WisCorps conservation crew members complete projects across Wisconsin

This fall, fifteen AmeriCorps members with WisCorps completed high-quality environmental restoration projects throughout Wisconsin and at Indiana Dunes National Park. The AmeriCorps members served over 9,500 hours and gained hands-on technical skills as part of three conservation crews.

Below is an overview of the projects the WisCorps AmeriCorps members completed as part of the three conservation crews.

Roving Restoration Crew

Project #1 - Driftless Area Land Conservancy

The five-person Roving Restoration Crew started their fall season with two consecutive weeks with the Driftless Area Land Conservancy. One week was dedicated to invasive species treatments at the Conservancy’s recently acquired Spring Valley Tract property north of New Glarus, WI. During their second week, the crew switched gears to focus on building three new segments of The Driftless Trail near Spring Green, Wisconsin.

Project #2 - Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve

The Roving Restoration Crew helped to implement conservation practices within the St. Louis River Streambank Protection Area. The crew canoed to and from small islands and peninsulas for two weeks to perform various invasive species treatments. 

Project #3 - Ozaukee County

The Roving Restoration Crew finished out their eight-week fall season with four consecutive weeks with Ozaukee County, moving throughout their parks, camps, and open spaces. Each location featured a different project, but all four weeks emphasized invasive species control.

Roving Trails Crew

Project #1 - North Country Trail Association

While based near Copper Falls State Park, the five-person Roving Trails Crew started their season by serving alongside the North Country Trail Association staff and Heritage Chapter volunteers. Over the span of four weeks, the roving crew constructed 1.25 miles of the new North Country National Scenic Trail and performed trail maintenance on existing sections of the NCT.

Project #2 – Lakeshore Natural Resource Partnership

In late October, the Roving Trails Crew shifted from northern Wisconsin to the state's eastern side. The crew stayed in Sheboygan County for several weeks and partnered with two project sponsors on habitat restoration projects. The crew started on a collaborative bluff restoration project in North Point Park. Key players in the project include the Lakeshore Natural Resource Partnership, Stantec, The City of Sheboygan, and WisCorps.

Project #3 – Maywood Environmental Park

After a week of services at North Point Park, the Roving Trails Crew shifted to nearby Maywood Environmental Park, which is managed by the City of Sheboygan. The crew tackled several different tasks within the 135-acre park, emphasizing ash removal, prairie restoration, and trail rehabilitation.

Project #4 – Ice Age Trail Alliance

This Roving Trails Crew crew finished their fall season with two weeks of work on the Ice Age National Scenic Trail. The crew worked alongside Ice Age Trail Alliance staff members and chapter volunteers in Riverland Conservancy’s Merrimac Preserve near Devil’s Lake State Park. These two weeks were spent rebuilding an Ice Age Trail boardwalk burned in a recent fire and performing habitat restoration near the Ice Age Trail.

National Park Service Crew 

A five-person WisCorps crew spent their entire fall field season serving alongside seasonal NPS crews at Indiana Dunes National Park. Half of their services were dedicated to wetland restoration, while the other half was focused on forest restoration.

MCHS Recovery Corps AmeriCorps members help expand recovery coaching services through their lived experience

Marshfield Clinic Health System - Recovery Corps has expanded the reach of its AmeriCorps program to assist people in additional communities across Wisconsin, including those living in or around Wausau and Weston. The AmeriCorps members with the program serve as recovery coaches with the program, assisting individuals impacted by addiction and substance abuse on their recovery journey. This year, AmeriCorps members Lanise Crisp and Jenn Podeweltz will bring their own lived experience in recovery to their service at Marshfield Medical Center – Weston.

Louise Crisp struggled with addiction for around 25 years but is now serving her third term as an MCHS Recovery Corps member, helping others on their road to recovery. Lanise explains that "Addiction is an epidemic…I understand what addiction is; I been through the ups and the downs and the lowest of the low." Despite the bumps that people can encounter along the way, she says that "recovery is possible; you have to believe."

