Working in the Teddy Roosevelt National Park - EW

The Montana Conservation Corps and Gov Schweitzer's Warm Hearts Warm Homes

Eastern Wildlands on "Make a Difference Day"

Warm Homes from Evaro to Polson - Robyn Price, NRock

During the week of October 19 MCC joined the Salish/Kootenai Housing Authority in Pablo to help weatherize homes from Evaro to Polson. We mostly installed fire alarms and sink attachments, handed out shower heads, carbon monoxide alarms, special light bulbs that last five to seven years, insulated electric water heaters and covered windows with plastic. At every home we left pamphlets for energy conservation education.
The week went by fast for me. The Housing authority set us up at the Kwataqnuk hotel on Flathead Lake in Polson. We were very comfortable. We got to see a beautiful double rainbow on Tuesday from the Kwataqnuk and later in the week the Housing Authority hosted a delicious dinner for us; awesome stew and fry bread. They also generously gave our crew free admission to the local Native Musuem in Pablo which was very cool, interesting, and educational. They were very kind to us and I feet grateful to have worked for them and been given the opportunity to help some of the people who greatly contribute to their community.

six months of MCC in one blog post.

Bozeman Purple Crew!
by Michael Atkinson.

29May
Started MCC on Tuesday, but all we've done so far is gone to a place called Camp Paxson, and had some orientation and first aid training...my crew is pretty cool, and everyone on all the other crews too. on Monday we do some more training, and then we finally start actual work...our first project is eradicating houndstongue, which is lame, but most of the next six months will be in the backcountry of Yellowstone, building trail, and I am very excited!

12June

this past week we were pulling an invasive species called Houndstongue, that grows fast and wild and crazy and kills everything! It's a very boring job, but fortunately it's the worst job we'll have this whole five months, so it was good to get it done at the beginning.
we were pretty much crawling through swampy jungle in a rainstorm looking for Houndstongue, for about ten hours minus breaks. I may be masochistic to think so, but being so miserable and getting paid so little for doing a terrible thankless job that really really needs to get done is rather empowering, if you know what I mean.

21June
Last week my crew was supposed to be putting up barbed wire fencing...but we got rained out. We drove for like eight hours on Monday to get to our work site, but then the last ten miles or so was on an old dirt road and there was a huge rainstorm, and our truck got stuck in the mud way way bad...we were literally driving sideways for like a quarter mile, that took about 15 minutes, before we stopped and decided to turn around. So we drove out and spent the night at the Bureau of Land Management HQ...it was pretty fun, I slept in a trailer and caitlyn slept in a boat. We climbed a mountain to watch a beautiful sunset. The sunrise the next morning was equally beautiful...the BLMers start working at like 5:00, so I was up before then.
We're probably going to go back later to do the fencing project.

27July
Finished the Fan Creek Reroute this week! Joe's crew came, it was like a big party. Working with the other crew was really fun. Each day, the walk to work was noticeably longer...so many people working on one trail, we busted out super fast, about 250 paces every day.
There were a few thunderstorms this week, had to stop working for a while one day to let it pass. We finished the trail a day early, and went hiking the last day to Sportsman Lake. It was a beautiful hike, and a wonderful lake, and a great day, even though it started hailing really hard right when we got there....
The day we left, we made pancakes in the morning...and I decided to put hot chili powder in one. It was completely red, totally different from the other pancakes, but Joe didn't notice, and got almost all the way through it before we told him that it had chili in it....
Then we worked for a couple hours, and right as we were getting ready to leave, it started raining, HARD. we had to go down to the bottom of the valley and just stand in soaking grass, getting completely wet, for about half an hour, waiting for it to pass. Once it finally stopped raining, we had to hike out totally soaked...most uncomfortable hike of my life. It was just motivation to get out of there faster.
Some of us are road trippin' to Washington this weekend!


