
Field News Recap- May 2025
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Orange Crew (YA 13) and Red Crew (YA 14) both spent their active weeks in May at Douglas Falls in northeast Washington, partnering with Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to continue a project from the previous week. The crews built three-rail wood fencing, installed wire fencing, and completed general trail maintenance to support safe recreation and protect adjacent natural resources.
Meet Macie!
This summer, Cultural Resources AmeriCorps Member Macie is supporting collections management and fossil preservation at Hagerman Fossil Beds in Idaho. She is pictured here holding a rare set of fossils from Paenemarmota barbouri, an extinct “giant ground squirrel” species that lived 3–4 million years ago. These animals were the largest known members of the squirrel family.
Macie’s primary focus is rehousing and reorganizing hundreds of microfossil specimens, such as fish scales and rodent teeth. This work is part of a larger effort to care for the park’s paleontology collections, improve storage systems, and ensure long-term access for researchers and staff. So far, she’s relocated over 500 microfossil vials to their proper homes.
Macie’s internship duties include training in museum collections care, digitization, and cultural resource preservation.
May was a transitional month for Idaho Conservation Corps, bridging the wrap-up of spring programs with the early stages of summer preparation. Spring crews closed out their sessions, staff trainings got underway, and Idaho launched the first youth crews of the season.
All Young Adult (YA) Camping crews wrapped up their spring sessions with graduation ceremonies held May 16th.
Woodsboss Training was held May 9th through 16th in preparation for the summer field season at Puma Campground in the Willamette National Forest. YA Leader Training took place from May 21st to June 1st, with 9 Crew Leads from Northwest Youth Corps’ three states in the Boise National Forest. Various YA Member Training sessions followed, covering saw use and trail work.
In preparation for Idaho’s YCC launch on May 31st, these Leaders were trained May 17-28 on Buckhorn Creek Trailhead in the Payette National Forest before leading our first Youth Crews of 2025.