and spa certificates, and much more!  For more information, please contact Kate Villa at (802) 434 - 3969 ext. 100 or kate@vycc.org.

Our summer field season ended on August 17^th with 12 crews returning to the Leadership, Education & Training Center at the West Monitor Barn to hand in their green shirts and say goodbye to the VYCC for the summer. Each crew gave a presentation to an audience of parents, headquarters staff, Corps Members and Crew Leaders from 2008. Below are some photos from the 2008 Field Season.

On July 14th, the Woodstock, Burlington, and Montpelier Community crews converged at the West Monitor Barn and dove into the 24 Hour Experience. The day began by crews helping to prepare food in the kitchen that would fuel them for the upcoming hours. The crews then moved through a series of stations out on the land where they explored the natural features of the VYCC property and successfully completed various teambuilding exercises. They were also guided through a set of discussions where they identified needs they saw in their community and then designed service projects that will help address those gaps. The projects include: planting trees in the Champlain Valley, hosting an event in Woodstock to create connections and foster community, and various other things that may include developing a scholarship to honor the life of a Corps Member that was lost this summer.

The crews then stretched their minds by completing many environmental education and sensory activities. They benefited from further exploration of the VYCC land as well as inter-crew mingling making many connections with others sharing the VYCC Community Crew experience this summer. The retreat culminated with an epic night hike with a solo component and a glorious view of the sunrise from the ledges behind the barn. A great time was had by all and we look to make this an annual tradition!

On June 25th, the VYCC crew staffing North Hero State Park participated in a turtle release through the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Nongame and Natural Heritage Program. After spending the winter being cared for at the Lake Champlain ECHO Center in Burlington, thirty two turtles were released into Lake Champlain from various points on the North Hero waterfront. The North Hero waterfront is a critical area for nesting Spiny Soft Shell Turtles which are listed as a threatened species in Vermont. The turtles released included Spiny Soft Shell turtles as well as Map, Snapping, and Box Turtles. The crew helps Wildlife Biologist Steve Parren by monitoring the North Hero beach for turtle activity. The North Hero State Park Crew is comprised of members of the VYCC’s Conservation and Community Leadership Program.

The Montpelier Community Crew spent the first two weeks of their seven week session at Food Works at Two Rivers Center in Montpelier this summer doing a variety of work projects. They have been planting trees, bushes, and herbaceous plants along the riverbank to help control erosion and have also constructed raised bed container herb gardens, removed brush and undergrowth in the outdoor teaching kitchen, and participated in garden maintenance and upkeep on the Earth Garden and Herb Garden. In addition, the crew has gotten their hands dirty helping to plant, weed, compost, and participate in many other farm chores around the Center. They have also had the opportunity to work with an experienced team of timber framers in restoring the first floor of the historic barn there, originally built in 1836!

To learn more about the crew’s work at Food Works at Two Rivers Center, join us for the Montpelier Community Crew’s Open House Presentation on August 13th.