A Living Stipend, Educational Award, and Career Development Skills
New City, NY, – The Rockland County Youth Bureau is accepting applications for the 2022 Rockland Conservation & Service Corps (RCSC).
The RCSC provides young adults 18 – 25 with hands-on environmental fieldwork experience while providing participants with an incredible opportunity to develop career skills, build their resume, network with peers and professionals, and make a lasting community impact.
Rockland Conservation Corps members participate in a 10-day training period as a group and then are placed in teams of two or four at a local host site to complete environmental service projects for the remainder of the summer.
Sites include:
- Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory
Using place-based education to teach and mentor underrepresented high school students about the importance of the Hudson River, empowering them to be stewards of their local waterways.
- Cornell Cooperative Extension of Rockland
Two opportunities: 1) Providing outreach and education about the Hudson River Fish Advisory, 2) Monitoring of the invasive species Spotted Lanternfly
- Rockland Green
Local recycling audit, encouraging residents to utilize recycling and sustainability best practices
- Rockland Lake State Park
Assist in the renovation and operation of Rockland Lake Nature Center
- Rockland County Division of Natural Resources
Monitor, repair and improve county parks, trails, and open spaces
- Rockland County Drainage Agency
Walk and assess 80 miles of county streams reporting water quality issues and removing natural stream blockages to prevent flooding.
- Town of Clarkstown Planning Department
Collect and assess stormwater infrastructure data and enter into Clarkstown’s GIS database for New York State compliance with Municipal Separate Stormwater Systems law.
- Town of Ramapo Department of Public Works
Collect and assess stormwater infrastructure data and enter into Ramapo’s GIS database for New York State compliance with Municipal Separate Stormwater Systems law.
- Rockland County Soil & Water Conservation District
Conduct road-stream crossing assessments throughout Rockland and receive North Atlantic Aquatic Conductivity Collaborative (NAACC) Lead Observer Certification.
To be considered, students must be at least 18 and are required to serve 350 hours, a full-time schedule of 35-40 hours per week, from late May to late August. For their community service, Corps Members earn a $2,400 living stipend for the summer. After successful completion of 350 hours, Corps Members earn an additional $1,342.86 educational award provided by AmeriCorps and The Corps Network.
“This is a program that takes individuals far beyond the classroom and gives students a unique opportunity to gain hands-on work experience while earning money and making a lasting contribution to their community,” said County Executive Ed Day.
Fifty hours of training in areas including environmental education, trail building, conservation, curriculum development, leadership, team building, safety as well as a variety of other pertinent topics are included in the 350-hour time commitment. On top of earning valuable work and service experience, members can potentially earn college credit.
“It’s a terrific way to build a resume, develop fieldwork skills, be outdoors all summer, network with seasoned professionals and meet new friends,” said Kathy Galione, Youth Bureau Program Coordinator.
Candidates can request an application by phone (845) 364-2937 or by e-mail rcsc@co.rockland.ny.us. A limited number of slots are available, so candidates are encouraged to apply as early as possible.