Last week was the tenth and FINAL week of the 2024 Youth Conservation Program!

The crew started their last week in the field at Bug Canyon, a lesser-known trail near Grand View Point. YCP widened the tread to meet Grand Teton’s accessibility standards. By doing so, they enabled a more diverse group of trail users to access hiking opportunities in our park who would not otherwise be able, whether due to mobility issues or otherwise. There is more work to be done on this trail and many others around the park to fully achieve desired accessibility standards, but YCP was able to make a lot of progress on this front throughout the summer.

On Tuesday, YCP met with the Teton Interagency Fire Crew at Colter Bay and helped them with their fuels reduction project. The group learned about career opportunities in the wildland fire sector and how fire engines work, and also helped the sawyers build burn piles with the timber they cut. Several YCP participants have been interested in pursuing fire careers and a few others became more interested after spending time with the professional fire crew—it was a great day and learning opportunity.

YCP spent Wednesday with the park’s vegetation team to help them collect native seeds in a meadow near Two Ocean Lake. The veg team was very grateful to have so many helpers—in one morning, YCP collected an amount of native seed that would take them several days on their own! The seeds will be redistributed elsewhere in the park, in some cases reseeding an area impacted by construction or in areas where invasive plants have taken over native plant life. After lunch, YCP went to the Colter Bay Visitor Center where they met with the folks involved with Grand Teton's indigenous artist program. Though nearly all of the recorded history in this valley dates back only to the nineteenth century, humans have used this valley for over 12,000 years. The YCP leaders wanted the crew to learn about the indigenous cultures that have been an integral part of the valley's history. The crew met with Laine Thom who specializes in beadwork. His art was very impressive, and participants had many great questions about his art and his cultural. It was a very rewarding and memorable experience for the crew.

Thursday was the final day of the season. The YCP leaders planned a variety of activities, some were work related and others were just for fun! In the morning, the crew helped stack rocks on pallets for the Moose Landing boat ramp project. The group then returned to the trail shop to clean the vans, inventory tools, and conduct end-of-season performance evaluations for everyone. After lunch, YCP shifted gears to fun and games and completed Trail Crew Olympics!

The eighteenth summer of YCP in Grand Teton National Park has officially come to a close, but the experience will continue to impact crew members for years to come! One participant had this to say, “I just wanted to let you, and everyone who funded YCP know, how grateful I am for you! Thanks to YCP, I have had the best summer of my life. I have learned so much, made so many friends, and found a new love for the outdoors. This summer has changed my life and I can’t wait to come back next year. I cannot thank you enough for funding YCP!”

Thank YOU for making this program possible year after year!