Veteran Conservation Corps
Providing opportunities for military veterans to continue service
The Veteran Conservation Corps is a sub-program of our Washington Conservation Corps (WCC) that provides opportunities for recently returned veterans to transition from military to AmeriCorps service.
AmeriCorps service enables veterans to continue serving their communities and country by gaining new skills, certifications, and experience in the environmental field. While serving in our program, veterans attend a series of paid trainings and obtain career-transferable certifications (e.g., Wilderness First Responder, Hazardous Waste Operator, Wildland Firefighting, etc.). As AmeriCorps members in the WCC, veterans earn a semi-monthly living allowance and an AmeriCorps scholarship upon completing our program. Veterans can use this award to supplement GI Bill benefits, paying qualified student loans, or future tuition expenses.
We encourage veterans to apply for all positions of interest.
Veteran Conservation Corps member projects
Veteran Conservation Corps members help restore and protect Washington's environment through the following types of restoration projects:
- Removing beach debris and structures that damage shoreline habitat.
- Planting, maintaining, and preserving urban and native trees and shrubs.
- Restoring marine and nearshore habitat.
- Repairing and replanting stream-side habitat.
- Building and maintaining backcountry and urban trails.
- Constructing trails, bridges, and boardwalks.
- Removing invasive weeds.
- Monitoring restoration sites and sampling streams.
In addition to completing environmental stewardship projects, our members provide disaster services in Washington and across the nation during floods, fires, hurricanes, and other natural disasters.
Background
In 2011, Puget SoundCorps legislation provided funding for veteran-specific opportunities and waived the 18-25 age limit for Gulf War Era II military veterans to serve in the WCC. The Veteran Conservation Corps is made possible by our partnership with the Washington Department of Natural Resources, Washington Department of Veterans Affairs, and U.S. Forest Service.