Hitch 6, 2016

Crew 1/Long Hair Don’t Care – BLM lands near Buffalo, WY, August 8-17 – Crew 1 headed to the wild BLM lands East of Buffalo to work on removing old barbwire fence that was rusting and causing problems for wildlife. Long Hair Don’t Care worked through miles of fence removal and two miles of clearing a trail on Poison Creek Trail. The most memorable moment for the crew came when they were working on a steep slope removing fence and tried to transport barbwire by rolling the recycled spools down the hill. It..well…it didn’t work as well as they thought and the crew ended up chasing after barbwire spools down the hill. No injuries. The crew also stumbled upon a dead elk whose leg was caught in the obsolete barbwire that the crew was working on removing. This moment served as a harsh reminder to why they were working as hard as they were.

Education Day – This crew had a fantastic education day. They traveled to Devon Energy’s oil rig pad and got the tour from a few employees. The crew asked lots of questions and facilitated a conversation concerning the balance of alternative energy with oil/gas. Long Hair Don’t Care was complemented by Devon employees for asking lots of questions and the high level of engagement throughout the tour.

Day Off – After coordinating with Crew 3 (Baby Geniuses), both crews met up some heading to the caves outside of Sheridan in Tongue River Canyon while the others hung out in Buffalo enjoying coffee shops, restaurants, and ice cream.

All Said and Done:

3.5 miles of fence deconstructed
2 miles of corridor maintained
2 acres of dug in barbwire removed

Crew 2/Thad/Mad – Greys River District, Bridger-Teton National Forest, August 8-17 – Crew 2 was stationed around the Cazier Ranger Station building new buck and rail fence from scratch. For a break, the team built a ADA accessible fireplace.

Education Day – After working half a day around the guard station building fence, the crew listened to a fisheries talk for a few hours touring a hatchery and learning the history and future of fish stocking and stream healthy in the Greys River District.

Day Off – This crew headed to Grand Teton National Park to hike up Lupine Meadows trail. They hiked all they way to the alpine zone and saw all the beautiful flowers that come with. It is never a bad day in Grand Teton NP.

All Said and Done:

1,000 ft of buck and rail fabricated and installed
2 fences installed
1 ADA fire pit installed

Crew 3/Baby Geniuses – Deer Park area, Bighorn National Forest, August 8-17 – This team contributed to a longer trail connecting two campgrounds. Crew 3 ended up digging tread through meadows, fields, thick forests, and drainage all while keeping the highest quality trail and corridor. The best moments of the hitch included treats brought by Sara from the Forest Service, seeing moose everyday, and playing board and verbal games. A special thank you to the Bighorn National Forest for letting our crew live at the Tyrell Work Center for 10 days.

Education Day – The crew headed out to multiple Civilian Conservation Corps locations around the southern Bighorn NF. Beyond touring the CCC locations, the crew climbed up a fire tower and learned about the deep human and geological history of the region by the Bighorn NF’s archeologist.

Day Off – Crew 3 worked their way back to Buffalo for the day off to hang out with Crew 1.

All Said and Done: