Student Conservation Association trail crews expect to start on time
By Mike Lynch
A pair of Adirondack AmeriCorps programs are looking for a way forward after their federal funding was abruptly cut in late April.
Those include the Adirondack AmeriCorps program that focuses on trail work and is run by the Student Conservation Association (SCA) and one that works with schools that is based at the Wild Center in Tupper Lake.
The Adirondack Explorer thanks its advertising partners. Become one of them.
Jeremy Burns, SCA’s national program manager for its state AmeriCorps program, said his organization’s Adirondack trail crew will start their season on Monday with a full staff. But he declined to go into specifics about any changes because many details were still being worked out due to the newness of the situation. The state Department of Environmental Conservation, a partner in the Adirondack program, does provide some funding.
“We’re continuing to work with a partner to navigate a path forward,” Burns said. “We’re absolutely going to start on May 12.”
The Wild Center’s program is currently suspended as it works to raise funds with the goal of resuming after several weeks.
The Trump Administration cut funding nationwide for AmeriCorps programs in late April. In New York, the cuts prematurely ended the service of 1,200 AmeriCorps members in 40 programs in 300 locations, according to a lawsuit filed April 29 by dozens of states, including New York, against the federal government in opposition to the cuts.
The Adirondack Explorer thanks its advertising partners. Become one of them.
The Trump Administration terminated about $30 million in AmeriCorps grant funding term going to New York state, according to Governor Kathy Hochul’s office.
AmeriCorps describes itself as “the federal agency for national service and volunteerism.” Its members receive a stipend to pay for living costs and are eligible for education funding after their term ends. Their duties range from environmental stewardship to assisting seniors to disaster relief.
Adirondack AmeriCorps
The Adirondack AmeriCorps program has existed since 1998. It now consists of 24 AmeriCorps members who are led by SCA administrative and leadership staff. Their headquarters are at the state-owned Whitney Headquarters on Little Tupper Lake in the town of Long Lake.
Working from mid-May until mid-October, the team is broken up into four trail crews of six people each. Recent projects have included sustainable trails up Mount Van Hoevenberg and Poke-O-Moonshine.
The Adirondack Explorer thanks its advertising partners. Become one of them.
“We are the people power that help these land management agencies here, in this case, the DEC, really get these, these high priority projects done,” Burns said.
Supporters pitch in to help close funding gap
In Tupper Lake, eight members were part of the AmeriCorps School-Community Partnership Program based at the Wild Center. The program originally started as a two-year grant in 2023 and had been extended.
The current group of members started in October and were expected to end their service in August. The members led nature-based programs at the Wild Center but also worked in local schools by leading Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programming.
“Our AmeriCorps members support youth health and wellness in basketball and cross-country skiing programs, and reading programs at our local library. They provide much-needed volunteer support for big events such as races and even Brew-Ski, helping raise money for local needs,” according to a statement from the Wild Center.
The Adirondack Explorer thanks its advertising partners. Become one of them.
The current project has a total budget of $380,928, consisting of an AmeriCorps grant of $286,974, with the Wild Center paying $93,954. The abrupt cut to the federal funding left the program with about a $70,000 shortfall, according to the Wild Center.
Wild Center Deputy Director Hillarie Logan-Dechene said the museum is attempting to fundraise in the coming weeks to continue the program. She said they already have a person willing to provide a $36,000 donation, if the museum can raise the same amount.
“I’m very optimistic that with all the wonderful support we’re hearing from the public that are impacted by what the Wild Center does in the community, that hopefully we can get there in the next 30 days,” Logan-Dechene said.
In the meantime, she said the AmeriCorps members have continued to volunteer their time in the community. That included helping hundreds of terminally ill children do a virtual tour of the Wild Center.
“There was no belly aching, there was no complaining,” Logan-Dechene said. “They just said, ‘Well, if we can’t work we’re going to volunteer while they’re waiting to hear what happens.’ So they have been amazing.”
Alumni members reflect on program’s impacts
AmeriCorps alumni who served in the Adirondacks lauded the program say it had a lasting impact on their careers.
Mike Tripodi, regional disaster program manager for the American Red Cross based in Glens Falls and serving the southern and eastern Adirondacks, served a stint in 2010 with AmeriCorps where he trained partner organizations to run shelters and worked to increase the availability of emergency supplies.
He said many Adirondack region Red Cross employees also got their start in the disaster relief field in the AmeriCorps program.
Burns is another AmeriCorps alumni who now lives in the eastern Adirondacks. He served in Maine doing trail work.
He said the program helped him develop skills in the field while also helping him grow personally and further realize the importance of access to wild places.
“It was a really great way to combine all of those interests,” he said.
Julia Goren is the executive director at the Adirondack Rail Trail Association and former interim and deputy director at the Adirondack Mountain Club. She served two terms, one in Massachusetts working for the forest and parks department and one as a conservation associate in Arizona at the Wupatki National Monument.
“I would say who I am today is definitely directly a result of those AmeriCorps positions,” Goren said. “We need young people to have valuable, tangible experiences where they can build skills and where they can do so in a safe, supportive learning environment”
Photo at top: Members of the SCA Adirondack Corps enjoy the fruits of their labor along the Clay Meadows Trail of the Tongue Range along Lake George — repairing stone abutments originally built by the CCC and replacing the bridge. Photo courtesy of the SCA Adirondack Corps.
Keeping up with changes happening in Washington
Learn how Adirondack communities, environmental organizations, and individuals are impacted by changes in federal policies.
Leave a Reply