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MCC would jump at Marywood Opportunity

Crookston Daily Times
Written By: Natalie J. Ostgaard, City Editor

October 20, 2005 - While the MInnesota Conservation Corps has not had a strong presence along the western border in northwest Minnesota in recent years, the youth development program is looking to change that. And MCC Executive Director Len Price said the Marywood property, if developed into some sort of nature center, could help make that happen.

"It has a lot of potential for us," he said. "We're very interested in seeing how this plays out."

The MCC, a service learning program that traces its roots back to the Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930s, provides training and job skills in the area of natural resources management under two programs: the AmeriCorps 10-month Young Adult Program for ages 18-25 and the eight-week Summer Youth Residential Program for ages 15018.

"Traditionally we have our crews live in an area year-round and then spike out within about a 100-mile radius," Price explained. the nearest MCC site to Crookston is currently Bemidji, "quite a ways away," he noted.

However, in talks with Dan Svedarsky, head of the Natural Resources Department at the University of Minnesota, Crookston, he's concluded that MCC workers could easily be utilized in this region. The Marywood building, with the space to house close to 100 people, could serve as lodging for these workers. Those in the summer program typically stay in tents for approximately three weeks at their location, said Price, but workers serving in this region could instead stay at the center.

"We're looking at the possibly a regional presence with AmeriCorps," Rolf Hagberg, development director of MCC added. "If we had a center we could use that as a residential center, a place where we could say 'you can come and work for us for a year and you don't have to worry about renting a place. We'll provide room and board.' We're not there yet but it could be longer term possibility."

Strong natural resources program and internship requirements at UMC indicate the potential for recruitment and partnership opportunities, Price said.

MCC already has numerous partners, project hosts and funding sources within the organization. Once under the Department of Natural Resources, it became a private non-profit 501(c)(3) in 2003.

"We have operations across the state and we do variety of things extensively," Price explained. "We try to get as much variety in this program as we can."

Some of the MCC's many projects include prescribed burns, bird banding, disaster response, forest inventory, planting, maintenance, wildlife surveys and general improvement of natural resources.

"Our mission as a youth development organization is to get hands-on service learning experience to the youth we work with," he said. "This would be a really nice natural resource area for us to work with. This whole region is unique. I'm excited about the possibility of us having more presence here."