Episode 22 | Trail Crew Work in Yellowstone’s Backcountry

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GYC’s Erin Steva (center) after finishing a boardwalk as a trail crew member in Yellowstone National Park. (Photo Erin Steva)

Thanks to that little glowing box in our hand, we are constantly inundated with heavy news, social media updates, or the fact that you forgot to do Wordle again. Have you ever just wanted to chuck it into the trash and head out to your nearest trail or place of solitude? Maybe find some respite among the trees, enjoying the simplicity of nature. From my conversation today, I believe that’s what compels many people who join the backcountry trail crew in Yellowstone National Park. 

Being part of a backcountry trail crew is a labor-intensive job to enhance, or sometimes decrease, access to some wild places in the Park. I had the chance to sit down with GYC’s Montana Conservation Associate Erin Steva to chat about her stint as a crew member for a couple of years. We’ll hear about the average day for a crew member, some of her most memorable moments in the field, and how this work has translated to the Montana conservation efforts she leads today. 


Voices of Greater Yellowstone was created by the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, a conservation nonprofit dedicated to working with people to protect the lands, waters, and wildlife of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, now and for future generations.

The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is the land of 49+ Indigenous Tribes who maintain current and ancestral connections to the lands, waters, wildlife, plants, and more.

> Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get podcasts.

> Donate to the Greater Yellowstone Coalition

> Become a Podcast Insider

> Yellowstone Trail Crew Job Postings

>  Lonestar Geyser Trail in Yellowstone National Park

Podcast Artwork > Rachel Dunlap Art

Music >
Redwood Trail by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Artist: http://audionautix.com/

Photo > NPS/Jacob W. Frank

Thanks for listening in!

 

-Emmy Reed, Senior Digital Communications Associate (Bozeman, Montana)

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Episode 23 | Studying Yellowstone’s Iconic Wolves

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Episode 21 | Surviving the Cold: How Winter Habitats Sustain Wildlife