24^th Annual Maryland Conservation Corps Graduation takes place

at Assateague Island State Park

WHAT: The Maryland Department of Natural Resources will recognize 36 youth graduating from the Maryland Conservation Corps on Thursday, July 31 at Assateague Island State Park. Each crewmember completed more than 1,700 hours of community service at Maryland state parks.

WHEN: Thursday, July 31 at 1 p.m.

WHERE: Nature Center Pavilion at Assateague Island State Park

7307 Stephen Decatur Highway in Berlin (Worcester County)

Comprised of young adults aged 17 to 25, the 2008 graduating class of Maryland Conservation Corps members hail from Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Caroline, Carroll, Charles, Garrett, Harford, Montgomery, Prince George’s, and Wicomico Counties and Baltimore City, as well as other states across the country. Over the last year corps members have lead environmental education programs for thousands of youth, maintained trails and natural areas, and completed park improvement and shoreline restoration projects at parks across the state. This summer, MCC corps members also helped to manage the new Civic Justice Corps created by Governor Martin O’Malley last April. Five corps members were dispatched this year to help fight wildfires in California and other western states.

The Maryland Conservation Corps is an award-winning AmeriCorps program that engages young adults in extensive natural resource management and park conservation projects. Managed by the Maryland Park Service since 1984, MCC provides members with opportunities for skill development and personal growth through a supportive, team-based environment, emphasizing the satisfaction of completing projects that benefit Maryland’s natural resources.

For more information about the Maryland Conservation Corps visit http://www.dnr.maryland.gov/mcc/.

posted by MRD  # 7:23 AM