Conservation corps, defunded, will continue stewarding local trails

CONCORD — Lakes Region trails will still be maintained this year, despite an abrupt funding cut last month to the Lakes Region Conservation Corps, an AmeriCorps program based at Squam Lakes Association, effectively terminating it.

Volunteer NH, the organization which operates AmeriCorps at the state level, received word from D.C. regarding the program’s termination on April 25. That letter, signed by Interim Agency Head Jennifer Bastress Tahmasebi, opined the AmeriCorps award to Lakes Region Conservation Corps “no longer effectuates agency priorities” and federal-funded activities were ordered to cease immediately.

Lakes Region Conservation Corps was one of about 1,000 programs staffed by 32,000 individuals nationwide impacted by the decision. 

Staff of Volunteer NH notified local program facilitators, like SLA and the Lakes Region Conservation Trust, regarding the termination of the Lakes Region Conservation Corps the next day. 

For people like Phil Croteau, himself an AmeriCorps alum and LRCT’s land and recreation manager, the immediate cut came out of left field, and presents local conservation groups with serious challenges moving forward. 

Croteau received word from representatives at SLA about two weeks before new members were scheduled to start. 

“It was kind of a surprise for me. And I was reassured that the funding for this year was already in place, from SLA, and to the surprise of both of us it was stripped from us at the last minute,” Croteau said.

Working to recruit AmeriCorps volunteers takes time and effort — participants get involved with the program to jump-start their careers in conservation. Luckily, the LRCT board recognized their benefit, and committed to retaining those individuals, at least for this year, with the goal of making the offering as similar as possible to the AmeriCorps program.

“Our land trust has around 95 miles of trail, so it’s essential that we have people seasonally to help us maintain those trails,” he said. “A lot of people may not understand how much maintenance goes into keeping up these trails.” 

AmeriCorps volunteers working with the Lakes Region Conservation Corps and its local partners perform essential functions like monitoring property and trail conditions and maintaining them, clearing branches and other obstructions, and assisting with educational events like guided excursions, among other responsibilities. 

LRCT typically hires three AmeriCorps members. This year, one of the members Croteau recruited did not accept the position, possibly because of uncertainty regarding the program, so they’ll have two seasonal conservation land stewards — they can no longer refer to them as AmeriCorps members. But Croteau noted the value the AmeriCorps program brings to the region likely outweighs the cost of its administration. 

“We have a pretty large service area,” Croteau said, noting it ranges generally between all 34 municipalities designated by the Lakes Region Planning Commission, making their service area large compared to other organizations. “Really, all around Lake Winnipesaukee.”

For Rachel Bruns, America’s Service Commissions chief engagement officer who works as a sort of go-between for the national and local programs, the abrupt defunding came as a shock. The notifications did not come through ASC, Bruns said, and they were learning about it in real time and they worked to warn partner organizations. 

“ASC is the association for the 52 state service commissions across the country, including Volunteer New Hampshire,” Bruns said in an interview. 

Based on ASC analysis, there’s no clear indication of why some programs were terminated while others were not. For example, some programs were terminated in one state, but not in another. At this point, there doesn’t appear to be a specific type of program or program activity which was targeted.

“It appears that whatever criteria they may have used is not based on priorities of the agency, but something else that is unclear,” Bruns said. 

A statement published by ASC in the immediate wake of the decision describes the program terminations as illegal. Bruns said the AmeriCorps agency didn’t follow their own regulations regarding a required seven-day notice for grant terminations. A terminated grantee is technically allowed to appeal the decision and go through the associated process. 

“There’s a specific process in their regulations that they didn’t follow,” she said. 

The grant termination reasoning — that it no longer effectuates agency priorities — isn’t consistent with federal statute, which sets AmeriCorps priorities. The Serve America Act, passed in April, 2009, outlines the agency’s broad priorities like education, environmental stewardship and others.

State commissions also have legal authority to set and fund programs based on state priorities. 

“You can’t just change those priorities without input from Congress," Bruns said.