New Climate Impact Corps planting trees, cleaning ponds - Mankato Free Press

New Climate Impact Corps planting trees, cleaning ponds | Local News | mankatofreepress.com

Dylan Kotten enjoys playing disc golf, but he never imagined himself designing a course.

That’s what he loves about being a Climate Impact Corps member. It’s something different every day.

“There is a lot of variety to it,” he said. “Every week there’s a different project. I show up not knowing what’s going to happen on any given day. I’m surprised by how much work I do.”

Kotten is stationed in Lake Crystal and one of his recent duties was mapping out a disc golf course that will be installed in Jones Park. “It’s something the city wanted,” he said.

The nine-hole course will likely open this summer, with a $5,000 sponsorship by the local Lions Club. “I’ll be back to play it,” Kotten said. “That’ll be really cool.”

His Climate Impact Corps assignment ends in June, and he’s not sure what will follow. He will continue his side work at the New Ulm Civic Center, he said.

Climate Impact Corps is an AmeriCorps program and has been operating for four years, including in southwest and southeast Minnesota. In south-central Minnesota, the sites with members serving are Eagle Lake, Lake Crystal, Ney Nature Center in Henderson and St. Peter.

Dylan Kelly, director of climate programs with Climate Impact Corps, said the typical Corps member is 18 to 25 years old. Kotten graduated from Minnesota State University a year ago so he fits the mold of the average Corps member. He has a degree in parks and recreation.

Corps members in south-central Minnesota are working on community forestry efforts, Kelly said, and are helping to grow the urban tree canopy in the communities.

“There are benefits like providing shade as temperatures warm,” he said. “They help keep temperatures down, divert storm water to help with flooding. And having trees in a neighborhood decreases crime and increases a sense of wellbeing among residents.”

Kotten has planted a dozen trees in Lake Crystal parks since Arbor Day.

Sara Corbin of Mankato is a Corps member at Ney Nature Center and is a former teacher. One of her favorite tasks has been leading volunteers in an effort to remove invasive species from their pond.

“The volunteers did amazing and got more done than I expected,” she said.

Next to come in that area of the nature center are pollinator-friendly trees, Corbin said.

Becky Pollack, executive director of Ney Nature Center, said they started with the Climate Impact Corps last year and decided to reapply this year for two members, Corbin included.

“It definitely adds to our capacity here at Ney Nature Center,” Pollack said. “We’re a smaller nonprofit with budget constraints, and to be able to add people to our staff through this program is excellent. They always come so well trained and can do varying projects.”

Climate Corps is recruiting for its 2024-25 term, with service beginning this August and ending in July 2025. Successful applicants will tackle work on community forestry, invasive species and environment education. Those interested can go to ampact.us/serve.

The position offers a $1,100 biweekly stipend for full-time workers and a $650 biweekly stipend for part-time workers. There’s an education award of $6,895 for a full-time, 11-month service term. There’s also individual health insurance and child care assistance, Kelly said.

Openings also exist for host sites, which could be a city government or nonprofit. To get more information about becoming a host site, go to ampact.us/partner.