Environmental Stewardship
AmeriCorps St. Louis serves with partnering agencies to improve and maintain the health of various ecosystems and improve recreational access in Missouri, Illinois, and Montana. These projects include invasive species removal, natural habitat restoration, and timber stand improvement. Special projects include wildlife surveying, native planting, bridge building, and other recreation projects.
Habitat Restoration
ERT members engage in many different types of habitat restoration, though the primary type is dolomite glade restoration. Glades in Missouri are dry, thin-soiled ecosystems similar to tall-grass prairies. These glades are home to many unique and rare species; however, fire suppression and lack of care have encouraged the abundant spread of native but harmful red cedars to Missouri glades. Members often spend time in these beautiful areas removing cedar trees to promote the open canopy needed for glade health. Other habitat restoration projects include environmental and wildlife surveying; brush removal and chipping; seeding and planting; and dam restoration.
Invasive Species Removal
The introduction of non-native invasive species to already-established ecosystems is detrimental to the local habitat. Invasive species out-compete wild plants and alter the ecosystems. These plants often spread aggressively and can have major impacts on an environment, affecting wild game, native species, and agriculture. We partner with nonprofits and governmental agencies to eradicate and reduce the spread of these damaging plants.
Recreation & Construction
State parks, national forests, and other recreation areas have many maintenance needs that require constant upkeep; by engaging in these types of projects we ensure that these sites remain safe, functional, and attractive for future users. Our recreation and construction projects include: trail building and maintenance; sign, kiosk, bulletin board installation; bridge, turnpike, and puncheon construction; firewood generation; painting and graffiti removal; fence construction and demolition, facility maintenance; historic building preservation; gate construction; and picnic table and bear box installation.
Special Project: Montana
While the majority of our service year is spent in Missouri and Illinois, AmeriCorps St. Louis holds a 20+ year tradition of serving for about a month or so each year in Montana’s Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest. This tradition came about due to the fact that summers in Missouri are extremely hot and humid, making for difficult outdoor service. So, each summer (and in past years during the fall) we travel to Butte, Montana to serve on a variety of conservation and recreation projects with the U.S. Forest Service. These projects can include trail building and maintenance; kiosk, bulletin board installation; bridge, turnpike, and puncheon construction; firewood generation; invasive species and noxious weed treatment and removal, hazard tree removal, fence construction and demolition, facility maintenance; historic building preservation; gate construction; and picnic table and bear box installation.
Special Project: Greenwood Cemetery
Located in North St. Louis County, Greenwood Cemetery was founded in 1874 as the first commercial, non-sectarian cemetery for African Americans in the St. Louis metropolitan area. More than 50,000 people are buried within Greenwood’s 32 acres. After the final burial in 1993, the cemetery was no longer maintained. Natural growth took over as the property management ceased, with invasive plants covering burial plots and grapevine choking the historic native trees.
In 2016, the Greenwood Cemetery Preservation Association (GCPA) recovered the site and has since made considerable improvements, reclaiming roughly 12 acres with the help of a core group of dedicated volunteers. In 2022, ACSTL spearheaded a formal project to support the GCPA staff with their goals of restoration and historical documentation. With funding from the Missouri Department of Conservation, ACSTL partnered with AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) to support the removal of invasives, restore a native ecosystem, and protect a valuable urban green space. Since then, we have hosted a second round of NCCC to continue supporting these efforts.
Learn more about this project HERE.