Part of the Student Conservation Association, the corps partners with the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to provide students ages 15 to 18 with paid, summer opportunities to gain job-readiness skills and pursue careers in environmental conservation.

Altoona’s first youth corps was established in 2016, according to regional program manager Quinn Heist, who oversaw the participating students Monday. The program eventually expanded to an adult corps for young adults ages 18 to 25, he said.

Heist said that DCNR has a mission to engage underserved communities and connect future generations to Pennsylvania’s nature.

“We have a responsibility to reach out to them in the communities, where they live … let them know that these resources are here, and train them on how to take care of these resources in the future,” he said.

Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps participant Sean Hauck (left), 17, of Altoona and leader Caitlin Stone spread mulch at the Holy Trinity Rain Garden along Fourth Street and 25th Avenue in Altoona on Monday afternoon. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski

A nonprofit community organization, Wild Ones, Pennsylvania Ridge & Valley Chapter, recently reached out to DCNR about working on the rain garden and a few other city parks that are state funded.

Wild Ones Vice President Jordan Sesame Wild said he was searching for some help with the rain garden, specifically to weed out invasive plants and make way for Pennsylvania’s native plants.

“Otherwise, they’ll be consumed by the invasive vines that strangle plants and just make it hard for the native plants to grow because they’re still young,” Wild said.

The rain garden is the Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps’ first stop this week. They plan to work at Reciprocity Food Forest today and Wednesday and at Duncansville Memorial Park on Thursday. Friday is their designated education day.

Wild believes it’s important to teach young minds that they can harvest food and medicine from native plants and herbs, taking advantage of the resources in their backyards.

Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps leader Ryan Salyards watches participants Cori Desch (left), 17, of Altoona and Ava McMullen, 18, of Ebensburg fill a wheelbarrow with mulch at the Holy Trinity Rain Garden along Fourth Street and 25th Avenue in Altoona on Monday afternoon. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski

Monday afternoon, Wild was seen working on the land alongside four students and two corps leaders, including Caitlin Stone of Newton Hamilton.

Although she only worked on Prince Gallitizin State Park’s landscape last week, she said she already learned a lot about the commonwealth’s environment, including its native plants, the natural remedies it offers and gardening tools.

“It makes me appreciate outside a lot more,” she said, noting that the hard work it takes to keep up parks and gardens gives her a new perspective.

Working with nature was also an upside for Hollidaysburg Area student Phoenix Irwin, 16, and Altoona Area student Cori Desch, 17.

It was Irwin’s second year participating in the Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps because he enjoyed his previous experience working with the organization last summer.

“You get a different experience outdoors,” he said.

Desch was pleased to see how the rain garden appeared after a day’s work laying down new soil and pulling weeds.

It was the teamwork aspect of her experience that spoke out to Desch on Monday.

“Not working by ourselves, but we’re all working together and talking with each other,” she said.

Community member Steve Elfelt stopped by the rain garden Monday afternoon and supported the work done by the corps, Wild Ones and DCNR.

He said that the local rain garden helps control stormwater flooding.

If people don’t understand how nature makes our community possible, then nature will stop making our community possible, and we won’t have a community, he said.

Understanding that connection, he said it’s important to start kids young and encourage them to interact with the world around them.

“The young people out helping, they’re investing in their community, they’re learning skills, they’re developing a work ethic,” Elfelt said.

“Since they’re putting sweat equity into places like this, they’re more likely to care about this and other places like this as they turn into adults and have their own kids,” he said.

Mirror Staff Writer Colette Costlow is at 814-946-7414.