Members of the 2017 Bandelier Conservation Corps, Bandelier Preservation Corps, and the Abiquiu-Ghost Ranch Crew. Courtesy/NPS
BANDELIER News:
A graduation ceremony at Bandelier National Monument recently honored three youth crews organized through the Rocky Mountain Youth Corps for their 10 weeks of summer work.
The Bandelier Conservation Corps worked on trails in the park, the Bandelier Preservation Corps stabilized ancient stone walls in the archeological sites in Frijoles Canyon, and the Abiquiu-Ghost Ranch Crew did trail building and improvement near Abiquiu Lake and at Ghost Ranch. All three crews worked hard outdoors, learning to use hand tools, assessing the best approaches for needed work, and perhaps most importantly, working together with other crew members and supervisors.
Besides a barbecue lunch provided by the park, the ceremony gave each crew member a chance to tell about their experiences and what they had gained from the summer’s efforts. Their remarks spoke of the positive effects of their work: “I saw this job as an opportunity to give back to places I love.” “It was hard, but we found out we could do anything.” “I’m proud of the work we’ve gotten done.” “We learned it’s important to do things right the first time, and got a new view of a work ethic.” “We got to work on this site where our ancestors lived – our people came from here. It’s more than just walls.”
Bandelier Superintendent Jason Lott, who is a very strong supporter of the opportunities presented by hiring these young men and women to work in the park, also spoke at the graduation. He congratulated them on their work: “Remember, this is the summer that you came out here and made a difference. You know what a good job looks like, and you know how to do it right the first time.” He encouraged them to come back to the park and enjoy the results of the hard work that they had done.
The Rocky Mountain Youth Corps has organized such crews for a number of summers. Crew members must be between 16-25, and commit to work for ten weeks. Between them, the three crews put in more than 7,500 hours of work. Besides a stipend, those who complete the entire assignment earn an award of about $1,200 to be put toward post-secondary education, and among them the members of these crews earned more than $22,000 for that purpose.
As one of the supervisors said, “They did well, they worked hard, there wasn’t any whining, and they took pride in what they did.”