VERMONT—Students from Lexington School for the Deaf made their annual trek to the Green Mountain National Forest for a week of conservation experiences, made possible thanks to a tight-knit network of dedicated partners.

This is not the first time Lexington students have joined Forest Service staff in Vermont for a week-long work-study immersion into the world of conservation, but it is the first time students were jointly hosted by forest staff and CorpsTHAT. The forest has partnered with CorpsTHAT on other projects before, but Recreation program manager Holly Knox says strengthening the connection between Lexington and CorpsTHAT helps make the work-study program more sustainable going forward.

“We continue to expose the students to public land management activities and staff during their visit to the National Forest,” said Knox. “Working with CorpsTHAT this year meant we are able to provide students with an achievable steppingstone to a career in conservation. The Lexington students completed maintenance projects and conservation education programs and the week culminated with the students reviewing application materials to join a CorpsTHAT 2024 conservation crew funded through a cost-share agreement with the Forest Service.”

This year, CorpsTHAT took the reins, developing the calendar of events for the Lexington program, hiring interpreters, providing Leave No Trace activities and helping to ensure the program was a success with on-site engagement. However, the program is about more than an itinerary. It’s about connecting the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community to the conservation community, making this assembly of partnerships simply perfect.

“Sam Bragg from CorpsTHAT did an incredible job engaging the students and sharing her experiences as a member of the Deaf Community working in the field of conservation,” said Knox.

During their one-week visit, students connected with timber sale prep forester Joanel Lopez, a Lexington School alumnus, who shared his career path story. They completed mountain bike trail maintenance in collaboration with Ridgeline Outdoor Collective, Velomont Trail Collective and Vermont Mountain Bike Association—led by Angus McCusker, Velomont’s executive director, who used his American Sign Language skills to provide instruction. Students also completed recreation maintenance tasks such as grill replacement and picnic table repairs.

Lexington students also squeezed in a visit to Chittenden Brook Hut, attended a ribbon cutting with partners for the newest forest adaptive mountain bike trail, and got a bird’s-eye view of the mountains thanks to Killington Resort, which donated gondola rides for all the students and staff. They learned about Leave No Trace ethics, land management, Forest Service careers, and about rural Vermont life and the challenges of small business agriculture thanks to Liberty Hill Farm, the working dairy farm where students stayed the week. They hiked portions of the Appalachian Trail and Long Trail, and even took some mountain biking lessons, joining former Deaflympian  Ralph Fernandez for a trail ride with bikes and helmets generously provided by Green Mountain Bikes.

“We’re fortunate to have a dedicated partnership network that pulls together to create amazing opportunities for these students,” said Knox. “We look forward to seeing the program grow with CorpsTHAT’s support and to seeing some of the students return as coworkers and partners someday!”

Funding through the Forest Service Urban Connections program helped establish the collaboration between the Forest Service, CorpsTHAT and the Lexington School for the Deaf. Urban Connections is based on a simple idea: reaching out to urban communities and building alliances that complement the Forest Service motto of "Caring for the land and serving people."