What do we do?

The Islands Conservation Corps offers both the accredited and non-accredited Ecological Restoration Certificate in the San Juan Islands in partnership with the Western Washington University College of the Environment. The program combines academic coursework and hands-on implementation in the fundamentals of ecological restoration. The program is delivered via a series of quarterly online courses plus paid, field-based practicums in the San Juan Islands, integrating hands-on restoration activities, online activities, and in-person learning.

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First-year members are eligible to apply to be second-year crew leaders in the program and receive a tuition waiver for their enrollment in the Western Washington University M.A. in Environmental Studies. 10 credits of the first-year Ecological Restoration Certificate go towards the 45 credits needed for the M.A. in Environmental Studies. Graduate courses are provided a hybrid model of online and place-based learning, with students taking courses remotely and traveling to Bellingham for on-campus coursework. 

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Program Mission

The Islands Conservation Corps combines academic coursework and hands-on ecological restoration to cultivate the next generation of land stewardship professionals that understand the history and modernity of conservation from the ground up. The program connects students to real-world challenges in conservation where research and inquiry can shape restoration planning and practices on public and private lands. The ICC recognizes the displacement of Coast Salish people from their ancestral homeland and fosters education in Tribal treaties and Co-Management to help members advocate for Tribal rights and indigenous land management in the conservation field. 

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What restoration activities is the ICC involved in? 

The ICC conducts an average of 21 hours per week of field-based restoration in forestry, woodland, riparian, and nearshore ecosystems. Activities are performed on public lands in San Juan County in concert with our land agency partners including:​

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• SJC Land Bank

• SJC Environmental Stewardship

• SJ Preservation Trust

• San Juan County Environmental Stewardship

• Friends of the San Juans

• OPALCO

• WA DNR

• WA State Parks​

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Crew activities center on forest restoration, with a focus on Garry Oak release and rehabilitating pre-European contact savannah structure and species composition. Members receive on-going chainsaw education and evaluations from certified trainers through the US Forest Service. Additional activities include carbon-sequestering burning practices, riparian zone restoration, near-shore ecology restoration, and the establishment of native shrubs and pollinators in treated ecosystems.

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What is the certificate? 

The certificate pairs weekly coursework through Western Washington University's College of the Environment with a paid 21-hour per week AmeriCorps position hosted by the San Juan Islands Conservation District’s Islands Conservation Corps (ICC). Certificate students enrolled in the ICC will conduct field restoration activities that count toward practicum credits for certificate courses. In addition, ICC enrollees receive a $3,440 education award and take certificate courses at a discount, incurring no out-of-pocket costs for 13 credits on their transcript. Upon completion, students receive an accredited professional certificate and are in a position to continue work towards future college degrees, post-graduate certificates, or graduate degrees.​