Virginia Service & Conservation Corps Is Accepting Applications

April 23, 2023

According to a press release from the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, applications are now being accepted for Virginia Service and Conservation Corps.

Applications are open now for adults of any age to join the Virginia Service and Conservation Corps (VSCC) for service beginning on May 17. Applications for the 450 and 675 hour programs close on April 30.

The VSCC is an AmeriCorps program that operates in Virginia State Parks and participants serve in park locations throughout Virginia developing and leading interpretive programs and maintaining and enhancing trail systems. The programs vary by hours of service and each program allows you to build new life skills while giving back to nature.

The 450-hour program focuses on the park trails and service opportunities in Virginia State Parks during the summer months. Depending on their site, members may also assist with trail maintenance and construction as well as with resource management projects. Members of the 675-hour program focus on delivering interpretive programming to park visitors with the goal of expanding visitor knowledge of the natural world. Participants of both programs will work with park staff to recruit volunteers and lead volunteer service days in state parks and natural heritage areas.

Benefits of joining the VSCC include training in interpretive techniques, first aid, canoe/kayak trip leadership (depending on park), and professional mentorship from park staff. Members receive a bi-weekly living stipend, along with an education award of up to $2,474 upon successful completion of service. Members who are not provided with park housing receive a housing stipend.

Applications for the 450 and 675 hour programs close on April 30.   More information can be found on the Virginia State Parks website.    www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/ameri-corps

Story By

Bonnie Ralston

Bonnie Ralston is the Assistant Station Coordinator at WVLS and a Highland County news reporter. She began volunteering at Allegheny Mountain Radio in the fall of 2005. In 2006 she became an AMR employee and worked in Bath County for eight years as the WCHG Station Coordinator and then as the news reporter there. She began working in radio while in college and has stayed connected to radio, in one way or another, for more than thirty years. She grew up in Staunton, Virginia, while spending a lot of time on her family’s farm in Deerfield, Virginia. She enjoys spending time outside, watching old TV shows and movies and tending to her chickens.
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