23September
My crew has just finished our last of three spikes in Lamar Valley, Yellowstone, doing a reroute for Miller Creek Trail. We were camped ten miles into the backcountry.
Not much to say about it, other than, Miller Creek is not terribly exciting. We saw a total of three moose during the trip, which was rather exciting...compared to the last three weeks in Miller Creek, when the most interesting thing we saw was like a squirrel maybe. Also Kayla and I almost got trampled by a bison on the hike out.

4October
My crew got back on Friday from the Rattlesnake Wilderness Area. We were told a number of things before this hitch, that subsequently proved to be false, including:
this is a frontcountry project
there's no bears
It's in a Wilderness Area, meaning no vehicles...but we got a special permit to take our rig in to the wilderness area. So we drove like 7 miles down what I guess is technically a road, but felt a lot more like driving down a dry river bed...couldn't go more than about 10 miles per hour without ruining the rig. And then we hiked about a mile to our campsite, which isn't bad. But it felt a lot more backcountry than any other projects we've had so far, including 10 miles in the backcountry of Yellowstone.

Also, there are bears. The other crew we were working with saw one on their way to work, and there was scat right outside of our campsite, and Erin heard one right in camp at night.
But it was a really really fun hitch...my favorite so far, I think? So. We drove to Missoula, met the Missoula MCC crews, and drove out to the Rattlesnake Wilderness.
Our work involved maintaining/repairing some dams that were built in the 20s and 30s by the CCC...it was really really cool, and amazingly beautiful. On Wednesday it started snowing, and didn't stop till the day we left. For some reason I didn't mind...there was too much beauty for me to get discouraged by the cold windy discomfort.
It was a short hitch, but we go back tomorrow to finish it up...wish we could be there longer.

22October
Currently we're weatherizing houses for fifteen days. We've been at it for ten days so far, and we're going back to Bozeman this Monday. Weatherizing isn't really my thing, I like trailwork and living in the woods...but it's interesting work, and I'm glad to get the experience. Most of the people we've weatherized haven't seemed very impoverished, like I thought they would be. A few have been though. I've never really been to an Indian Reservation before.
After we're done on Sunday, we're driving back on Monday. Then we will have five days off, a few days of work I think, and we're done with MCC (well, except for our crewleaders). It has been a crazy six months, and I will miss my crew and Bozeman...but I'm ready to be done.

- Michael Atkinson

MCC Billings YouTube Channel yo!

My unnerving experience with wildfires - Sarah Simmons, NRock

I suppose forest fires are an annual occurrence here in Montana. Being from Georgia, I have never experienced, nor fully understood the sheer power of wildfires and the vast amount of acreage they consume. To tell the truth, I used to know nothing about the characteristics of wildfires; i.e., how fast they spread, how many acres burn per day, the conditions that need to be present for them to ignite. Unfortunately, out of this ignorance was born a fear that nearly ruined my enjoyment on a hitch in beautiful Spotted Bear.
Two days into an eight day hitch, our crew was informed that there was a forest fire nearby, I think approximately 30 miles. Thirty miles sounds fairly close to me, however I suppose in Forest Service lingo it is not, really. On day three, the smell of burning wood began to fill the air, and by day four the sky was grey from all the smoke. I began to wonder when the ranger district was going to radio for us to hike out, and when they did not radio I could only assume that they had forgotten about us. Although plenty of hikers and pack strings passed us on the trail going toward the fire, and my crew members did not seem to be worried in the slightest, I just knew that we were going to burn up in that fire.
Needless to say, we made it out of Spotted Bear alive. I do not know why I let my imagination carry me away so far into thinking that that one fire out of the thousands that have burned in the history of Montana was going to be the one that killed the forgotten MCC trail crew. I learned a lesson, though: as it turns out, ignorance is not bliss. Since the “fire hitch”, as I like to call it, I have made it a point to edify myself on those things that have a tendency to worry me. As Yeats said, “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire”... no pun intended.

