Wednesday, August 20, 2014

WEN and YCC - A perfect combination!

This summer, WEN partnered with the Lolo National Forest to run a Youth Conservation Crew (YCC) program. The 6 week program brought together 8 Missoula area high school students to work on a variety of projects for the Forest Service.

The YCC Crew deep in the Montana woods.

Data collection was a big theme of the summer, and the crew drove and hiked many miles through old and decommissioned Forest Service Roads. Along the way, they were collecting measurements, tracking GPS data, and determining use. Not to mention, there were the occasional boulder that needed to be moved out of the way!

Hiking along old Forest Service roads to get to the next data collection spot.

Off the dry roads and into the wet streams, the crew spent time in the water completing Pebble Counts, measuring flow, and checking out bugs!

BUGS!

The crew learned the difference between Native Plants and Noxious Weeds, spending in the Ninemile getting rid of the invasive species to help the natives thrive. It might not be a pretty task, but they sure did make it look good!

Crew member getting after the weeding project

It wasn't all work and no play, as the teaching moments turned out to be a lot of fun. The group got to spend time Birding at the MPG Ranch, and also went on a hunt for Grizzly Bears, working with experts using radio collars to track them.

Birding at the MPG Ranch

At the end, the crew gave a presentation to members of the US Forest Service about what they accomplished and what they learned. A report of all the data collected was also submitted which will help the Forest Service determine their next steps in these areas.

It was great to work with this crew - one that bonded so well and so quickly, all while getting great data in needed areas. The summer seemed to go by far too quickly, but we gained so many great memories! Thanks  for all the hard work Andrei, Ava, Claire, Dylan, Jackie, Josh, and Noah!

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