Graduates, mentors, and crew leads attend the 2026 Maryland Conservation Corps Graduation Ceremony at Sandy Point State Park. Photo by Rachael Pacella/Maryland Department of Natural Resources
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources honored 17 members of the 2025-26 Maryland Conservation Corps (MCC) during their graduation program at Sandy Point State Park. The June 23 ceremony capped the members’ completion of 9.5 months of job training, conservation work, and stewardship with the Maryland Park Service.
The Maryland Conservation Corps began in 1984, and a decade later became one of the first programs funded by AmeriCorps. Following a sudden budget cut to AmeriCorps by the federal government in 2025, MCC has operated in partnership with the Department of Service and Civic Innovation Maryland Corps/Service Year Option.
“Congratulations and thanks to the Maryland Conservation Corps Class of 2026 for contributing a year of service to our citizens and the environment,” said DNR Deputy Secretary David Goshorn. “DNR remains committed to the Corps. Their conservation work helps ensure we can maintain and share Maryland’s beautiful natural areas with the public. We look forward to the contributions that we know Corps graduates will make as they move through their careers and lives.”
Maryland Conservation Corps members are between the ages of 18 and 24, and begin service each September. Groups were based in each of the five regions of the Maryland Park Service across the state – Assateague State Park (east), Deep Creek Lake State Park (west), Fair Hill Natural Resources Management Area (north central), Gunpowder Falls State Park (south central), and Merkle Natural Resources Management Area (south). From those locations, crews traveled to assist other parks and public lands and complete high-priority projects—from habitat restoration to trail building—that benefit communities statewide.
This year, members improved more than 1,000 acres of public lands and 125 miles of trails, led educational programs for over 9,000 students and park patrons, removed acres of invasive species, and planted thousands of trees, plants, and native grasses.
“Our graduating Maryland Conservation Corps members are the future of the conservation, stewardship, and service movements in the great state of Maryland,” Maryland Park Service Director Angela Crenshaw said. “Each year a new team of young adults from diverse backgrounds unite to work toward the common goal of improving public lands.”
The program offers hands-on, real-world experience in a team-based environment in subjects ranging from aquatic systems to public lands management. Many alumni of the program have gone on to conservation careers, including at the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. The program also works with partner organizations: the National Aquarium in Baltimore; the Maryland Department of Agriculture; the National Park Service; and The Nature Conservancy.
Anyone interested in joining a future class of the Maryland Conservation Corps program should register to attend an upcoming webinar session on the Park Service website.
