Dustin Say, 16, of Mora, recently completed eight weeks of service with the Minnesota Conservation Corps (MCC).

MCC’s Summer Youth Program-a youth development and natural resource restoration program - is based at St. Croix State Park near Hinckley, and Say was one of 82 youth, age 15 to 18, selected to participate.

This summer, Say and a crew of five other youth and two adult leaders worked together on a variety of environmental projects. MCC crews maintained trails at St. Croix State Park by clearing vegetation, removing downed trees, repairing trail structures and adding new trail drainage. Other projects included building and repairing boardwalk at Voyageurs National Park, improving tree stands at Chippewa National Forest by removing damaged and diseased trees and canoeing down the St. Croix River to remove Purple Loosestrife, an invasive species. Say also learned professional skills such as resume writing and job interviewing.

After a week of training at St. Croix State Park, youth crews spend most of their summer camping in tents at state and national parks where they work. Youth complete 35 hours of intensive, hands-on conservation work each week. Crews cook their own meals, wash their own dishes and enjoy outdoor recreation when not doing conservation work.

“The program is a challenge for youth,” Alyson Johnson, MCC program coordinator, said. “They learn to adapt to a new environment and live with new people. In the end they gain a sense of personal growth and accomplishment.”

The Minnesota Conservation Corps is a nonprofit that provides relevant work for young people with environmental service projects. The Summer Youth Program unplugs teenagers - who agree to leave iPods, cell phones and modern conveniences behind to live, work and learn in the outdoors.

For more information on the Minnesota Conservation Corps and its programs for teenagers and young adults, call (651) 209.9900 or visit www.conservationcorps.org.