Vermont State Parks Receives Federal Recognition

Baltimore, Md. Each year the federal community service program, AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) based in Baltimore, MD, names one project sponsor, the “Project Sponsor of the Year.” This year’s award winner is Vermont State Parks.

On Thursday, November 12, 2015, Reuben Allen, Regional Ranger Supervisor, received the Project Sponsor of the Year Award on behalf of Vermont State Parks, during the awards ceremony at the Baltimore campus. In the narrative for the nomination of Vermont State Parks, a sentence reads, “this project and this individual (Reuben Allen), deserve the highest recognition from AmeriCorps NCCC for their relentless presence and care to keep the work available and meaningful.”

AmeriCorps NCCC, is a full-time, team-based, residential, national service program, modelled after the U.S. military and the Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930s, which put young men to work during the Great Depression.

For the Project Sponsor of the Year Award, the corps members and the staff of the program nominate project sponsors for the annual recognition. The selection criteria for the award are that the nominated project sponsors must go beyond the norm to create a healthy and safe environment for teams and develop a solid project. The winner for this award could have been from any of the projects during the service year across the entire service territory. This year, the award selection committee found Vermont State Parks to be the most deserving of this recognition.

 

“We are honored to be recognized by NCCC,” said Allen. “The work of the team while serving with us is what really deserves to be recognized. The impact of their work ensuring the success of the inaugural Muckross Day Camp and in removing invasive plants from Wilgus and Mt. Ascutney State Park cannot be overstated.”

The team Allen and Vermont State Parks sponsored spent 6 weeks in Vermont.  During this time the 10-member-team lived in the campground at Mt. Ascutney State Park and split their time between service at the three different locations. The Muckross Day Camp is a result of the state’s ongoing acquisition of the estate of the late Edgar May. Called Muckross, the property is slated to become the newest Vermont State Park once the property transfer becomes official.