SANTA CRUZ – Twenty-nine AmeriCorps members attended a sort of conservationist boot camp at Louden Nelson Center this weekend as they prepared to head out to projects around the state.
The group leaves for several different areas Monday, said Ashley Downing, a project manager with American Conservation Experience, an AmeriCorps offshoot with an office in Santa Cruz.
Projects include trail maintenance, eradication of invasive species, habitat restoration and fuel load reduction – on federal, state and private land.
Nico De Paolo, 23, a UC Santa Cruz graduate from Carlsbad, said he was working as a naturalist at Camp Campbell near Boulder Creek when he heard about the program.
He joined in January and spent weeks restoring areas damaged by illegal off-roading in the deserts near El Centro in Southern California, he said. The area is home to an endangered lizard and tortoise.
Nights were spent in tents and days in the windy desert, where the work included outreach to off-road enthusiasts about legal places to go, he said.
“Most people were really receptive to it,” he said. “Overall it”s been a very positive experience. It”s hard physically, but it”s fun.”
De Paolo hopes to work for State Parks and intends to get an advanced degree in ecology, he said.
“ACE will provide a good connection with government organizations that do conservation work,” he said.
The program requires that members be age 21 to 30. It provides housing, food while working and a stipend. At the end of a person”s service they receive an “education award” of about $2,700 for use on past or future schooling, Downing said.
It all works well in Santa Cruz, she said.
“Our mission fits in well with the environmental ideals of Santa Cruz,” she said.
The office hosts about 40 members each year, most of whom work from March to September, she said.
The weekend training included lessons on wilderness first aid, leave-no-trace-behind camping and more.
Elizabeth Juvera, 23, a UC Santa Cruz biology graduate from Daly City, said she joined after spending 18 months “looking for potential professional opportunities” that didn”t materialize.
Her goal is to earn a master”s degree in conservation biology or natural resources management and work in that field.
Ideally, she would do forest restoration in a place like Yosemite, Juvera said.
But for now she is headed to El Centro, and said she is happy to get the work.
“Hopefully this will give me the skill set necessary for what I want to do,” she said. “It”s a nice way to get some experience.”
For more information on the organization, visit www.usaconservation.org. For more about projects or partnerships, call Vasiliki Vassil at 345-3019. For membership information, call Andrew Mumm at 818-321-2690.
Follow Sentinel reporter Cathy Kelly on Twitter @cathykelly9