Looking back at her experience during her recovery and why it helped lead her to become a recovery coach this year, Jenn Podeweltz said, “I realized when I was in treatment that a lot of people could relate to the places I’d been, and I’d gone in there a couple of different times…I didn’t have anywhere to go. I didn’t have a support system because I’d already done a lot of damage to my own previous support system with family and friends.” Looking at her life after being in recovery, she explains that “it’s changed a lot. I’ve gotten my children back. I’ve gotten my family back. I’ve gotten my self-worth, and I feel like I’ve found my life path. So even though nothing really good came from my addiction, a whole lot of good has come from my recovery.”

For more information about their service and the impact that MCHS Recovery Corps members have for those they serve and the community as a whole, visit these press articles/videos:

• WAOW News 9 - Marshfield Clinic expands recovery coach program, aims to provide hope for those with addiction
• WSAW News 7 - Communities get new substance use recovery option

Green Bay Conservation Corps brings community volunteers together for Make a Difference Day

The AmeriCorps members and program staff with the Green Bay Conservation Corps (GBCC) celebrated Make a Difference Day on Saturday, October 29th, by hosting its first-ever volunteer event as a new AmeriCorps program at Red Smith Park. With the help of about 20 volunteers, including Mayor Eric Genrich and Alderwoman Jennifer Grant, the GBCC removed invasive species from the park, including buckthorn and honeysuckle.

Make a Difference Day, celebrated the fourth Saturday of October, is a national holiday dedicated to volunteering. Established in 1992, Make a Difference Day encourages everyone to take one day a year to make a difference in their community. The GBCC focused on a habitat restoration project at Red Smith Park to reflect the goals of the City of Green Bay. Many volunteers were surprised by the amount of buckthorn and honeysuckle in the woods at Red Smith Park and the impact that one day of service can have on a local site. 

The GBCC AmeriCorps members and program staff would like to thank the many volunteers, Alderwoman Jennifer Grant, and Mayor Eric Genrich for participating in the event and thank Kavarna and Cellcom for sponsoring the event and providing beverages and snacks for all of the participants. They were appreciative of their participation, feeling the event allowed them to learn more about the many people that make up the amazing communities of the Green Bay area.

Fresh Local Turkeys Flock To The Howard-Suamico School District through Farm to School service

Using the Wisconsin Local Foods Database, AmeriCorps member David Lee Schneider with Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction AmeriCorps Farm to School was able to find a local farm to source turkeys for the school district where he serves.

During his three years of service with Farm to School, David has been one of the AmeriCorps members helping to maintain and spread awareness of the database that helps connect school food service directors and farmers to help get locally grown items into school meal programs.

David explains how adding the locally sourced turkey to school menus is just one example of the value of the connections made through the database, saying, “adding fresh, locally sourced turkey to the school menu right from the farm to the school has so many benefits: supporting local farmers, supporting the local community, and turkey offers a high nutritional value that provides a rich source of protein, vitamins, and minerals.” David continues that “nutrition is so very important for a healthy life, and a balance from all five food groups is bedrock! Nutrition is extremely important for students as they are growing, learning, thinking, and leading an active life.”

For more information, visit

• "Fresh Local Turkeys Flock To The Howard-Suamico School District" reflection by David Lee Schneider
• Wisconsin Local Foods Database: https://sites.google.com/dpi.wi.gov/wilfd/home

Service stories from AmeriCorps members with Department of Public Instruction Farm to School program

November episodes of The S-Files podcast

This month on The S-Files, we explored the service stories of two AmeriCorps members serving this year with Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction AmeriCorps Farm to School. Check out these episodes below and access all of the podcast episodes on The S-Files podcast series website.

