New Minnesota Energy Climate Corps to start this fall - KTTC

New Minnesota Energy Climate Corps to start this fall

Current Conservation Corps members see benefits of program

ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) – A new program through Serve Minnesota and the Conservation Corps is rolling out this fall. The Minnesota Energy Climate Corps will give young adults a potential pathway into a career involving green energy. Meteorologist David Burgett explores how the Conservation Corps is currently benefiting young adults and what to expect from this new program.

Crew Member with the Minnesota and Iowa Conservation Corps, Sophie Epps, said she has experienced benefits with the program just six months in.

“I am really interested in long-term natural resources and conservation land management, and this seemed like a really good start with my career,” Epps said.

This week corps members had the chance to restore prairies along highway 74 from native and invasive species. Manager of Whitewater Mangement Area, Jaime Edwards, emphasized the importance of clearing the area of both native and invasive species.

“By removing the invasive species, in this case, the native red cedar and then the nonnative buckthorn we can reestablish the prairie, which is a lot more diverse habitat than what is currently here,” Edwards said.

Crew members with the Conservation Corps can learn essential skills and earn certifications to help launch a career in the natural resources sector. Skills they can learn can be anywhere from first aid and CPR to defensive driving and even wildland firefighting.

“I have learned definitely a lot of chainsaw work, which I think will be important moving forward, and a lot of confidence and identifying species and more about just restoring rangelands in general,” Epps said.

The Minnesota Energy Climate Corps starts this fall and expected to begin allowing young adults a gateway into a potential career in green energy. Jill Baum, Program Director of the Minnesota Energy Climate Corps said the sky is the limit for the start of the program.

“Energy can mean a whole lot of things, and we are focused in on the building envelope, weatherization, basic furnace maintenance kind of world right now,” Baum said.

The start of the program will primarily focus on energy audits to help ensure energy efficiency.

“We need to do our best to use less, to make sure what we are using is as efficient as possible, that is where this program comes in,” she said. “This is a crucial moment in this country’s history certainly and around the world to really get a handle on reducing our carbon emissions,” Baum said.

The new MN Energy Climate Corps plans to partner with the DNR for the first set of projects and hopes to expand from there. If you’re a young adult and want to get involved with the new Minnesota Energy Climate Corps or the Conservation Corps, you can apply online at their website. You do not need experience to participate in the program.

Copyright 2023 KTTC. All rights reserved.