Nominate Projects for the 2026 Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps Season

The PA Outdoor Corps (PAOC) is a youth conservation work skills program administered by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) in partnership with the Student Conservation Association (SCA).  Community partners can nominate projects, which the Corps can help accomplish.

Project Nominations are due by Friday, October 17, 2025.

Please find the 2026 project nomination template below, which you and your organization can use to identify projects for the next calendar year.

PAOC Partner Project Template 2026Download

 
All projects will be confirmed with site managers and project coordinators before the schedules are finalized.  The PA Outdoor Corps staff is happy to consult with you on possible project ideas.  Please reach out if you would like to discuss a potential project that you have in mind (contact info at the end of this post).  The PAOC staff would also be glad to visit your site to discuss potential projects and/or help identify quality projects conducive to an Outdoor Corps crew.

Below is the Public Partnerships Program Overview.  This document lays out how we work with partners on public lands outside of DCNR and provides additional details to consider if planning to submit project requests.  This document reflects the 2026 Fee for Service amount.

2026 PA Outdoor Corps Public Partnership Program Overview and PolicyDownload

2026 Crews:

Adult Program:
Field Season: March 30, 2026 – November 25, 2026
Crew Locations:  Tentatively Altoona, DuBois, Harrisburg, Laurel Highlands, Meadville, Pittsburgh, Southeast PA, Williamsport, Wilkes-Barre, Roving Cultural Resource and Trail Crews
Crew Make-Up:  1 Leader : 5 Members

Youth Program:
Field Season:  June 30, 2026 – August 7, 2026
Crew Locations:  Tentatively Allentown, Altoona, ASL, Chambersburg, Erie, Greensburg, Harrisburg, Lancaster, Lock Haven, Meadville, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Ridgway, Reading, Scranton, Wellsboro, Wilkes-Barre, Williamsport, York
Crew Make-Up:  2 Leaders : 6 Members

Note:  Please do not let crew locations deter you from requesting a project even if you feel they are too far from your site.  We will do our best to reach your site.

Using the Project Nomination Template:

  • Please do not reformat the spreadsheet.
  • Please rename the spreadsheet according to your park, forest, organization, or municipality (i.e. “Organization Name”_2026.xls).
  • Each project should be entered using only one row.  Expand the cell if your typing exceeds its size, as opposed to using a new cell on a subsequent row.
  • Please discuss and vet potential projects with any of your staff who may be involved with the project(s) and who may be supporting the crew during the project(s).
  • Please provide a detailed Project Scope
  • When nominating multiple projects for the same site, please indicate the “project priority,” (use 1, 2, 3, etc.).
  • Use the notes field to communicate any special instructions (i.e. best time of year for the project to occur, etc.)

What Makes a Good Project for PAOC Crews:

  • Project is conducive to a 6-person (Young Adult) or 8-person (Youth) Crew (i.e. there is enough work for everyone to do)
  • Project has a clear goal and that goal can be articulated to the crew
  • To the best of your knowledge, the project is scheduled for the appropriate amount of time
  • Staff capacity to support the crew is taken into consideration (i.e. does the project require heavy staff support or light staff support; what times in the season are staff available for heavy vs. light support)

Feel free to reach out with any questions and please share this email with others inside and outside your organization who may be interested in assistance with conservation projects.

Contacts:

North Central PA (Region 1):   Cody Whipple, cwhipple@pa.gov
Western PA (Region 2):        Kelsey Hope, khope@pa.gov
South Central PA (Region 3):    Quinn Heist, qheist@pa.gov
Eastern PA (Region 4):        Rich Fritsky, rfritsky@pa.gov