Trail Talk: A Window into Grand Teton National Park's Youth Conservation Program, Week 7

 You’ve heard it before that Grand Teton National Park’s Youth Conservation Program (YCP) is more than a summer job; it's an innovative, educational opportunity and a chance for today’s 16 to 19 year olds to accomplish something meaningful in and for one of America's most popular landscapes.  Last week embodied the above claim, as the students spent each day at a different location in the park, learning an array of new topics. 

With the program being well past the half way point for the season, the crew members have become truly cohesive. The leaders have been able to focus more on the projects and quality of work and much less on instructing as the youth participants are becoming more knowledgeable of trail work and are intuitively applying their recently acquired skills in fieldwork.

The major project this week has been rehabilitation and restoration of the Colter Bay swim beach. Years of overuse and creation of dozens of unnecassary user trails have negatively impacted the area, causing erosion and scarring of the landscape. The YCP crew has chosen to improve a select few of the trails by widening and smoothing the tread, and installing a series of native timber steps. They have also installed timber checks to cease erosion on the now closed trails. Following the work of the YCP crew, these areas will be reseeded with native grasses for the final step of restoration.

The crew also worked alongside the park's revegetation crew on Wednesday in the Antelope Flats area. By individually removing and killing musk thistle across nearly 50 acres of recently revegetated grassland, the crew returning previously disrupted areas of Grand Teton to their natural state.

Next week the entire crew will be working in the backcountry of Owl and Web canyons in the northern region of the park on the west side of Jackson Lake. The crew will be camping for three nights and will not return to the front country until later in the week.  Adventures abound!

About the Youth Conservation Program
Since its inception in 2006, over 120 young men and women, 16 to 19 years old have worked, earned, and learned in the highly successful ten week program that is held each June to August in Grand Teton. In seven seasons, the students have contributed over 50,000 hours of labor improving visitors' experiences in the park. Participants build trails, remove debris, install bear-resistant containers, repair historic sites, pull exotic weeds, clear vegetation, learn stone masonry, and build fences all while hiking miles of the park each day. Collaborative park teams work with the YCP teens to provide a unique education in park history, fire, safety, and rescue training.

About Grand Teton National Park Foundation
Established in 1997, Grand Teton National Park Foundation provides private financial support for special projects that enhance and protect Grand Teton National Park’s treasured cultural, historic, and natural resources.  Since its inception, the Foundation has raised more than $23 million for special projects that benefit Grand Teton and visitors.

About Grand Teton National Park
Located in northwestern Wyoming, Grand Teton National Park preserves a spectacular landscape rich with majestic mountains, pristine lakes and extraordinary wildlife. The park's world-renowned scenery attracts nearly four million visitors per year and offers an array of recreational activities for all ages and all abilities.