Conservation and job training program plans future without federal assistance
Maryland Conservation Corps 2025 graduates together with crew leaders and Department of Natural Resources staff who worked with them through the year. Photo by AJ Metcalf, Maryland DNR
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources honored members of the 2024-25 Maryland Conservation Corps during their graduation program at Sandy Point State Park on Aug. 26. The ceremony capped 10 months of job training, conservation work, and stewardship with the Maryland Park Service.
This year’s class overcame a significant challenge, as they were demobilized in late April after a sudden termination of grant funds by AmeriCorps, the federal program supporting it. DNR reinstated the Maryland Conservation Corps team with state resources until AmeriCorps grants were restored by court order in June.
“I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to every Maryland Conservation Corps member who volunteered their time, stuck with the program, and helped us plan for the future following the unexpected federal cuts to AmeriCorps this year,” Maryland DNR Secretary Josh Kurtz said. “Corps members in Maryland have renovated park facilities, planted trees, restored habitat, led interpretive and educational programs, and improved natural landscapes in every county in Maryland. This year especially, they played a key role in keeping the program running so we can make sure future Conservation Corps classes can continue these important contributions to the state and the Maryland Park Service.”
The program offers hands-on, real-world experience for young adults in a team-based environment in subjects ranging from aquatic systems to public lands management. This year, members improved more than 2,000 acres of public lands and 220 miles of trails, led educational programs for over 10,500 students and park patrons, completed 102 stewardship projects, and planted 20,800 trees, plants, and native grasses.
“These Maryland Conservation Corps members, and the team that leads them, have shown tremendous resilience and commitment to service in the face of adversity,” said Ranger Angela Crenshaw, Director of the Maryland Park Service. “Despite the challenges encountered, we choose to focus on the valuable education and experience gained through navigating hardship, which is a core tenant of service and workforce development programs. We honor their fortitude, celebrate their successes, and confidently send them forth into the world with a broad suite of skills, values, and opportunities to continue serving their communities.”
The Maryland Conservation Corps began in 1984, and a decade later became one of the first programs funded by AmeriCorps. Many alumni of the program have gone on to conservation careers with a variety of organizations, including the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, the National Aquarium, the United States Geological Survey, and numerous others.
Following the federal government’s termination of numerous AmeriCorps programs on April 25, 2025 – late on a Friday night – the Maryland Park Service coordinated efforts to find resources, facilitate strategic planning, and develop next steps to put the program back into place.
On May 27 the department reinstated the MCC program with state funding to complete the season. While continuation was offered to the 41 members who began the season, 17 accepted the offer as many had moved on to other opportunities in the interim. A judge’s ruling reinstated AmeriCorps, although the availability of federal funding remained uncertain to confirm program operations for the next term.
To continue the program this year and into the future, MCC has partnered with the Maryland Department of Service and Civic Innovation (DSCI) and the Maryland Corps/Service Year Option Program to support funding for member living allowances. This partnership allows MCC to maintain operations despite budget constraints. Following the Maryland Corps/Service Year Option program calendar, members will begin service on September 10, 2025, and complete the program on June 23, 2026.
Maryland Conservation Corps members are between the ages of 18 and 25, and complete at least 1,700 hours of service.
For the 2025-26 program year, there will be five MCC host parks (one in each region of the state) with four to six members per crew. These crews will continue to follow the MCC Service Model and serve parks throughout their assigned region and statewide. The membership was selected from among existing and new applicants.
