The 2025 Youth Conservation Program began on June 16, marking the start of the nineteenth season of teens spending their summer working and learning in Grand Teton National Park!
This year, there are fifteen crew members and three leaders. The first week was spent getting acquainted with each other and with the type of work the group would be doing over the course of the season. Due to the federal holiday on June 19, it was a short week as everyone was off on Thursday and enjoyed a long weekend to kick off the summer.
On Monday, the crew completed various trainings on topics such as what they should bring to work in their backpacks, proper hydration and nutrition, tool use and maintenance, and safety. In the afternoon, the crew peeled quite a few logs in preparation for use by NPS trail crews in their upcoming bridge projects at Jenny and String lakes.
On Tuesday, YCP took a trip into Jackson to stock up on gear for the summer: rain jackets, boots, work pants, socks, and more. Thanks to the generosity of Foundation supporters and Skinny Skis, the crew is always well-prepared for a wide variety of weather conditions and intense work activities! YCP was back in the park by lunch and spent the afternoon learning proper techniques for cleaning drains on the Taggart/Bradley Lake trail network. Everyone was happy to finally get out on the trail!
On Wednesday, the crew hiked around String Lake with Joe Stone and Quinn Brett of Dovetail Trail Consulting. They taught YCP about their experiences living with disabilities and the potential for trail crews to greatly increase backcountry access for people with disabilities by implementing specific trail building techniques. They shared that simple fixes such as trail widening, removal of obstructing boulders, and clearing brush off the trail corridor promote access for a wide variety of trail users. It was a fun and eye-opening day for the crew as they got a much better idea of the vision for enhancing accessibility on trails throughout Grand Teton, both for the upcoming Taggart Lake project and beyond.
YCP will be back on the trail next week, stay tuned for our weekly updates!
