Et cetera : NCCC Leaving Their Mark in Wapello

By: Emily and Jordan

AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) members from Oak 6 have been helping the Louisa County Conservation Board in Wapello, IA with a variety of different services until May 13. Some of the services benefit the county’s public school by educating the kids in environmental education such as Water Safety, Toad & Frogs and Bird Adaptations. So far, the team has taught over 2,000 students in the area. They have also been removing invasive plant species through prescribed fires. Although the burn season has come to an end, the team exceeded their burn goal of 1,000 acres and nearly burnt 2,400 acres in total. The team has also done invasive species removal and trail maintenance using the chainsaw, loppers and hand saws totaling approximately 7 miles of area.

The citizens of Wapello have been very courteous in welcoming the team into their community. They have been greeted with nothing other than generosity and politeness. The work they are doing is visibly helpful for community and they believe the locals truly appreciate it. AmeriCorps NCCC members have also benefited tremendously from the hard work they have put into this project. It is important to perform prescribed burns, trail maintenance and invasive species removal to maintain and encourage Iowa's natural beauty.

They have also been doing services with organizations other than Louisa County Conservation Board. They have done work for the local Knights of Columbus, assisted in a bottle drive to help raise money for a local school, organized the Mediapolis library and have helped rebuild a house for lower income families with Rebuilding Together-Muscatine. They have been enjoying this opportunity to get to know and help the local citizens of Louisa County.