Utah Conservation Corps Celebrates 25 Years Of Service

LOGAN, Utah — The Utah Conservation Corps is celebrating 25 years of its mission to develop the conservation leaders of tomorrow.

Since 2001, more than 3,400 members of the Utah Conservation Corps, an AmeriCorps program within the Utah State University Center for Community Engagement, have served on field crews or in positions with state, federal and nonprofit partners. Together, they have served 2.3 million hours creating or improving nearly 5,500 miles of trail, restoring approximately 93,000 acres of public land, and providing more than 579,000 individuals with environmental education.

The program, initially housed out of Campus Recreation’s Outdoor Recreation Center (now Outdoor Programs), saw a first-year class of 20 AmeriCorps members grow to a program that now has over 200 AmeriCorps members serving a number of natural resource conservation and environmental education projects throughout Utah and the Intermountain West.

The Utah Conservation Corps is accredited by the Corps Center of Excellence, the national body for service and conservation corps. The program received a 2024 Project of the Year Award from The Corps Network for its collaboration with the Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation at Wuda Ogwa. The Utah Conservation Corps has also been instrumental in launching USU student initiatives, including Aggie Blue Bikes, Student Nutrition Access Center, Urban Community Farm, and Harvest Rescue.

The Utah Conservation Corps will mark this 25th anniversary year by highlighting current members and alumni of the program, recognition of partnering agencies and community service activities around 9/11 Day of Service and Public Lands Day this fall.

“It’s been an incredible honor to contribute to Utah State University’s land grant mission by giving our AmeriCorps members high-impact skills and experiences working alongside dedicated conservation professionals to address some of our state’s natural resources challenges” said Sean Damitz, executive director for the Utah State University Center for Community Engagement and co-founder of the Utah Conservation Corps.

“This program has shaped the character of our communities and the future of conservation in Utah,” said Loggins Merrill, director of the Utah Commission on Service and Volunteerism. Merrill added that UCC members come from Utah and across the country. “They leave Utah better than they found it, and they leave with skills, perspective and a lifelong commitment to service. That is the true legacy of the Utah Conservation Corps.”

For more information about the Utah Conservation Corps please visit www.usu.edu/ucc.