Crew Rules
To maintain consistency in the program and make your service easier, we developed the following rules and policies. These policies ensure crews are safe and respectful and run as efficiently as possible. Below is a list of WisCorps rules and the “whys” behind them. All WisCorps participants and staff must conduct themselves professionally.
General Crew Policies
General Crew Policies establish clear expectations and create efficient, professional crews capable of offering a rich conservation and education experience to their members. Participants are given two opportunities to correct actions that are not consistent with the General Crew Policies. The third infraction may result in the Crew Member’s dismissal.
Arrive on Time
Everyone must be on time for the start of the service day, crew activities, trainings and meals. Being late is disrespectful. Each time a Crew Member is late for the start of a scheduled meeting or other activity, it is grounds for disciplinary action. One way to be sure of arriving on time is to get into the habit of arriving 10 minutes early.
Being late is disrespectful and wastes others’ time. In essence, one is sending a message to their crew that they do not matter or are less important than they are. One individual consistently being late can create a situation where the whole team has to work longer or harder, or misses out on an activity because of that one person.
Bring All Safety Gear
Everyone must bring their safety gear to the project site each day. Personal protective equipment (PPE) must always be worn during active fieldwork unless WisCorps staff approves an exception. At a minimum, this includes a helmet, safety glasses, and gloves. You do not need to wear PPE when hiking to the project site or during crew breaks. Any WisCorps participant who forgets their safety gear may be subject to disciplinary action.
Below is the list of safety gear you must bring to the project site each day.
Leather Boots
Gloves
Hard Hat
Safety Glasses + Ear Protection
Uniform
Long Pants
Raingear
Use Appropriate Language
WisCorps participants who swear, use offensive language, or make sexist, homophobic, racist, or harassing remarks will be subject to immediate disciplinary action or potential dismissal (see Sexual Harassment).
Using words that offend another person (whether those words are profanities or simply used in a way that hurts another) directly opposes creating a respectful community. All WisCorps Crew Members and staff must conduct themselves professionally and remember that they represent WisCorps as an organization when out in the field.
Keep a Positive Attitude
WisCorps participants who display a negative attitude towards the work project, crew, or an activity may be subject to disciplinary action. We know that everyone has bad days. We also know you can’t always control how you feel. However, we believe you can control your actions, including those that show up as a bad attitude.
Choosing a negative attitude in times of trouble can bring the other members of your crew down. It makes an already difficult situation unbearable for you and your crew and doesn’t help your crew find the solutions you need. Having a positive attitude and being solution-minded through tough times can sometimes mean the difference between success and failure for crews and individuals. Having a bad attitude is one of the most destructive things a member can bring to their community.
Participate in Activities
WisCorps participants will take part in many educational and recreational activities. All WisCorps participants must take part in these activities and remain contributing members of the team. Participants who refuse to participate in crew activities may face disciplinary action.
WisCorps is an experience, not just a job. To take full advantage of that experience, Corps participants must participate in all aspects of the experience. You truly grow by pushing yourself beyond what’s comfortable. In addition, each crew participant brings something different to the community dynamic.
Avoid Exclusive Relationships
Friendships are encouraged; however, exclusive relationships isolate members from the rest of the group and prevent the crew from building a strong and healthy community.
WisCorps wishes to create communities where all participants become friends, and no one feels left out or unwanted. Cliques and exclusive relationships are counterproductive in an atmosphere geared toward building a community with all group members.
Follow Crew-Specific Policies
WisCorps staff and AmeriCorps leaders will design crew arrangements (including chore charts) to meet crew-specific needs to keep the crew organized and running smoothly. For example, a leader might create a cleaning rule to pick up personal items from around the camp and keep the common lodging areas clean. Participants who do not follow these crew-specific policies may face disciplinary action.
Each individual crew will have different needs and dynamics. Therefore, it is important to set specific, agreed-upon guidelines to create working, respectful communities.
Use Tools and Equipment Properly
Using tools or equipment incorrectly or for the wrong purpose is dangerous and can damage the tool or cause an injury. Use the right tool for the job! WisCorps participants who blatantly and dangerously misuse tools and equipment will be subject to disciplinary action.
Commit To Service – Work Hard & To Your Full Potential
WisCorps crew participants will receive training to complete essential service tasks. After receiving appropriate training, WisCorps participants will be subject to disciplinary action for repeatedly poor service performance due to negligence, carelessness, or a general negative attitude. WisCorps is committed to completing high-priority, quality projects.
Be a Consistent Member of the Team
If a WisCorps crew participant needs to miss service, they must receive permission from WisCorps staff supervisors and demonstrate in advance in writing the reason for the absence by providing a doctor’s note, court summons, or other appropriate documentation. WisCorps participants need to be committed to completing their term of service.
Additional Guidelines for Leaders Regarding Travel and Expenditures.
No Driving After 9:00 PM
WisCorps has a program curfew in place at 9 PM during the season. This policy serves several important purposes and can be confirmed using GPS tracking software. Any vehicles in motion after hours will trigger alerts sent to program staff.
- Safety & Driving Fatigue – WisCorps participants spend their days doing intense, physical labor (trail building, chainsaw work, habitat restoration). We enforce driving curfews to prevent fatigued driving, which is a leading cause of vehicle accidents.
- Camp Quiet Hours & Curfews – Many WisCorps base camps and public campgrounds enforce a “quiet hours” or headlight-free policy starting between 9 PM and 10 PM. Restricting driving at 9:00 PM helps ensure incoming vehicle noise and headlights don’t disrupt others. Additionally, many WisCorps participants need to wake up early (often between 5 AM and 6 AM) for their project.
