Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps (ALCC) is an environmental service program dedicated to promoting field research and direct conservation service. Founded in 2008 as a program model within the Southwest Conservation Corps, ALCC established itself as its own corps in 2021. ALCC supports communities and the environment through offices in Acoma Pueblo, Navajo Nation, Zuni Pueblo, Hopi-Kykotsmovi, and Albuquerque. ALCC teams support their communities through the deployment of teams to preserve historic sites, conduct trail maintenance and construction, apply fuel mitigation techniques, and restore habitats. ALCC’s trained monitoring and assessment teams capture critical data on the condition of forest and rangeland health.
ALCC’s program activities include crew-based services that preserve sites of cultural and historical significance. ALCC crew-based services also reduce wildfires through fuels reduction1 and habitat restoration. In addition, ALCC members treat and abate noxious weeds, conduct post-fire re-seeding, and reintroduce native plants. ALCC members also implement trail management measures, including the designation and restoration of trail routes, which also support reduction of fire threat by reducing fuels along trail corridors, maintaining fuel breaks, and offering improved access to fire locations. The primary anticipated outcomes of ALCC program activities include increasing employment outcomes of AmeriCorps members through workforce development experience with historic preservation activities, reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfire, and increasing accessibility and safe conditions of recreational trail systems.
To better understand the impact of the program in relation to costs, AmeriCorps commissioned a return on investment (ROI) analysis by ICF, an independent research firm. ROI analyses of national service programs estimate the monetary value of benefits that a program generates per dollar invested.
Key Findings
- The program produces strong returns for the medium- and long-term scenarios when benefits to AmeriCorps members, program participants, and state/local governments are included.
- In the short-term scenario—which only includes benefits for 1 year post-program—all of the ROI results with average or high ecosystem benefits indicate a positive return on funding invested in the program.
- All medium- and long-term scenarios, except for the federal government benefits per federal dollar, and ecosystem benefit levels show positive returns.
- The federal government benefits per federal dollar calculations estimate losses for the short- and medium-term scenarios.
Return on Investment (ROI) Studies
AmeriCorps and its grantees have invested significant resources in evaluating different agency programs and supported program models designed to improve a range of outcomes for national service members and volunteers, children, families, organizations, and communities across America. AmeriCorps has commissioned ICF International to conduct ROI analyses to help measure the program performance and build the base of evidence for future resource allocation decisions. In addition, each ROI study helps AmeriCorps communicate the value of its programs to relevant stakeholders. The ROI Studies Project will produce 26 ROI assessments.
Full report
Further information
AmeriCorps Office of Research and Evaluation Commissioned Study