Welcome to the February 18, 2009 issue of E-News.

In this Issue

	Lots of Jobs!
	School Crews Learn About Vermont Wildlife
	Program Coordinator, Kat Coons, Heads to Peru
	Support from the 1772 Foundation for the East Monitor Barn
	Welcoming a New VYCC Board Member - Stacy Fender
	Vermont Tent Company - An Important Partner

Faces Behind Our Success

Bradley Materick has been working closely on the West Monitor Barn Property with the MMU, CTE, and CVU School Crews. By blending his extensive environmental science background with a hands-on instructional approach, Bradley has offered the Corps Members an unparalleled educational experience. He has created dual goals for the property, which include:

1) to care for our land in such a way that it becomes a cutting edge model of sustainable land stewardship, and

2) to use our land as a highly-effective outdoor classroom.

These goals go hand-in-hand when the VYCC designs land stewardship projects to be completed by our various youth crews. Thanks Bradley for ALL of your hard work and dedication!

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Lots of Jobs!

The VYCC is hiring! Spend summers with the VYCC and learn conservation skills, make great friends, spend long days outside and…Get paid!!
For more information, click the position you are interested in applying for:

Summer Crew Leaders
Summer Corps Members
Park Educators
Park AmeriCorps Corps Members
Park Crew Leaders
School Program Crew Leader

For additional information, please email info@vycc.org

School Crews Learn About Vermont Wildlife

During the past few months, our three on-site school crews have been learning about land stewardship through a variety of projects. These efforts will benefit the nearly 400 acres of VYCC land and the wildlife living there.

     • The MMU Crew built and installed three nest boxes for flying squirrels (see photo).
     • The CTE Crew constructed five nest boxes for barred owls.
     • Last week, the CVU Crew made wildlife brush piles using brush that had been removed from around the East Monitor Barn campus.
 

All school crews will monitor these nest boxes and brush piles in coming months to see if they are being used and by what critters.

Program Coordinator, Kat Coons, Heads to Peru

Kat Coons will be chaperoning a group of 26 students from Woodstock High School on a service trip. When visiting a remote village in the Amazon, they will: renovate a medical clinic, dig a new well, build a playground, add to school libraries and introduce Vermont teenagers to a completely different culture with high poverty levels.

Kat has been with the VYCC for three years, and when sharing her hopes for this trip, she writes, “I strongly believe in the power of service and connection to youth and am thrilled to have the opportunity to travel to Peru. I am convinced that this trip will only strengthen my commitment to working with young people to make a difference in the world around them.”

For more info about the trip, click here and stay tuned for pictures upon her return.

Support from the 1772 Foundation for the East Monitor Barn

The VYCC is pleased to announce that the Connecticut-based 1772 Foundation has generously awarded the VYCC with a $50,000 grant to support the rehabilitation of the recently purchased East Monitor Barn. Once renovated, the East and West Monitor Barns and nearly 400 accompanying acres will return to a single, conserved ownership for productive and sustainable, agricultural, educational and recreational use. These combined facilities will be training headquarters for the VYCC, allowing for continued organizational growth, including the expansion of our year-round and statewide alternative education program.

In April of 2008, following the purchase and successful rehabilitation of the West Monitor Barn, the VYCC acquired the neighboring East Monitor Barn, Carriage Barn, Farm House and 160 acres in order to fully develop the ‘Monitor Barn Leadership, Education and Training Center.’ Representing a highpoint in human and animal powered agriculture, these turn-of-the century barns are one among Vermont’s most important examples of architectural and agricultural heritage. The barns’ unique ventilating system runs from the windows in the clerestory to the stalls in the lowest floor and allowed farmers to “monitor” the air flow. At the time of their construction, they represented a major advance in agrarian architecture.

Initially, the East Monitor Barn will need to be raised, a new foundation will be installed, and internal post and beam rehabilitation work completed. The VYCC is in discussion with various contractors who we hope will begin the first stages of this work later in the year.

The mission of The 1772 Foundation is, "to preserve and enhance American historical entities for future generations to enjoy." The VYCC wishes to extend a sincere thank you to the 1772 Foundation for their generous support of the East Monitor Barn project. We look forward to seeing the barn in its full glory, as we believe that this iconic structure will not only strengthen our programs, but deepen our ties to the traditions and landscape of the region. Support from the 1772 Foundation makes this first phase of work possible.

Welcoming a New VYCC Board Member - Stacy Fender

Stacy Fender is a Fundraising Consultant with a passion for education and fostering personal responsibility among youth. Stacy grew up in Washington State, graduated from the University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho and has since lived in Hawaii and Indiana. Stacy is currently pursuing a Master’s in Philanthropy and Development from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota. We are fortunate to have her expertise, commitment to young people, and breadth of experience. Welcome Stacy!

Vermont Tent Company - An Important Partner

The VYCC would like to thank the Vermont Tent Company for their geneorisity and continued support. Over the past 3 years, they have been an intricate partner for all VYCC events, ranging from Start-Ups to Closures, to Open Houses and our largest fundraiser, Denim and Diamonds.

For more information about holding events at the West Monitor Barn, please visit monitorbarn.org.