2017 Chesapeake Conservation Corps

The Chesapeake Bay Trust (CBT) recently welcomed the newest class of Chesapeake Conservation Corps Members. Created by the Maryland Legislature, the program matches young people ages 18-25 with non-profit and government organizations for one-year terms of service to improve local communities and protect natural resources.

During their year of service, Conservation Corps Members will gain valuable on-the-job experience as they work to advance environmental conservation, K-12 education, energy efficiency programs, sustainable agriculture practices, and a host of other environmentally-focused initiatives.

Since the program began in 2010 with an inaugural class of 16 members, the Corps has become incredibly popular, and has attracted additional partners to support the additional Corps members from the Chesapeake Bay Trust, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, the Exelon/Constellation/BGE family, and the National Park Service, showing how valuable the program is perceived to be.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission, Prince George’s Public Schools, Arlington Echo Outdoor Education Center, UMD Environmental Finance Center, and Annapolis Maritime Museum also contributed matching funds for the program.

Each Corps participant is provided with a stipend and commits to a one year term of service which begins in August. During the course of that year, Corps participants work directly with their host organizations while also receiving extensive job trainings hosted by the Trust, as well as other service-learning opportunities including grant writing and project management.

Of the 37 selected participants, 14 will work for organizations in Anne Arundel County; 4 will work in Montgomery; 4 in Baltimore; 5 in Prince George’s; 2 in Frederick; 2 in Howard; and 1 each in Calvert, Caroline, Cecil, Kent, and Talbot counties. The one remaining Corps participants will work in a Virginia based organizations.

The 2017 Chesapeake Conservation Corps class includes the following individuals and their host organizations:

Maya Alexander, Arlington Echo Outdoor Education Center
Lindsay Ashley, Arlington Echo Outdoor Education Center
Carolyn Black, National Park Service
Kevin Carpenter, Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary
Kimberly Choi, UMD Environmental Finance Center
Rachel Denby, MD DNR MBSS
Bernard Devlin, Town of Edmonston
Brandt Dirmeyer, Patapsco Heritage Greenway
Alyson Dodson, Prince George’s County Public Schools
Olivia Donachie, USFWS
Jaclyn Fisher, South River Federation
Bonnie Griesemer, Frederick County OSER
Corinne Griffith, Prince George’s County Public Schools
Jason Guy, MNCPPC: Brookside Gardens
Leah Hart Handwerger, MD DNR Resource Assessment Service
Elise Houser, Howard County Conservancy
Lindsey Hughes, Chester River Association
Nora Jackson, Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Mary Jeter, USFWS
Sam Lee, Maryland Environmental Service
Jacob Leizear, Chesapeake Conservancy
Jeffrey Mattheiss, Hood College
Michael Molina, American Chestnut Land Trust
Kathryn O’Hara, Annapolis Maritime Museum
Carley Pouland, MNCPPC: Meadowside Nature Center
Malia Pownall, Waterfront Partnership in Baltimore
Connor Roessler, City of Greenbelt
Judith Rosenberg, Parks & People Foundation
Keitasha Royal, Midshore Riverkeeper Conservancy
Haley Schanne, Irvine Nature Center
Michael Scott, Fair Hill Environmental Foundation
Kathy Thornton, Adkins Arboretum
Andrew Veselka, The Nature Conservancy
Kylie Watson, Audubon Naturalist Society
Therese Wilkerson, Annapolis Maritime Museum
Michelle Williams, Anne Arundel County
Ellen Woytowitz, US Geological Survey Water Science Center

source: Chesapeake Bay Trust