By Maria Burnett, ECO AmeriCorps at VT Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets
Many of you may have seen young folks shadow Agency staff on farm visits, table at conferences, or heard the term ‘AmeriCorps’. A question I get asked all the time is ‘what is AmeriCorps?’
AmeriCorps is a federally funded agency that enrolls thousands of people all across the United States in service terms. They can be serving with a variety of different organizations, from nonprofits to schools to government agencies.
I’m Maria, and I am currently an ECO AmeriCorps member serving with the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets in the water quality division. The Environmental Careers and Opportunities (ECO) AmeriCorps program focuses on environmental stewardship, education, and outreach, and completing projects throughout rural Vermont to protect public land access and improve water quality.
While I’m not a Vermont native, I fell in love with the state when I was an AmeriCorps member at Camp DREAM, a summer camp for underserved youth in Fletcher Vermont. Post grad, I wanted to be in a space where I could improve the environment, learn about climate resiliency on Vermont farms, and be an advocate for creating a just and sustainable food system. I found my current position with the Agency of Ag and have been loving serving with others in the water quality division.
So far I’ve had the chance to shadow Sonia Howlett and Ellen Fredrich on rotational grazing and cover crop checks, head out with the team led by Ben Gabos and Phil Wilson to harvest and install willow stakes for a CREP project in Derby, help farmers with FAP applications, meet the Connecticut Watershed Farmers Alliance and attend a board meeting, and meet many of you at a wide variety of conferences and events. With my role being relatively flexible and the Agency being such a large organization, I have also been able to connect with other divisions on various projects, including Plant Health and Agricultural Development.
I quickly learned what a wide alumni network the ECO AmeriCorps program has. Within the first few months, I met multiple people who have served in the ECO program and continue to work in the environmental conservation and water quality fields. You may have heard of Kate Longfield, who is now a part of the Champlain Valley Farmers Coalition, Kate Wettergreen, who is now with the Franklin County NRCD, and Brodie Haenke, who has been affiliated with the Franklin County NRCD and Agency, and is now at the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation. These people and many more are former ECO AmeriCorps members, and have made a career out of helping farmers implement conservation practices. Even with being in the agricultural water quality field for six months, I’ve come to realize that Vermont truly is special in the way that there is strong collaboration between state agencies, conservation districts, and local nonprofits.
So if you see me and other new folks out on farms or at outreach events, stop by and say hi! I’ve loved getting to know the farmers and producers that I work with and want to continue learning about agriculture in Vermont and be a part of creating a resilient food system while protecting our environment.
Photo: 2023-2024 ECO team with Tom Green and Edible Brattleboro in October, supporting their community garden that was impacted by summer flooding.