By Jessica Berry

Members serving in mining community affected by environmental degradation.

The Western Hardrock Watershed Team (WHWT) is a coalition of community and watershed improvement groups that confronts the challenges that remain from historic mining in the West. We address environmental degradation and community impoverishment and provide rural mining communities with the skills and capacity they need to make their neighborhoods and watersheds better places to live and work.

Since 2007, the Watershed Team has worked in partnership with the Office of Surface Mining (OSM) and the AmeriCorps VISTA program to place full-time members in communities impoverished by environmental degradation. These members help build the capacities of their sites by assisting with strategic long-term organizational planning, the preparation and submission of grant proposals, the facilitation of local and regional partnerships, and the recruitment and training of volunteers. In their work, AmeriCorps VISTA members strive to create sustainable programs that help communities in the long-run.

The partnership between AmeriCorps VISTA and the Office of Surface Mining promotes environmental stewardship and healthy futures in at-risk ecosystems by supporting watershed research and clean water initiatives. The Watershed Team aims to link the importance of water quality and sustainable land and water practices with the growing need for community supported agriculture, access to nutritious and affordable food access, and health and nutrition education.

The mining booms of the 19th and early 20th centuries left behind a mixed heritage: families proud of their contribution to the West’s expansion and our national prosperity, as well as thousands of acres of land and water contaminated by mining and processing of raw materials.

Today, these communities endure poverty, small populations, long commutes to viable jobs, and an irregular economy. However, they remain proud of their assets, heritage, and natural resources. Faced with a multitude of both opportunities and challenges, community/watershed organizations bring new hope, renewed civic engagement, and economic opportunity to communities.

Watershed groups work to educate the general population, partner with government agencies and staff to heighten citizen empowerment and transparency, and increase communication and understanding from project implementation to citizen support. These groups educate and mobilize their community members, pooling resources to be more sustainable and effective in improving local environments and public health into the future. Still, community/watershed groups face an uphill battle. Often citizen and volunteer led organizations, they are underfunded and understaffed and draw from a limited group of volunteers in their small communities that fill large roles.

The Watershed Team partners with several agencies and the AmeriCorps VISTA program to provide full-time support to help community organizations develop programs that bring low-income communities out of poverty. Our partners are located throughout Colorado and New Mexico, and we continuously seek expansion in regions of both states to better encompass the full and equitable scope of work being done by grassroots groups and organizations.

Jessica Berry is an AmeriCorps VISTA member serving with the Western Hardrock Watershed Team. The Corporation for National and Community Service is celebrating the 20th anniversary of AmeriCorps and highlighting the theme of environmental stewardship during the month of April.  For more information about the 20th anniversary, please visit the AmeriCorps 20th Anniversary Resource Center.