Quinn Mendelson is Conservation Program Director of Rocky Mountain Youth Corps, a nonprofit that trains young adults to do conservation work in the “outdoor classroom” of New Mexico’s landscapes. Not only do they learn skills like trail building, watershed restoration, and wildfire mitigation, but they also receive training that helps them to get jobs—as well as less quantifiable but just as important life skills like getting along with each other, finding their own authentic voices, and being in nature for long periods. The program has been going for three decades, and has led many of its alumni into fulfilling conservation careers.
TIMELINE
3’27 what the corps is all about
4’18 conservation skills, professional skills, life skills
5’52 example of a river project
6’59 so good for young people to have these outdoor opportunities
7’33 adjusting to outdoor work
9’30 people slowing down in the wilderness, and building self-confidence
11’31 paying living wages so the they can recruit from all demographics
13’50 bonding with people for life, and a tight alumni base, and those people work in every related field
15’43 the projects themselves, some using Bill Zeedyk techniques
18’13 showing the young people to see the big picture
18’46 creating a blueprint for post-fire restoration
19’52 coming back for additional years of work
21’12 relationship between the Corps and the surrounding communities
22’54 the connection between this work and regenerative agriculture
24’54 young people with an ag background, or wanting to get into ag through learning conservation work
26’10 learning about soil is central to all the work they do
27’36 as Corps alumni take their place in agency and roles of responsibility, this could change how policy is shaped
28’13 the way people are talking about fire now has evolved a lot in the last few decades
28’57 using beaver biomimicry
29’19 restoring firefly habitat in Chimayó, NM
31’06 people coming back to see the work they’ve done in future years
32’38 other similar corps all over the US
33’07 there are fewer than 100,000 young people doing this work; there should be millions
33’51 scholarships for higher education
34’20 dream job for a young person
35’32 this is part of Americorps
37’27 Quinn’s work on therapeutic ranches
39’01 this is so much about hope for him and the org
40’43 potential careers
43’05 the need for an educated conservation workforce is and will continue to be great
44’37 what kinds of knowledge each generation is given
46’33 passing the torch to younger generations
48’02 working easily with partners, and providing labor for projects
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