Field Program

Reflecting over the last two weeks, I’m not even sure where to start. Being my first conservation corps, I had no idea what to expect. I felt confident but anxious, nervous but competent. I think the biggest surprise to me was to learn that my crew would be working alongside another crew in the Payette, on the same project. 

On our first day, we all met up at the ranger station in New Meadows, Idaho. We were given a briefing on what we were doing there, the tools we’d be using, and where we’d be going. It was exciting to feel that I was going to be doing honest and natural work. After a very long, very educational day, we all went out, set up camp, and got ready for the real work to start. Over the next few days, the USFS helped us to understand the tools we were given and my crew and I learned to navigate these roles with one another. We came to understand the purpose of our work: plotting land and sampling data to help the USFS maintain a healthy forest in the face of wildfires and environmental disease. Our project partners did a great job of explaining all the information we needed until each of us could easily identify the species of any given tree in an area. 

Meanwhile, I learned to navigate a new social environment within my crew. I thought that I would have to make a space for myself in this environment, only to find that my crew was eager and open to having the space filled. By the end of nine days, I had already felt that I belonged and had known those around me for weeks. These people I was so nervous to meet had already become fast friends to me, and I think to myself if only I had been here from the start. My favorite part of the day had quickly become riding back to camp in our “mystery vehicle,” to talk about our adventures that day with the other crew and unwind with a mega hitch dinner, all of us sitting around talking about our highs, lows, and gratitudes.