For six weeks this summer ten high school students from Arizona, New Mexico, Georgia, and Alaska lived and worked in and around Rucker Canyon on the southwest side of the Chiricahua Mountains. During this time they learned a plethora of conservation skills related to fuels management, rubbed shoulders with local Forest Service district staff, and navigated living in close community with one another. This local program is one expression of the USDA Forest Service program called the Youth Conservation Corps. There are dozens of local programs throughout the US that provide high schoolers ages 15 – 18 a chance to both work a full time job and learn about what it means to have a career in resource management or related fields.
The Douglas Ranger District of the Coronado National Forest, which geographically exists in the southeast corner of Arizona, has overseen this program since 2018. Over the years, Wild Arizona has slowly taken on more and more of the day-to-day running of the program, while still working in close partnership with the Douglas Ranger District staff. This program is a residential program, meaning that students do not go home on the weekends. Instead they spend much of their time at a Forest Service administration site in Rucker Canyon. This facility has a bunkhouse that sleeps up to sixteen, a fully equipped kitchen, and plenty of room for people to eat and hang out. And of course, incredible views of Turtle Mountain and the Rucker Canyon drainage.
The flow of a typical work week was as follows. Monday through Friday, the crew members worked eight hours each day. The main focus of this year’s work was on fuels reduction particularly in wildland urban interfaces. Each week the crew members got the privilege of learning from a different Forest Service resource specialist, who each taught the students a unique way of helping national forest land stay fire-resilient. Forestry staff educated the students on how different species of trees react to small versus catastrophic fires. Range staff led crew members in clearing fence lines of brush in order to create a fire break around an administration site. Staff from fire and fuels helped the high school students clear brush around the vicinity of the Visitor Information Center in Cave Creek. Staff working in archaeology and history preservation put the crew members to work trimming branches that leaning over and against historic buildings. Recreation staff members assisted the crew in brushing out trails that could also serve as fire breaks. And the district biologist led students in installing erosion control structures that will help endangered plant populations continue to thrive on fire-affected landscapes.
On Saturdays crew members participated in an educational outing in the local area. One weekend they went on a hike in nearby Chiricahua National Monument. On a different outing, they visited historic Fort Bowie in order to learn about the role it played during the Apache wars of the 19th century. And on an additional Saturday they visited a Douglas-area family farm that practices sustainable agriculture. Sundays provided a time for rest, hanging out with crew mates and preparing for the upcoming work week.
Every year the summer program has a profound impact on everyone involved. In particular, crew members from this year’s program had many things to say.
Graeme from Glendale, Arizona said this: “When I came to YCC I intended on becoming a park ranger after 4 years of college… Now, I want to be a wildland firefighter and I’m gonna do my best to make that happen next summer… Without this program I would’ve been stuck working towards a job I would’ve hated.”
Erin, from the San Carlos Reservation, offered similar insight: “I’ve always been a fan of the outdoors, and knowing I could do this job full-time is something I’m genuinely considering. Though I still have my eyes on programming, and business, I think this job has really opened my eyes to more than just making money for the sake of surviving…”
Miles, from Albuquerque, New Mexico focused more on the community and natural environment:
“I enjoyed seeing a new place, and meeting new people, all with different outlooks on life. I loved learning how to cook, and identify trees and whatnot. I loved the rain. The overall experience has been very valuable with learning how to live with people.”
Sabine, from Tucson, Arizona agreed: “These people have become some of my closest friends, and I’m so glad to have met them. Reading with them, talking with them, going on walks, having deep conversations and always feeling loved and accepted was so valuable to me. Being surrounded by nature the entire time, and looking outside and just seeing miles and miles of pure and untouched beauty made me so much happier than I can describe.
When the last crew member was picked up by parents, the following questions come to mind: What crew members will return next year to carry on this year’s legacy? What newcomers will arrive with fresh eyes and new perspectives. And how might these passionate YCC crew members go on to make a positive impact on the land and the people who inhabit it?
