Since beginning my term as a Resource Assistant with the USDA Forest Service in October 2024, I have had the opportunity to contribute to a wide range of initiatives within the Forest Health Protection division. As a program under State, Private, and Tribal Forestry, Forest Health Protection's mission is to provide financial and technical assistance, conduct monitoring, develop technologies, solutions, and recommendations to collaboratively address the issues of forest health threats such as insects, diseases, and invasive plants. In Region 3 of the Forest Service, we cover New Mexico and Arizona, including eleven national forests and a national grassland.

Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway | June 26, 2025 The National Park Service deeply values its Volunteers in Parks (VIPs), whose tireless dedication contributes millions of service hours each year. This invaluable support directly strengthens our ability to preserve and protect our cherished natural and cultural heritage. VIPs are essential in expanding the NPS's capacity, enabling crucial work in diverse areas such as habitat restoration, site maintenance, educational outreach, recreational support, and citizen science initiatives.

The Community Volunteer Ambassador (CVA) program, managed in partnership between Conservation Legacy’s Stewards Individual Placement Program and the National Park Service’s (NPS) Volunteers-In-Parks program, is now recruiting paid interns for the Fall 2025 cohort.

May 15, 2025 - This last winter, I was a Scientists in Parks Cave and Karst Intern at Great Basin National Park. In addition to learning how to go caving, organizing and participating in this year’s Lint Camps, and taking part in a bunch of super fun bird and snow surveys, I was tasked with analyzing all of our existing temperature and humidity data for the park’s 40 caves.

September 10th, 2024 - The Eastern PA Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation (EPCAMR) is sponsoring an AmeriCorps State and National Member Volunteer, Morgan Romanowski, until September 5, 2025, through a partnership between the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation & Enforcement (OSMRE), AmeriCorps, and the Stewards Individual Placement Program (SIPP), a Program of Conservation Legacy. We’re proud to be a national non-profit partner in Pennsylvania.

August 27, 2024 - Meet Olivia Smith, who is a corps member with the National Parks of Boston Climate Conservation Corps through Conservation Legacy!

April 25, 2024 - The Community Volunteer Ambassadors (CVAs) from the Winter 2024 Cohort recently traveled to Fort Collins, CO for National Early Service Training (NEST). From March 18th to March 22nd, these dedicated CVAs immersed themselves in training led by a team from Conservation Legacy, Rocky Mountain National Park, and the Washington Support Office. This capstonr event not only fostered camaraderie among peers but also equipped them with essential skills for their roles in supporting Volunteers-In-Parks program at their respective sites.

Beckley, WV | March 11, 2022 Stewards Individual Placements Program kicks off the celebration of 20 years of AmeriCorps VISTA programming during AmeriCorps week, March 13-19, 2022.

"Andrew worked to advocate for tribal members to successfully obtain employment in Glacier. He worked with Blackfeet Manpower, one of Glacier’s partner organizations, by helping individuals navigate USAJobs, build their resumes, and apply for jobs."

"...we aim to preserve as much of the historic wood as possible. In doing so, we were consciously using wood that had developed idiosyncrasies over the years, making the doors unlevel and not square. Sanding the new-wood veneers for sections of the doors that we couldn’t reasonably save insured that the remaining wood was undamaged by such a tool as a planer.”