Ant Flat - Paul Wachur, NRock

Ant Flat is the site of the first ranger station in the Fortine district. The building we painted dates from around 1920 and operated until the 60s. It is located about 2 miles north of Trego and 7 or 8 miles south of Eureka. It was our mission to paint the exterior of this oh so historic building. First, we scraped it in bio hazard suits and respirators. After which, we sanded wearing the same suits. It was great relief to finally take the suits and respirators off to prime and paint. During the final two steps we enjoyed hours of Canadian Radio Programming, which was much more informative and entertaining than its Montana counterpart.

This site was fairly well used and people would occasionally stop. Some would just read the sign from their cars then drive off. Others would walk around the buildings or on the nature trail before leaving. The site also seemed fairly popular with locals as well, perhaps because it seemed to be the only public lands in the area surrounded by farms, ranches and houses. It seemed also to be a refuge for the local deer. Which were very abundant in both the meadow and at nature trail area. Geese flew over regularly at night as well as morning and evening, but not during the middle of the day. There also appeared to be a crow roost nearby on a hillside to the southwest in dense conifers. The crows flew by to the north mostly in the morning at around sunrise. Then back to the south at or after sunset. Turkeys were also a presence, appearing in a field north of us in the mornings.

Leaving the Woods

Looking down at my finger nails, I marvel at how clean they are. This is odd because they have not been clean for the last 5 months.
Leaving the woods and coming back to car-filled streets and crowded supermarket aisles is bittersweet. I am happy to now include showers, toilet paper and pillows in my life, but I am sadden at the realization that my world is no longer made up of simply my tent and the trees around it. There are so many luxuries in our modern day world that we take for granted--hot-water, refrigeration--but I found more things in Montana's woods that I had previously taken for granted than I could have ever imagined. A tree beside my tent was no longer simply a tree, but rather a brother whom I appreciated daily for shading my tent from sun, wind, snow, rain, sleet and hail. A stream was no longer simply a pretty sight and sound, but a reward at the end of the day. Yes, there are modern-day luxuries that we all take for granted, but more than that there is a natural world out there that many people never truly experience. It is a strange discovery to realize that you feel most at home in the woods, in the dirt among a community of living things. It is comforting to know that your home is all around you, always waiting and inviting you in. Working for the Montana Conservation Corps has been an interesting journey. I have learned more about myself than I ever expected or even originally wanted. Montana, thank you for sharing yourself; thank you for teaching me and opening my eyes to your wonders. I am forever indebted to you and will carry a piece of you with me always.

Melissa Chambers
CD CM

Unexpected Journey - David Lahr, GY

My crew's most recent project was building a jack-link fence around a thermal feature in the Old Faithful area. The interesting part was that none of us knew how to build a jack-link fence, and our training consisted of a park ranger showing us a sample section of fence and telling us to copy it as closely as possible. The final result, which was completed in three days instead of the allotted eight, is a testament to how much we've learned and grown as a team. Like the rest of my crew, I could look at the project and see what needed to be done and what my part should be based on my personal set of skills. For example, I probably wouldn't have been the best person to mark where the notches on the posts should go, but AJ was great at marking while Donna used her chainsaw skills to cut the notches and trim the posts to length and Eric, Brittany, Ryan and I shared the tasks of assembling the uprights, putting the railings in place and nailing the whole thing together. If we had done this project at the beginning of the season, I probably would have stood there with my hands in my pockets until someone gave me a job to do. It's not that I was lazy, I just didn't have the mindset of looking for ways to contribute to the group.


After having the opportunity to work in almost every section of the park, the Old Faithful area seems somewhat bizarre. When I sit next to the Lake admiring the Absaroka Mountains in the distance or stare into the mind-boggling depths of Canyon, I feel like I am in a wild place and it is inspiring. At Old Faithful I feel like I'm at the beach: yes, it's natural, but it's also surrounded by boardwalks and gift shops and hotels. After sitting on a bench and watching a giant column of water shoot out of the ground for five minutes, there's not much to see except a big white barren patch of ground. At first I had trouble understanding why people would make it a priority to visit Old Faithful instead of one of the more beautiful parts of the park. When I went on a day-trip through the park with some "tourist" friends, I realized that the geyser is something that everyone can enjoy. Those who don't appreciate the beauty of nature can still be impressed by its sheer power, and the fact that they know exactly when it will erupt eliminates any tedious waiting. Sometimes I feel like Yellowstone would be better off without any tourists, but the fact that it is accessible to everyone from casual tourists to serious backpackers makes it an important resource. More people visiting the park can hopefully translate to more people understanding and appreciating the environment.