Harvesting from the Heart with Farm to School

In this episode of The S-Files, we are exploring the service done by AmeriCorps member Peyton Keith, who is serving with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction AmeriCorps Farm to School at the Bayfield School District, where she herself graduated from high school having grown up in a tribal community just outside of Bayfield. Peyton discusses the nutrition and gardening lessons and field trips she has done the first few months of this school year with the students she serves, a large majority of whom are tribal members, including the cultural connections they make during their activities. She describes working with her students to harvest items out of their school garden, their aquaponics system, and a field trip to gather wild rice and how they have used these items and other local produce to create pizzas, apple cider, apple chips, and other items for nutrition lessons. Peyton also discusses connections that have been made with local farmers, including having them share information with her students and getting more locally sourced items into the school meal program. Listen to learn how Peyton is making a difference in her local community and the plans she has for future activities inside and outside the classroom to continue making connections with her students. (listen to the episode here) 

Serving Students across Seven Schools with Farm to School

In this episode of The S-Files, we are exploring the service done by AmeriCorps member Wes Broske, who is serving with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction AmeriCorps Farm to School at the Monona Grove School District. Wes describes working with students across seven schools, including teaching nutrition lessons at their four elementary schools and working with middle school students on lessons on preservation and fermentation. He discusses working to develop school gardens throughout the district, hoping to expand them at several locations and increase student access to learning in the gardens. Wes also describes working to get local foods into schools, both locally through Harvest of the Month items in the Monona Grove School District and throughout the state by helping connect farmers and school food service directors through the Wisconsin Local Food Database by serving as the manager for the East Central region of the state. Listen to learn how Wes is making connections with students, farmers, and other AmeriCorps members as he continues developing lessons and ways for students to increase access to local foods and school gardens. (listen to the episode here)

Serve Wisconsin hosting New Program and Staff

Boot Camp on January 24-25

Serve Wisconsin will be hosting our annual New Program and Staff Boot Camp on January 24th and 25th, 2023 in Madison at the Pyle Center. This training is geared for new program staff and is open to any program staff that would like additional training or a refresher or staff at organizations developing a new AmeriCorps program, with planning grant staff required to attend this training.

The boot camp covers several topics, including: an overview of larger landscape of AmeriCorps and national service, rules and regulations, program management, site monitoring and compliance, and enhancing the experience of AmeriCorps members. This boot camp is hosted every year as part of the cycle of trainings and workshops hosted by Serve Wisconsin to provide support for its AmeriCorps programs.

To register, please complete the registration form located here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/new-program-boot-camp-serve-wi-americorps-tickets-467726872667

For questions and more information, please contact Élysse Chay at Elysse.Chay@wisconsin.gov.

Deadline for NCCC AmeriCorps Concept Papers is January 5 for projects in May-June or June-August 2023

AmeriCorps NCCC teams are 18-24 year-olds traveling regionally to help communities meet their critical needs by completing projects that typically last 6-8 weeks. NCCC partners with a variety of nonprofit organizations, government entities (federal, state, or local), educational institutions, neighborhood associations, Native American Tribal Councils, and community-based or faith-based organizations to complete projects that address compelling community needs. These projects address five main service areas: natural and other disasters, energy conservation, environmental stewardship and conservation, infrastructure improvement, and urban and rural development.

As an example, the Cedar 3 Team of AmeriCorps NCCC members are served between September 19 and November 8 at YMCA Camp U-Nah-Li-Ya to provide assistance to the Greater Green Bay YMCA. They completed several projects at the camp including improving trail systems, renovating the amphitheater, and building new camp sites.

Nonprofit organizations and government agencies interested in working with an AmeriCorps NCCC team either between May 4 and June 27, 2023 or between June 26 and August 4, 2023 need to submit a concept form by January 5. The next deadline to submit a concept form will be March 2, 2023 for working with an AmeriCorps NCCC team next year between July 14 and September 8 or between August 11 and October 12. Information on the application process for these upcoming periods or for dates later in 2023 is available in their Request for Proposal (RFP) for 2023 service dates.

For those interested in taking an active role in promoting national service and volunteerism in Wisconsin, the Wisconsin National and Community Service Board has a current or pending vacancy for board members for the following appointment type:

• A representative of business
• A representative of local government
• A representative of local labor

Those interested in serving must complete an application to the governor for the appointment. The online application for a board position can be found HERE, with additional information on the application process found at Apply to Serve - Governor Tony Evers. If you are interested in serving on the board and have any questions, please contact Serve Wisconsin Executive Director Jeanne Duffy at jeanne.duffy@wisconsin.gov.