The Maryland Conservation Corps Changed My Life: Now It Needs Saving

The Maryland Conservation Corps changed my life: Now it needs saving

Makaila Ballah, a Maryland Conservation Corps worker dispatched to Patapsco Valley State Park, cuts wood during a service day. Ballah was one of 41 Conservation Corps members dismissed as a result of budget-cutting, but Christopher Grieco writes that the program is worth saving. (Photo courtesy of Ballah)As the conclusion of my undergraduate education approached, my post-graduate plans grew increasingly unclear. Financial uncertainty and the lat…

AmeriCorps cuts hit northern Michigan environmental work

Nick Panicola helps conduct a waste audit of the National Cherry Festival in Traverse City in July 2024 as part of his position as a MI Healthy Climate Corps member. (Photo: Izzy Ross/IPR News)This coverage is made possible through a partnership between IPR and Grist, a nonprofit environmental media organization.   Until last month, Nick Panicola was working at two environmental nonprofits in northern Michigan. His jobs at SEEDS Ecology & Educat…