VERMONT—Forest Service Staff welcomed the CorpsTHAT crew back to the Green Mountain National Forest for a month to work and play with specialists from all different organizations.

For the past three years, CorpsTHAT has recruited a crew of young adults to participate in conservation work in the outdoors. Thanks to a collaboration through the Forest Service Urban Connections program, this is the organization’s second year hosting a crew in the National Forest in Vermont. Crew members come from across the county and all members are deaf or hard of hearing.

This year the crew was busy pulling non-native invasive species, clearing vegetation, constructing fire line to prepare for a future prescribed burn, pruning and releasing apple trees, refurbishing picnic tables, maintaining trails and even paddling the Batten kill River to remove trash—investing over 1,400 hours to conservation work on the forest. They worked side by side with botanists, biologists and recreation specialists.

“Perville-White River has been a memorable project since I became a leader of the day. Leading the crew taught me how to empower all members, including myself, to achieve our goals,” said Ana Puente, CorpsTHAT crew member. “In addition to being a leader, I had a chance to work/communicate directly with project partners. That experience provided far more valuable insight into the U.S. Forest Service profession.”

Working with partners exposed Puente and fellow crew members to Vermont Adaptive Ski & Sports, Vermont Mountain Bike Association, Ridgeline Outdoor Collective and Vermont State Fish & Wildlife.

“The community of collaboration continues to expand and intertwine among our partners,” noted Holly Knox, Forest Recreation Program Manager. “We are fortunate to leverage the skills, support and resources of so many different organizations.”