June 29, 2020 | This will be updated regularly by Conservation Legacy staff with changes or further announcements. Last updated 6/29/20.

The safety of our participants, staff, and partners is our utmost priority. We have activated an Incident Response Team dedicated to addressing the impact of COVID-19 on our organization.

Below you will find updates regarding Conservation Legacy’s response to the emerging concerns related to the COVID-19 (Coronavirus).

After pausing our programming to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our staff, participants and partners, we are happy to report that we have slowly been putting boots on the ground and getting back into the swing of things. As an organization, we have spent the last few months working remotely to pivot and innovate in the face of a pandemic.

Through a huge effort on behalf of our staff, we have successfully implemented virtual orientations and trainings for our participants, as well as modified field protocols to mitigate the risk of COVID-19. Our Incident Management Team continues to monitor and update safety policies as we move forward. Conservation Legacy programs are beginning to ramp up programming and expect to be operating at nearly 100% by July and August.

We are grateful that many of our participants and partners have endured this ‘pause’ alongside us. Like many, participant Abbey Vander Sluis, is back at work at her project site, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Abbey had been furloughed and is now excited to get her hands dirty with historic preservation projects at her park.

“I’ve been in this position a little over a year, it’s been awesome. Once [COVID] started getting more intense, I realized ‘I’m not going to have a position here for a little while’. It was stressful, not knowing. Conservation Legacy did a great job keeping us updated. Anytime I had a question it was answered in 24 hours. Our park safety protocols were very similar, so it’s been really easy for us to come back and take it in stride. I love what I do here, I love this job. I’m still striving for a full time Park job!”

Abbey, in the photo to the above, started with the Historic Preservation Training Center’s Traditional Trades Apprenticeship as a participant of Stewards Individual Placements.

We recognize that we still have an important role in reducing the spread of COVID-19 and are paying careful attention to the guidance, policies and procedures that we are implementing during this time, working with our partners to maintain the safety of our participants and staff. Our back-to-work plans are situational and based on local conditions, please reach out to your local program contact if you have any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Rob Spath, Chief Executive Officer