The Nature Conservancy. Protecting nature. Preserving life.™

Life changing. That’s how Kyle Strauss describes AmeriCorps. And he would know.

Strauss used to be an AmeriCorps member. Today he leads our 13-member AmeriCorps team. Launched in 1994, AmeriCorps has enlisted more than 600,000 individuals to serve schools, tribes, agencies and nonprofits in all 50 states. Members earn a modest stipend and an education voucher — and invaluable experience.
 
In Oregon, 13,000 AmeriCorps members have served. The Conservancy’s Oregon team — the organization’s first — has for five years advanced conservation through field research, technical mapping, recruiting volunteers, conducting controlled burns and more.

You name it, and they’ve done it. Well.
 
But getting good things done isn’t the whole story. AmeriCorps is also preparing the next generation of conservation leaders. “Many of our alums are leading partner organizations across the region,” said Strauss. “Their impact is enormous — and growing.”
 
For their resourcefulness and success in launching young people on a path to preserving our natural heritage, the Conservancy presented AmeriCorps with the Community Partner Conservation Leadership Award this year.