Next week we leave for Glendive, MT to weatherize houses. I didn't join MCC to tape plastic over people's windows, and I already miss working on trails. However, I feel really good about having the opportunity to help people in need who otherwise might not be able to stay warm in the winter.


-David Lahr

Crew #8 GY - Chris Ketchem

Hello interested readers! I'm Chris. I'm from crew #8 from the Bozeman, Greater Yellowstone region. The crew I was a part of worked doing maintenance this past summer on sites all over western Montana that the NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service) uses in the winter to measure snow fall. This sort of work included, clearing fallen trees and brush, and replacing signs that marked the sites.

We just wrapped up our work with the NRCS. Next week, we will begin weatherizing homes in the Butte area. We had some amazing hikes and saw some beautiful scenery on our previous hitches. We saw lots of wildlife and stayed in some gorgeous camping areas along the way. I'll also post just a few pics of our hitches with the NRCS so you can kinda get an idea of what we experienced.

Just last Tuesday, our crew along with others from Bozeman and around the state did some training for the weatherization we're about to start. While we were there, the Governor of Montana stopped by to speak to us and announce that our state was going to receive some stimulus money from the Obama administration to promote renewable energy and sustainable living in Montana. Obviously, the local news was there to capture the moment. As I missed the broadcast that evening, I did not see which MCC'ers made it on tv. So, I looked the story up on the new station's website. Turns out, they posted a pic of my team mates Pat, Reece, and myself on the site next to the story. You can view the story and see our picture at this a here.


Anyway - that's all I have for now. In the meantime, check out the page created for our crew on facebook! You can search it by keywords "MCC Crew #8!" or by following this link.

Talk to ya soon!

Protruding through weather and water: Fish Lake

Sept17th:
clouds split in half across the sky

water laps at the shores

trees a brilliant evergreen as fall colors seep into the shrubbery

birds call and on their wings the wind is gentle but steady

one can hear it rushing through the leaves off at great distances

the sun sinks slowly rays still lighting the peaks

a splash in the water someone or something swimming ?

I lift my hat off my ears hoping to learn more… but nothing

stobs stand proud dotting the lake

protruding through weather and water worn boulders in geometric form

something is indeed across the lake

ducks looking for something to eat

the chill has bitten me through

and so I am to continue to listen from another place



Camp is a buzz with the sounds of zippers

On rain flies, tent doors, and sleeping bags

The rustling of tarps, mummy bags, and leaves

The sky fades off into beautiful hues and I realize my camera is in the bear hang

I listen close to the distance hoping to hear an elk bugle or wolf cry but only the turning of the page meets my ear




Sept19th:
The clouds roll in as the sunsets and a storm threatens to settle in

I batten down the hatches though I hate too it blocks my view

I find thoughts rolling through my mind just like the weather and I don’t know whether or not to give them the time

The season is changing coming to a close and so much of this is just beginning to grab hold

I’m not yet prepared to make the switch over to a life without an outdoors that screams come to me for I will pluck your soul strings


Kaci Worth
Christian Meny's Crew
Western Wildlands

Nostalgia Setting In

October 7, 2009

Nostalgia Setting In

The banjo strumming is sweet melodic notes tickling my ear as we sit in a room and argue about which pictures we think are worthy of being in our scrapbook. Where has this season gone? Too fast is definitely the answer. We are reminiscing on all the amazing adventures we have had together as we agree on how when you are not happy doing things time moves slow, but when you are enjoying life and living it up it moves quicker than you can imagine. This is absolutely true as our season has come and gone in the blink of an eye.

