In 2017, the Squam Lakes Association (SLA) received AmeriCorps grant funding to create the Lakes Region Conservation Corps (LRCC). This program was built to support our capacity to meet our conservation initiatives, however, it has grown beyond that. Through the SLA’s (therefore LRCC’s) partnership with AmeriCorps, a total of eight local environmental organizations now host LRCC AmeriCorps members and have expanded their capacity to directly serve their communities.
This program enables local organizations to deliver their stewardship goals, consistently and effectively. AmeriCorps members gain hands-on, interdisciplinary environmental knowledge, along with numerous certifications. Their service ranges from community engagement through environmental education and volunteer opportunities, to water quality monitoring and restoration, trail maintenance, conservation easement monitoring and so much more. LRCC AmeriCorps are the driving force behind many of the conservation efforts of the New Hampshire Lakes Region and beyond.
As an extension of the SLA’s leadership and management of the AmeriCorps grant, these eight non-profits have benefitted from LRCC AmeriCorps members joining their teams:
- Squam Lakes Conservation Society - Lakes Region Conservation Trust - Newfound Lake Region Association - Mount Washington Observatory - Green Mountain Conservation Group - Chocorua Lake Conservancy - The Nature Conservancy
Overall this program has supported many recent graduates on pathways towards their careers and acceptance into grad school programs.
SLA’s Corps Members
Full-Term members serving at the SLA have the opportunity to experience the seasonal nature of conservation from January through November. The quiet winter is spent deep diving into projects, followed by a booming summer full of boots on the ground conservation like scuba diving for the invasive milfoil and providing public programming from volunteer days to educational events, and closing with a picturesque autumn with time to run reports and close out the season.
Full-term program benefits
Wilderness First Aid & CPR (value of $245)
SSI Open Water Diver certification (value of $950)
NAUI Weed Control Diver certification (value of $210)
NH Commercial boating license
Plow operator training
Motorboat operator training
Housing with kitchen and laundry facilities
Bi-weekly stipend: $914.80 ($20,400 aggregate; subject to taxes)
AmeriCorps Education Award upon successful completion of the program and 1700 hours minimum: $7,395
AmeriCorps Health Insurance (value of $6,500+)
Eligible for student loan forbearance and interest accrual repayment on eligible loans
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We're so excited to have you join us! You will receive an email a day or two before the program with details regarding location, what to bring, and safety protocols.
