(Photo by Robert Barossi)

by Robert Barossi

One of the environmental volunteers I interviewed for my book was a young man who had just graduated from college. One reason why he was volunteering was the hope that his work might someday lead to a job, which it did when the local environmental organization hired him to  lead a new project. This happens with many dedicated volunteers who, through their hard work, passion, enthusiasm and experience, prove themselves a valuable asset and are hired by an environmental organization. In Maryland, the Chesapeake Conservation Corps Program is helping recent college graduates do just that. The young volunteers, aged 18 to 25, are being paired with local environmental organizations for a year of volunteer work. The host organizations, including watershed groups, government agencies and nonprofits, will provide the volunteers with invaluable skills and experiences which will quite possibly lead to a job in the future.

Some of the organizations in the program include Chester River Association, Midshore Riverkeeper Conservancy, Environmental Concern, Eastern Shore Land Conservancy. According to the article, 20 to 50 percent of the volunteers end up getting hired by their “host organizations,” like these and others.

More information here on the Chesapeake Conservation Corps and their programs.