Green Bay Council funds Conservation Corps through August

GREEN BAY, Wis (WGBW) – The Trump Administration’s cuts in AmeriCorps funding threatened to shut down the Green Bay Conservation Corps, as it did for similar programs nationwide. Yesterday, Green Bay Council Members voted to bridge the program’s funding for a short period.

The city’s Finance Committee initially proposed funding the Conservation Corps for $26,000 for one month. However, Green Bay Alderman Joey Prestely proposed an amendment to fund it for the rest of the AmeriCorps program year.

“We have, to put it lightly, been very, very fortunate to have the Conservation Corps in our community. They are doing things like moving invasives–the buckthorns and phragmites  that have been filling up different green areas and planting native plants,” Prestley said in a press conference before the City Council meeting. “They have really, in a short amount of time, made our city more green, more sustainable, and more climate resilient.”

The council voted unanimously to use $115,000 in ARPA interest funds to fund the program through August.

Green Bay Conservation Corps

The Conservation Corps improves parks, trails, and other public spaces by removing invasive species, restoring native plants, and helping reduce flooding in some areas. It also improves the way the community interacts with its natural spaces.

“These are the most dedicated and passionate people you’ll ever meet. They don’t do this to get rich. They don’t do this to get famous. They do it because they’re committed to community service. They’re committed to Green Bay and making this area better for everyone,” said Maria Otto, Conservation Corps Director. “They’re out in zero-degree weather. They’re out in 100-degree weather, rain, snow, all of it, because they know that what they’re doing has an incredible impact.”

Otto doesn’t have an optimistic view of a future without the program’s efforts.

“We’ll go back to what we saw before this program started. Our parks would be invaded with invasives; our trails would be less accessible,” Otto said.

Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich said that, while this vote will help the Conservation Corps continue through the summer and will allow them to finish projects, he isn’t sure it will be able to continue without federal support.

“It’s really a band-aid. There’s no such thing as a free lunch, and it hasn’t been that for the City of Green Bay. We’ve put real money up to make this program happen. But it’s a three-to-one match,” Genrich said. “So we would have to come up with three times the dollar amount that we’ve allocated for this. I think it would be very difficult for us to find the dollars to continue operating a program of this scale.”

In an earlier press release, Genrich said he supports Governor Tony Evers’ lawsuit challenging the $400 million cuts to AmeriCorps grants. He also encouraged Wisconsin’s Congressional delegation to oppose these cuts. 

Response to cuts

“Cruel, counter-productive, just plain dumb, that’s how I’d describe DOGE’s targeting of Americorps,” Genrich said. “This reckless decision, if left intact, would kill our Conservation Corps, a program supported unanimously by a politically diverse Common Council. I thank Governor Evers for his swift legal action, but I also encourage our Congressional leaders to step up and end DOGE’s assault on this beloved and effective program.”

Assembly District 90 Representative Amaad Rivera-Wagner was among the first to heed Genrich’s call. During a press conference, he noted he worked with AmeriCorps for several years and called attention to its bipartisan nature.

“Over 30 years of specific bipartisan support has AmeriCorps engendered, meaning that for the vast majority of my life, and the previous generation, this program has never seen the partisan bickering that we often see at the national level and sometimes can trickle down to the local level,” Rivera-Wagner said. “For the first time ever, we’re watching how partisan politics can really have a negative impact at a local level for something that has a complete positive impact for this community.”

Meanwhile, 8th District Congressman Tony Wied is backing the cuts to AmeriCorps by issuing the following statement: “House Republicans are working to ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent wisely after decades of out-of-control federal spending. While programs like AmeriCorps are generally beneficial to our region, we need to evaluate taxpayer-funded programs on a case-by-case basis to ensure every dollar is spent effectively.”

AmeriCorps is a federal agency for national service and volunteerism providing disaster services, environmental stewardship, education, and economic opportunity.