The Wild Center was notified late Monday by New York State that the Federal Government had terminated all New York AmeriCorps Programs, including The Wild Center’s current AmeriCorps for School-Community Partnership Program, contracted to operate through August. The eight young women and men serving were informed of the abrupt program termination on Monday evening, according to Wild Center staff. This disappointing decision comes despite the positive and growing impact AmeriCorps members have made in the Tupper Lake community.

In the past seven months, these eight members have served over 8,400 hours—from classrooms to libraries to gyms—they have been on the ground making things happen. This year alone:

• Members visited multiple classrooms at Tupper Lake Middle/High School, leading hands-on science programs like “Critter Scene Investigation” to teach wildlife tracking and spark curiosity about the natural world.
• Members worked with the Town of Tupper Lake’s Rec Program to run the Li’l Ballers program, teaching basketball fundamentals and encouraging teamwork, health, and wellness among K-4 age kids.
• Members helped launch two new book clubs at the Goff-Nelson Memorial Library, designing crafts, games, and activities that brought books to life and built reading skills.
• Members lead more than 200 public science-based programs at The Wild Center, inspiring a connection with nature for visitors and helping to drive tourism.

“Committed Volunteers are near impossible to find. Small communities and departments like ours rely on volunteers to support all of our youth sports and programming,” said Laura LaBarge, Town of Tupper Lake recreation director. “The AmeriCorps program is essential for the success of our Town Recreation programs and events. Their services have allowed us to: increase the size of our youth XC ski program, provide safety and admissions support at BrewSki and ADK Tour de Ski, host community events like PJ movie nights, family dances, community garden projects, fundraisers, etc. Our newly developed Tupper Teens program and Harry Potter Book Club will not exist without them. Their presence in Tupper Lake has been truly transformative, and our program offerings will take a serious hit without them.”
“We are proud of the work our AmeriCorps members have accomplished and the relationships they’ve built in Tupper Lake,” said Stephanie Ratcliffe, executive director at The Wild Center. “Their work has strengthened our community, inspired young learners, and brought people together. While the program has been suspended, their impact will be felt for years to come.”

Elizabeth Littlefield, principal of L.P. Quinn school in Tupper Lake said, “In a rural community like Tupper Lake, options for out-of-school activities are often limited. This leaves many of our students with few opportunities for enrichment beyond the classroom. Recognizing this gap, we have partnered with The Wild Center and AmeriCorps since 2023. The volunteers have stepped in to provide creative, supportive, and engaging programs that have made a significant impact on local youth and families.

The volunteers have made a meaningful and lasting impact on our school community. Their efforts have increased opportunities and engagement for our students. We’ve seen improvement with students, likely due to support programs and improvements in the learning environment.

The AmeriCorps members have worked closely with students, some of whom need extra attention, encouragement, and mentorship. The loss of this programming, with its ability to build long-term capacity through service, will impact the momentum we’ve built over the past few years.”

While the program has been suspended, barring an injunction filed by New York State, The Wild Center is actively pursuing potential options to ensure this important work doesn’t disappear permanently. While Wild Center personnel remain hopeful, it is nearly impossible to find $70,000 in replacement funding of this magnitude in such a short period of time.