Program Overview

Achievement.

The Nevada Conservation Corps is Nevada’s leading non-profit in advancing volunteerism in the environmental sector. The NCC is recognized statewide by major federal, state, and county environmental agencies as the premier service provider of well-trained, dedicated, and hard- working volunteers. Our partnerships garner over 2.8 million dollars annually in cash match. In 2001, the Nevada Conservation Corps was awarded the Golden Pine Cone Award for environmental programming excellence. The program has also received recognition from the Corporation for National Service, who recently awarded the NCC a three-year grant of 1.6 million, making it 1 of only 19 programs nationwide to receive funding in this grant category. Over 2,000 programs applied for such funds. In 2005, the NCC won the Governor’s Points of Light Award for outstanding contributions to volunteerism in the state and received Congressional and Senatorial recognition from Senator Reid and Senator Ensign.

The Institute serves the environmental and educational needs of our communities in many important ways. On the level of direct service, we are thinning forests to reduce fuels at a time when our woodlands are at risk of catastrophic wildfire. We are constructing and maintaining trails at a time when our parks are under pressure from unprecedented visitation. We are treating public lands for exotic species at a time when invasive plants threaten the ecological balance of our rivers, lakes, deserts, and rangelands. We are conducting biological inventories and surveys at a time when natural resource managers must make critical decisions with the best scientific data available. At a time when firsthand experience of the land has become rare, thousands of students are discovering the life-changing benefits of direct service to the natural environment.

The Institute has taken the lead in promoting environmental entrepreneurship in our state. In the past several years, the organization has created three innovative and highly successful programs that reflect quality leadership and foster strong relationships with the environmental community. GBI has developed a professional fuels management program, an international volunteer exchange, and a statewide research initiative. Each program continues to attract new participants and partners. The expansion of these unique programs (no other non-profit in our state offers such programs) testifies to their creative and adaptive design, and to their proven, on-the-ground success.

The Nevada Conservation Corps has successfully placed 247 AmeriCorps members in the field, serving some 253,268 volunteer hours. The NCC’s service-learning efforts have mobilized approximately 963 students in one time or ongoing volunteer projects. The Institute’s International Conservation Volunteer Exchange program has led 236 international volunteers in 21,230 hours of environmental service, providing a global exchange between Nevada volunteers and volunteers worldwide.

While drastic cuts in government spending have curtailed environmental programs, the NCC program continues to develop and diversify, mobilizing more students and volunteers each year. This summer, the NCC has Research Associates, Restoration Crews, Interns, and Volunteers working in record numbers: over 130 volunteers are engaged in environmental and community service across our state. The NCC program testifies to the enduring potential of young people and all they can accomplish, given quality opportunities and support.