- Liability and Fleet Vehicle Use – WisCorps crews operate rented and/or program-owned fleet vehicles; driving is strictly forbidden after hours unless there is a medical emergency.
50 Mile Radius Rule
WisCorps crews are generally free to explore, hike, and rest within the local 50-mile radius without checking in with staff.
Our 50-mile radius non-project-day travel rule restricts crews from traveling beyond a 50-mile straight-line radius from their designated spike camp or duty station during their recreation days off without prior staff approval. If you want to visit a city, park, or other attraction, please contact WisCorps staff at least one day before the trip. You can submit requests through Slack, via text, or by phone.
- Emergency Accountability: If an environmental emergency, extreme weather event, or wildfire dispatch occurs, leadership must be able to quickly recall or account for all Crew Program participants
. - Liability and Safety: WisCorps staff must know your general location in case of vehicle accidents or medical emergencies. The program has chosen to GPS all staff and crew vehicles to ensure real-time information is always available.
Reporting Vehicle and Equipment Damage
Failing to report vehicle and equipment damage or safety issues in a conservation corps program violates policy and can lead to severe disciplinary action or legal liability. WisCorps requires drivers to complete a daily visual inspection of vehicles before driving. Report vehicle damage immediately, ideally by phone or Slack.
Report WisCorps property (tools, tents, basecamp gear) damage to WisCorps staff during the end-of-week leader and staff check-in. Communicate earlier if it impacts your crew’s safety or field productivity.
Crew Credit Cards and Field Spending
WisCorps crew credit cards are strictly limited to authorized operational costs such as crew travel and field resupplies. Crew food, ice, firewood, and fuel for vehicles and tools do not require WisCorps staff approval.
WisCorps staff must approve any purchases that do not fall within the above categories ahead of time. You can submit requests through Slack, via text, or by phone. WisCorps staff may be able to avoid unnecessary transactions and streamline the process.
Our fiscal policy requires that you log receipts bi-weekly. However, best practice is to log them immediately or, at the very least, take a photo of the receipt right after the transaction is completed. Failing to provide proper documentation or charging personal items may lead to disciplinary action or mandatory reimbursement.
Immediate Dismissal Policies
Possession or Use of Tobacco
There will be no use or possession of tobacco at any time while serving on a WisCorps crew, while on a WisCorps project site, or while part of any WisCorps activity. WisCorps participants who possess or use tobacco will be immediately dismissed.
WisCorps strives to create a safe and healthy community. In addition, it is not legal for anyone under 18 years old to use tobacco. To use tobacco, people typically need to pull themselves away from the community on a regular basis, which fails to promote a strong community.
Possession or Use of Alcohol or Drugs
There will be no use or possession of alcohol or drugs at any time while serving on a WisCorps crew, while on a WisCorps project site, or while part of any WisCorps activity. WisCorps participants who possess or use drugs or alcohol will be immediately dismissed.
Use of alcohol and drugs is typically not allowed at any job and is illegal for most youth that WisCorps employs (under 21). Even crews with members above the legal age limit typically have at least one member under age. WisCorps chooses to operate its crews in a drug and alcohol free setting.
Possession or Use of a Weapon
There will be no use or possession of any weapon at any time while serving on a WisCorps crew, while on a WisCorps project site, or while part of any WisCorps activity. WisCorps participants who possess or use a weapon will be immediately dismissed.
Weapons of any kind (knives larger than 4 inches, switchblades, guns) are unnecessary on a WisCorps crew. The safety and well-being of all WisCorps employees is imperative.
Physical Intimacy
No physical intimacy is allowed between WisCorps participants serving on a crew. WisCorps participants who become involved in a physically intimate relationship with another crew member, crew leader, or staff may be immediately dismissed.
Member who disclose intimate relationships (prior to their arrival) will be stationed on separate WisCorps Crews.
WisCorps wishes to create communities where all members become friends. Physical relationships amongst the crew are counterproductive to creating a strong community. For this reason, and for additional liability reasons for youth organizations, WisCorps does not permit physical relationships while serving on a WisCorps crew.
Physical Fighting
There will be no physical fighting or threats of physical violence while serving on a crew or while part of any WisCorps activity. If a WisCorps participant has a conflict with another crew participant, they are expected to discuss the matter with the Crew Leader or WisCorps staff. The conflict will be resolved in a professional and respectful manner. WisCorps members who participate in a physical fight will be immediately dismissed.
The safety and well-being of all is WisCorps’ number one priority. Fighting or threats of violence do not contribute to a healthy and safe community.
Stealing
There will be no stealing while serving on a WisCorps crew or while part of any WisCorps activity. WisCorps participants must be able to trust each other when living and working closely together. WisCorps participants who steal will be immediately dismissed.
Stealing from another person is one of the quickest ways to lose someone’s trust and the community’s trust. Not being able to trust one’s fellow crewmates would create an unworkable environment. Because WisCorps is invested in creating communities in which trust is paramount, stealing is strictly prohibited.
Sexual Harassment
There will be no sexual harassment while serving on a WisCorps crew or while part of any WisCorps activity. Harassment includes threatening or insinuating that the refusal to submit to sexual advances will adversely affect admission or program benefits. Harassment may also include conduct such as unwanted sexual flirtation or touches; abusive or degrading language; graphic or suggestive comments; or displaying inappropriate objects or pictures. Any member/leader/employee who believes that they have been subject to harassment of any kind, or who has knowledge about harassment of others, should report the harassment to an immediate supervisor, superior, and/or director. Any member/employee found to have engaged in harassment will be dismissed immediately.