Photos provided by Lauren Pickford
On June 17th, 7 Lakes Alliance hosted a new training session for state-wide Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) crew leaders that we hope to repeat in the future. A group of 12 conservation oriented young people gathered in our gallery to learn and talk erosion! The State of Maine is fortunate to be home to a handful of YCC’s that are dedicated to protecting natural resources from human impact.
Each YCC has a unique set of challenges and accomplishments. Although 7 Lakes Alliance has the largest YCC in the state, our issues parallel the other YCC’s. The day included a round table discussion to brainstorm solutions to common challenges, a presentation from John McClain of Maine Department of Environmental Protection (Maine DEP) about The Clean Water Act, permitting regarding YCC projects, Maine DEP’s standards for the installation of Best Management Practices (BMPs) and more.
The day concluded with maintenance of a rain garden at Day’s Store in Belgrade Lakes, ME. The group cleaned out the rain garden and planted a truckload of full size wildflowers.