Contact Us
VCC Field Stories
Hear directly from veterans about their VCC internship experiences here: VCC Field Stories
Statistics
2024
19 Veterans enrolled in VCC internships
Veterans in conservation internships: 10
Veterans in agricultural internships: 9
For veterans who completed their internships in 2024:
7 gained employment directly after internship
3 continued to higher education
10 were connected to some form of veteran benefit
The Veterans Conservation Corps Program serves those who served by providing veterans with self-directed connections to the lands, waters, and communities in WA State.
The Veterans Conservation Corps (VCC) was founded in 2005 to honor John Beal, a Vietnam-era veteran who found healing and purpose through restoring Hamm Creek and the Duwamish River. VCC helps Washington State veterans build their own paths to healing by offering hands-on training in environmental conservation and sustainable agriculture. Through this work, veterans gain valuable skills while reconnecting with nature and their communities.
The VCC provides opportunities for veterans to engage in conserving and restoring natural ecosystems with our environmental conservation and agricultural community partner organizations. We support veterans in establishing and maintaining healthy reciprocal relationships with nature and their community so that through their own efforts they may increase their self-efficacy and resiliency to realize a positive shift in their mental, emotional, and physical well-being. To further support their efforts, VCC interns receive training and resources on veteran-related topics that empower them to address and overcome any challenges that they may experience in their transition from the military to civilian opportunities.
Opportunities through the VCC include:
We offer this brochure and program overview for additional details.