NOAA's veteran and conservation corps efforts are creating a community of habitat restoration professionals across the nation made up of veterans, young adults, and others. The programs are recruiting, training, mentoring, and employing workers to implement habitat restoration projects. Several unique regional efforts reflect the wide range of habitats and species NOAA works to protect, conserve, and restore.
On the Gulf Coast, the GulfCorps program is helping NOAA to restore degraded coastal habitats. Restoration crews of young adults from local communities are working across Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. GulfCorps participants are trained to restore coastal habitats like wetlands, oyster reefs, and streams, while gaining job skills that will help with academic or career goals. The program, funded by the RESTORE Act, partners with The Nature Conservancy and local organizations in each of the Gulf states.
Our other efforts on the West Coast focus on training uniformed service veterans in habitat restoration and monitoring.
Since 2012, the Veterans Corps Fisheries Program in California has provided veterans with opportunities to train in fisheries habitat restoration. Corps locations up and down the state provide vets with a variety of coastal and marine ecosystems to work in, alongside restoration experts from more than 15 state, federal, and non-profit partners. Veterans are helping restore habitat for threatened and endangered species like salmon and steelhead in places like the Eel River in northern California.
In Washington, in partnership with the Washington Department of Veterans Affairs, veterans are employed and trained in habitat restoration internships. Participants gain valuable skills in applied science by helping us evaluate the success of NOAA’s restoration efforts in the Pacific Northwest. Veterans are monitoring restoration projects in the field, analyzing data, and authoring reports that contribute to the scientific community. During and after the experience, interns become part of a statewide network valuable for leveraging next steps in their careers.
In Oregon, veteran interns are involved in project management, environmental compliance, education and outreach, and GIS and data mapping. They participate in exciting field work, including collecting water surface elevation and temperature, identifying native plants, controlling erosion, photo monitoring, and processing data loggers.
In Alaska, previous veteran interns have supported habitat restoration and natural resource management projects across the state. They have worked with tribal, nonprofit, state, and federal agencies to better understand the interconnected nature of habitat restoration work. They have recorded data on endangered beluga whales, supported culvert replacement and fish abundance surveys, as well as collected vital water quality data.
NOAA works closely with Mt. Adams Institute to support the work and achievements of these outstanding veterans.
Our veteran and conservation corps initiatives align with NOAA Fisheries’ commitment to partner with organizations and efforts enhancing ecosystem, community, and economic resilience around the country. These efforts help sustain valuable fisheries habitat and provide participants with employable skills to support long-term coastal restoration, right where they live.
