Local Youth Conservation Corps Finish a Successful Season
Photo courtesy of NPS/Repetski
Alice Serovy, YCC, Alaysia Navor, Intern, Dominic Bryan, YCC, Jake Zatz, Intern, Joseph Hauptman, YCC, Jesi Watson, YCC, Cissy McDonald, YCC Leader, in front of the Viking Lodge on the Nabesna Rd.
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve hosted a very successful Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) Program this summer. Five local youths worked with two out-of- state participants.
Throughout the summer, YCC participants worked hard brushing and cleaning up various trails in the park, including Dixie Pass and Crystalline Hills along the McCarthy Road, and Skookum Trail, Rambler Mine Trail, and Kendesnii Campground along the Nabesna Road.
The Chitina Ranger Station and the Viking Lodge off Nabesna Road also received some much-needed deep-cleaning. The participants also learned how to chink the logs at the Chitina Ranger Station.
The YCCs conducted Jr. Angler and Jr. Ranger activities at the Youth Environmental Summit, Fireweed Festival, Gulkana Airport Day, and the Kenny Lake Fair. There were also opportunities for learning professional speaking skills and experiencing recreational opportunities in the park.
They spent a week in Kennecott, toured the Mill Building, walked on the Root Glacier, attended Ranger Programs, went on a Gulkana River float trip, and experienced other hikes at Liberty Falls, Nugget Creek, and Caribou Creek Trails.
Overall, it was a very successful season (with zero injuries, and zero COVID cases). We would like to thank the following local organizations for their support: Wrangell Institute for Science and the Environment, Ahtna Intertribal Resource Commission, Ahtna Inc., Bureau of Land Management, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and many others.
Interested in next summer’s YCC program? Please look for our recruitment fliers this winter or contact Diane Ellsworth at Wrangell-St. Elias National Park (907) 822-7250 for more information. This is a great opportunity for local youths, ages 15-18, to earn some money while learning new skills and enjoying the Park in “their own backyard!”
Photo courtesy of NPS/McDonald
Worthington Glacier: Dominic Bryan, YCC, Jesi Watson, YCC, Larry St. Amand, Ranger, Kai Garcia, YCC, Zachary Shekhani, YCC, Joseph Hauptman, YCC, Alaysia Navor, Intern, Jake Zatz, Intern, David Miller, YCC, Alice Serovy, YCC.