We have been in the Bitterroot National Forest all season and it has been exactly where we are supposed to be. I am a believer in fate and know this is where we were meant to be as we have worked in the most incredible places and with the most amazing people. Just to let you know who you are dealing with in this moment we are the Bitterroot Bad Aces (as to be appropriate and professional). This consists of Andrea Walker (Andreoto), AJ Edwards (HaaaaaCheeeee/Jesus, insert Big Lebowski reference), Carly Fetzer (FetzBags), Jena Bullis (JennnnaaaBulliss/Jenners), Greg Aerni (Gregoryoto/Moose Knuckle), Schuyler Hollingsworth (Sky Bags/Old Schuyler/Sky Pants) and Vincente Garcia (Vinnie/Uncle Vinnie/Vincenzo). Everything has been as it should be from the word go with this crew. Hate to break it to all of ya’ll who have had a storming faze, but we have been fortunate enough to not have one of those and always been accepting, loving and supportive of one another. I never thought I would be fortunate enough to experience another AmeriCorps year as good as last year, but I must admit this season has exceeded all I had hoped for.

Thank you to our crew for their hard work and FLEXIBILITY! No matter the work, the time, the place, the questionability of how we would actually make certain things happen – nothing ever matters! Ya’ll are always game for anything! I love it! And also, thank you for your insanity! Weather it be chalk drawings on our faces, pants up to your chest, cheese, early (4:00 am!) mornings and random things written on the fogged up windows (you know what I mean ), harassment of one another, any and everything that has to do with all of us is what I love and thank you for. Soooooo, at this moment we are now going to inform you on the ways that the Bitterroot Crew is and will continue to be near and dear to my heart. This is our Top 10 memories (this has been very hard!) of our season.

10. Schuyler is narcoleptic and falls asleep any and everywhere in any amount of time. So much that we can actually pile up things; such as sticks, pine cones, crackers and anything and never wake up. Oh, and Sky Bag’s Christmas tree that exposed it’s self during a camp fire dinner,
9. Weinertitsville and the citizens of this city, the Bo-oobians.
8. Dave Lucas and Conan, without which we would have never gotten safely to a hitch location. Oh, and to the mule #99, who always carried our bear boxes full of food. Such a Brute!
7. FUPA. My FUPA shake brings all the boys to the yard. That’s all we got on that.
6. Jena’s Chasm, nuff said
5. Ghost town, USA. Code word for, “I just flatulated in the small enclosed space that is the rig.”
4. Steve Bull and Charlie Mabout, the real Bad Aces of the Bitterroot National Forest.
3. Vincente’s super hero tighty whities during every river crossing we ever had( my favorite was always IronMan).
2, Carly’s water crossings. She always fell in
1. CROSSCUTTING! The most beautiful thing. The sing of the crosscut as you are in sync with your partner. We definitely crosscut the most knarly logs this season and we kicked their butts!!!!!!

Another thank you to all the members in the MCC who make our jobs possible and give us the opportunity to be your “white hats.” Without you and all of your dedication, loyalty and love, this job is not possible. Thank you and we love you! To all the Crew Leaders out there: the wonderful times at all of our joint trainings, the new friendships formed, lessons learned, hardships (without which we wouldn’t have the opportunity to develop) and the all around love we have developed for Shannon Stober…so belt buckles? ,

