News from the EarthWays Center

Our Outdoor Youth Corps Intern, Quinn Swope, was faced with the challenge of defining what an impact was and creating an experience that the participants would be proud of while channeling the best versions of themselves.

From my past experience leading the  Outdoor Leadership Corps (OLC), the spring season is always the wild card. This stems from the fact that both the weather and the wildlife  are a lot more unpredictable. One day it could be 35 degrees with a 15-degree windchill and the next week it could be 60 degrees and sunny. The spring ephemerals could be popping right on schedule, or trees could begin leafing out a lot earlier. This spring did not disappoint and threw many unpredictable curve b...

The Spring 2025 Outdoor Leadership cohort is blooming with excitement as the new season begins! Restorations Assistants (RA’s) of the Outdoor Leadership Corps (OLC) are a team of four RA’s and one Assistant Crew Lead. The team is co-captained by the Sustainability Divison’s Community Programs Supervisor, Fletcher, and the Conservation Education Instructor, Olivia Dove. As a unit the team works to complete restoration projects through the greater St. Louis region directed by our program partne...

The responsibility of coordinating and leading four cohorts of the Outdoor Youth Corps (OYC) and two cohorts of the Outdoor Leadership Corps (OLC) was confidently embraced by Fletcher, the Community Programs Supervisor, and myself, the Conservation Education Instructor. It is important to us that each participant has the best possible experience.

The Outdoor Leadership Corps (OLC) program is a paid green education and workforce development initiative in partnership with Great Rivers Greenway (GRG). The crew includes four Restoration Assistants and one Assistant Crew Leader. Under the guidance of the Conservation Education Instructor, this crew works to maintain, restore, and beautify the landscapes along greenways throughout the greater St. Louis area. We have a great crew this season and wanted to share more about them with all of you!

We are so incredibly thankful for the talented interns that we cross paths with! Take a moment to read more about our Outdoor Youth Corps intern, Nora Jennings and our Sustainability Education intern, Joseph Caya!

Spring break usually brings thoughts of relaxation, sleeping in, and spending the break doing everything or absolutely nothing at all. However, 10 youth and young adults dedicated their spring break to make an environmental impact!