How your service helps the planet

• Trails help reduce human impacts on the land by concentrating foot/animal traffic on specific corridors. This helps protect sensitive ecological areas.
• Water mitigation and drainage structures help with erosion control.
• Burn Area Rehabilitation on trails impacted by wildland fire help restore ecosystems and control erosion.
• Provides safe access and enhanced user experience for the recreating public on a wide variety of trail types.  
• MCC also works on trails that have not been maintained for years; this opens up new opportunities and disperses impact.

Invasive weeds take over native grasses and forage that many species (Elk, Deer, Mice, Birds) rely on in the Northern Rockies ecosystem.

The mitigation of these invasive weeds is necessary to protect food sources.

This work allows native plant communities to flourish, which is critical as climate change impacts local flora.

Planting and seed collection help to restore ecosystems impacted by wildland fire and beetle kill. Over the course of 30 years, MCC has planted over 1.2 million trees!

Wildfires have become more frequent and catastrophic.

Fuels work in the wildland/urban interface help to create defensible spaces around homes and in fire threatened communities.

Utilizing chainsaws to reduce the amount of “fuels” (trees, shrubs, etc.) in our forests allows certain species to thrive and reduces the intensity of catastrophic fire in a given area.

In addition to the work our crews do on the ground, we also act as educators to inform the public about Leave No Trace, how our work is positively impacting our environment, and act as role models for stewardship.

We plant trees/shrubs along waterways to reduce erosion and protect streambanks.

Mesic Restoration: we utilize BDAs (beaver dam analogs) and other low tech process based techniques as a simple, cost-effective, non-intrusive approach to stream restoration.

Our work is focused on the big picture and ensuring that we are keeping the entire landscape in mind when completing project goals.  

We also know that engaging a wide variety of partners (non-profit, state, federal, and private) is vital to the success of conservation efforts.

We work to increase access for all types of user groups and individuals because everyone has a right to public access, clean air, and clean water.

We work on projects that increase access and opportunities for people with disabilities, such as our ongoing help with an ADA trail around Swiftcurrent Lake in Glacier National Park.

Learn sustainable practices that you can incorporate into your daily life, like controlling the amount of trash you create, reducing your carbon footprint, and developing positive habits around your own personal conservation.  Serving with AmeriCorps also means being an engaged citizen, becoming involved in your local community, and carrying that civic engagement with you beyond your term of service.