By Luke Coleman, RCBR Volunteer
Hi! My name is Luke Coleman; I’m a rising senior at McDaniel High School and have spent a little bit of time volunteering with Rose City Bluff Restoration. I’m writing in this newsletter, though, because I was asked to share my experience working with Northwest Youth Corps. First, a quick rundown of what Northwest Youth Corps is. Northwest Youth Corps is a nonprofit that works with the forest service, among many other partners, to give conservation jobs to young people. Teens aged 15-18 work on crews of 4-10 people for 5 weeks at a time in various areas in the Northwest, completing conservation projects such as trail building, invasive species removal, and campground cleanup and getting paid for the work they do. I’ll talk specifically about what I did this year and why it was so important for me.
My crew and I backpacked into the Idaho Panhandle National Forest and helped remove brush and dig tread on the 17-mile Saint Joe River Trail (No. 48). Working a total of 185 hours lopping away huckleberries, thimbleberries, alders, conifers, and more that were growing into the trail as well as digging over a mile of tread to create a more flat and stable trail for people to walk on. A large part of the experience, as well, was being able to fully immerse myself in a natural environment. I saw moose and bears, learned to identify trees, flowers, and mushrooms, and ate wild berries. Camping every night under the stars completely removed from society as a whole (technology especially) really made me appreciate the life I was living so much more. I was able to, for once in my life, take a breath.
I can’t say it was ever easy, but I think the challenge was part of the fun, pushing myself beyond my limit, having to crush miles while doing 8-10 hours of work most days. On one day in particular, our crew leader’s step counter hit about 15 miles (I took an extra long nap that afternoon). Through the hardships faced, I learned to be more self-sufficient, able to cook my own meals and treat water and take care of myself; I learned to be more organized and, most importantly in my opinion, I learned to be more flexible and not be so scared of the unknown.
What I can say is that it was super rewarding. This work is important not only because a trail being usable means people can immerse themselves in nature, something that is often missing from our lives in a world filled with concrete and computers, but also because people being exposed to the wonders of the natural world means more people care about conservation. I think there was important emphasis placed on why we do the work we do. A lot of this I learned from the forest service employees that we got to work and talk with throughout the trip. It was really satisfying when groups of hikers passed by us on the trail and complimented our work and helped to encourage my passion for conservation work in general. I was taught valuable skills and knowledge that I hope I can bring to volunteering with Rose City Bluff Restoration. I think it’s really important for youth like me to be involved in conservation, because if we aren’t, in 50 years, who will take care of our public lands?
Thank you for letting me share my experience!
Rose City Bluff Restoration 