Certified! Waders in the Water

At Wyoming Conservation Corps we’re always on the lookout for new opportunities to serve both our members and our community. That’s why we are so excited to be participating in the Corps Network’s nationwide Waders in the Water aquatic restoration jobs program. Our members who completed the course received training and certification for climate-ready aquatic restoration and are now skilled in aquatic safety, knowledgeable about installation techniques, and ready to provide business and government reliable restoration on streams, rivers and wetlands across the U.S.

Waders in the Water is an industry-recognized credential that prepares our members to enter conservation careers by learning how to improve the health, productivity, and climate-resiliency of our streams, rivers, and wetlands and because Waders in the Water offers professional training from a third-party industry expert, our clients can be confident in the quality of the workforce they are contracting. Learning aquatic restoration industry best management practices has made our members more attractive candidates for some projects previously unavailable to them, and the feedback from the restoration community has been overwhelming.

Doug Lashley, CEO of GreenVest LLC and immediate Past President of the National Mitigation Banking Association, the leading organization in the country engaged in ecological restoration and conservation banking said “this movement presents an incredible opportunity to engage the youth of America to help reverse trends and conditions that impact our waters, streams, rivers and all forms of biodiversity.”

Lashley added “Educating youth at an early age on best management practices and an appreciation of the environment will equip them for future jobs in the outdoors, enhance local economies, and most importantly, encourage an appreciation of the restoration of water quality impacting all forms of life. Corporate America can help support this opportunity through Public Private Partnerships as a method of complying with their growing internal sustainability initiatives. It is an investment with no limit on the returns.”

“I saw this training as the keystone to a safe and effective method in ensuring our wetlands. Beyond that, this experience gives us a clear understanding of the job market and the need for more educated labor in wetland restoration.” – Evan Townsend, Wyoming Conservation Corps – Laramie, WY

“Real world, practical advice was given. It gave me the baseline knowledge and certification I need to be successful as a young professional.”   – Christopher Gomon, American YouthWorks

“I think the training/certification gives our partners and potential partners more confidence that we’re serious about restoration work and that we can be a trusted source for their restoration implementation plans.”   – Michael Gaffney, White Mountain Youth Corps

“Wonderful…so grateful!”   – Jeanine Foley, American Conservation Experience – Flagstaff

“Invaluable!”   – Donavan Midkiff, Earth Conservation Corps

“It’s a necessity if you want to move forward in this profession.”   – Kejuan Williams, American YouthWorks

“This training was great in teaching the principles of responsible ecology and the benefits of environmental restoration with an emphasis on safe practices.”   – Michael Santillanes, YouthWorks (Santa Fe)

“The THI online training is a cost effective training to Conservation Corps that provides great background of the industry, important safety protocol knowledge and a basic understanding of effective methods in biostabilization.”   – Willie Bittner, WisCorps

“It opened my eyes to the expansion of job opportunities in this area.”   –Rick Magee, SEEDS

“I found the training very informative and the new material was great to learn and refresh on.”  –Gavin Monson, American Conservation Experience – Flagstaff

“The web based resource is an incredibly valuable tool. I am very much looking forward to exploring it in more depth.”   – Garrett Shear, WisCorps 

“It was easy to follow the class, and Mike was a great instructor 🙂 ”   – Matt Herrera, Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission 

Please contact us to learn more about this program or to discuss our Waders in the Water graduates working on your project.