Americorps Team Picks Up Saw to Assist Camp Orkila

— from Marlowe Simek for Americorps —

An Americorps National Community Civilian Corps (NCCC) team, Green 4, is assisting Camp Orkila with forest maintenance on the camp grounds as part of a two month engagement ending March 7. 

Part of the Y of Greater Seattle, Camp Orkila is a historic camp ground and education and events center located on Orcas Island. Its mission is to build a “community where all people, especially the young, are encouraged to develop to their fullest potential in spirit, mind and body.”

Green 4 is supporting a forest thinning effort to promote a healthy woodland ecosystem to be enjoyed by future campers and visitors for years to come.  They are assisting Orcas Island local, Rich Harvey, of Harvey Logging LLC.

The majority of the team came to the project with little to no forestry experience, but under the tutelage and supervision of Harvey, they have learned the fundamentals of chainsaw and forest management. 

Green 4 Team Leader, Homar Maximiliano says of the project and his team, “Any kind of forestry work can be intimidating.  From learning how to operate chainsaws safely and efficiently to the long work days in the elements, my team has embraced the challenge.  We are proud to be help Camp Orkila ensure that its forests can remain healthy and strong.”

AmeriCorps NCCC is a full-time, residential, national service program in which 2,800 young adults serve nationwide each year. During their 10-month term, Corps Members – all 18 to 24 year olds – work on teams of eight to twelve on projects that address critical needs. Traditional NCCC members work on a variety of different six to eight week-long projects related to natural and other disasters, infrastructure improvement, environmental stewardship and conservation, energy conservation, and urban and rural development. The Pacific Region campus in Sacramento is one of four regional hubs in the nation and serves ten states in the western part of the country.

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