Bitterroot Bad Aces
Andrea and AJ's Crew
Western Wildlands

An Ode to an MCC Season Quickly Winding Down - Morgan Marks, NRock

I'll remember the times out on the town smiling and chatting with ex MCC folk
Supporting local causes and spending money we all just don't have
Running into Corps Members now turned good friends, not just co-workers
And then purposefully running into them
Sharing good food and conversations at many a pot luck
Busting ass during a 21-day stint in Idaho
Building rafts out of downed logs and actually witnessing the darned thing float
Diverting a stream of water off the trail, and really learning how to 'think' like water... making sure every hikers boots remain dry :-)
Laughing, crying, being sore and tired and still finding something to smile about
It's the sweat, and stink, pulaskis and picmattocks, boots and Carharrts
Fixing and maintaining trails no one has touched in 25 years, and seeing the sponsors face glow when they see the trails' transformation
Meeting incredible, generous people - people who come into your life only for a moment, but who you'll remember for much longer
All the while holding back bittersweet tears
Cause the work's been hard, and we all came out here for our own reasons
In our hearts we will always have this season
But what connects us, all of us, is passion, and appreciation
For the wild places, the far away lakes, the incredibly clear MT night sky
The chance to see a mountain lion, or grizz
It's the grace nature allows, and gives freely
It's the love of being outside, and the 'No, not me' attitude towards cubicles
Here's to every MCCer's adventurous spirit - With Hope + Love.

The Patience of Piper Creek - Brian Dahme, NRock

As we have spent nearly a month this season at Piper Creek, it is only fitting that I devote this article to our crew’s favorite place.

The first excursion started innocently and harm free with a hitch at Piper Lake, a six mile hike in to the Mission Mountain Wilderness. The crew, for the most part, was excited at the prospect of a four day hitch in the backcountry. Monday, however, could not have changed us more if we had asked. Pulling up to the trailhead, it begins to rain. It wasn’t just drizzle. It wasn’t sporadic. It rained constantly for the next twenty-four hours. To top that off, the temperature did not crack forty.

It was cold. It was wet. It was, without saying, miserable. Everyone went to bed that night without dinner, probably the first and only time in the season that anyone purposely skipped a meal. No one could warm up. Phil most likely threw his back out from shivering. I am surprised that no one else did the same. It is safe to say that that Monday at Piper Lake was most likely the coldest that I have ever been.

As ominously as the hitch started, however, the next 2½ days could not have been nicer. There were no clouds in the sky and it was probably in the eighties. All of a sudden working in the sun wasn’t such a bad idea. Of course, our camp looked like a modern-day Hooverville with everyone’s clothes hanging out to dry.

Oh, yeah. Did I mention that our bear spray leaked while we were hiking in? It did and we all got a nice dose of it.

Late August rolled around and with it, the heat of late summer. Back at Piper Creek now after a cold hitch at Many Glacier, no one was too excited. Our task had been laid out. Eight days of brushing with loppers and bow saws. The bow saws were pretty useless.

After about two days of brushing, morale was very low. Luckily for us, we could go to Swan Lake and swim, which always brings our crew morale up, if not for a while. This was the case until we were made to pay a four dollar day use fee for the same organization that for whom we were working. Trips to Swan Lake quickly ended after we managed to gather four dollars in quarters, dimes, nickels, and probably a few pennies.

We soon found another place to swim, this time at Cold Creek, much nicer (in my opinion) than Swan Lake. Being free probably added to my happiness. A diving board also boosted our morale as a daily no-talent show of diving was put on. My “flips” (more jumping barrel rolls) were a highlight.

Leaving brushing behind was not sad. We, despite our best wishes, were back last week. The colors had changed, but the location had not. The weather had also changed, by almost forty degrees in fact. The sunny ninety degree days were gone and fifty degrees was as warm as it would get. While it was cool and not the heat of early August to work in, it made for a couple of very cold mornings.

We did experience one of the coolest things about this year. Wednesday had been overcast and small ice crystals would periodically fall from the sky. These small ice crystals though quickly became snow and it made for one of the prettiest sights of the entire season. The trees quickly became covered and the trail soon followed. Unfortunately, my camera needed to be charged and no one else had theirs, so I guess that will just be a sight for the seven of us.

So what has this month of Piper Lake/Creek taught us? It has taught us that we just need to be patient and to persevere. We could have easily given up when it was cold that day at Piper Creek or thrown down the loppers while working in the heat (and don’t think that these thoughts did not cross our minds). Instead, we did persevere, did not get on each other’s nerves (or tried not to), and remained patient. After all, if we did not stay patient, that month could have been much longer.