Finding out what’s on the inside . . . by taking it outside. Since 1996, that’s been the focus of the Crex Meadows Youth Conservation Camp, operated by the Northwest Wisconsin Concentrated Employment Program (CEP).

Campers attend environmental education classes, earning high-school credits for their diploma, and take part in fishing, hiking, canoeing, horseback riding and camping activities.

Camp costs are covered for the 80 low-income teens, thanks to Northwest Wisconsin CEP’s multiple funding sources—including federal, state and foundation grants and private donations.

“Part of what makes this camp unique is the students we serve. We work with a lot of students with disabilities, at-risk students who are struggling, foster-care kids, troubled youth,” says Josh Kinneman, the Crex Meadows Youth Conservation Camp director.

Enbridge is committed to making life better in the communities near our operations and projects, including the nearby Line 3 Replacement Project. In 2017, we invested about $218,000 in community-strengthening initiatives in Wisconsin, and our recent $4,800 donation to Northwest Wisconsin CEP will fund youth camp operations.

“This camp is life-changing for them. It’s welcoming. For some of them, it’s the first time they’ve felt safe. And it’s rewarding work, with important takeaways," says Kinneman.

Northwest Wisconsin CEP provides workforce solutions in 10 rural counties of northwest Wisconsin, providing training and educational opportunities for low-income adults and displaced workers, and the Crex Meadows Youth Conservation Camp is key to its support of disadvantaged youth.

Campers earn minimum wage for 40 hours a week, for work that includes goose banding and fish hatchery maintenance, fence removal and prairie restoration, native seed harvesting, invasive species removal, boardwalk construction and trail maintenance.