PHOTO: Heinrich Participates In Restoration Service Project At Bandelier National Monument
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) participated in a restoration service project with the Rocky Mountain Youth Corps' Hands-On-Preservation Experience (HOPE) Crew at Bandelier National Monument. The HOPE Crew program links preservation projects to the national youth corps movement. It brings the potential for thousands of crew members to work on hundreds of sites, learning preservation craft skills while rehabilitating historic places.
"I'm extremely proud of the restoration and conservation work Rocky Mountain Youth Corps is doing at Bandelier National Monument," said Sen. Heinrich. "National service is a critical and cost effective approach to solving problems. Early in my career, I spent the better part of a year doing construction, education, and fieldwork for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as an AmeriCorps volunteer. That experience taught me that there is no venture more rewarding than working to improve the lives of those around us."
In May, Senator Heinrich announced $522,750 in funding to the Rocky Mountain Youth Corps for 136 AmeriCorps members to conduct environmental restoration projects that reduce the risk of wildfire, build trails, restore watersheds, weatherize low-income homes, and increase academic engagement of school children across northern New Mexico.
Senator Heinrich is a staunch supporter of national service programs. He is the first AmeriCorps alum to serve in the United States Senate and a member of the National Service Congressional Caucus.
