Vermont Youth Conservation Corps

The Vermont Youth Conservation Corps was established in 1985 by the Vermont State Legislature with a one-dollar appropriation. Thomas Hark, a former Camp Director with the Minnesota Conservation Corps, was hired to direct this new program. Under Thomas' vision, the program was housed in the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation and focused on providing young people with valuable natural resource training and education and on accomplishing high priority conservation work in Vermont's parks, natural areas, and recreation lands.

Since 1985, the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps has served young people from every county and nearly every town in Vermont and has completed several million dollars worth of priority conservation work throughout Vermont. The Corps has also established partnerships with agencies and organizations, such as the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation, Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Environmental Protection Agency, National Park Service, and Green Mountain Club.

Today, the Corps is a private nonprofit organization that operates via strong partnerships with public agencies, in addition to private support from corporations, foundations, and individuals. This support has grown continually over the years. The Corps is now well-known for its high quality work, education programs, and ability to meet real public needs, and is looking forward to serving additional young people in the future.