Earth Day, launched April 22nd, 1970, was born in the height of counterculture. Wisconsin U.S. Senator, Gaylord Nelson, sought a way to infuse the energy of unrest that existed in many students nationwide in opposition to the Vietnam War with a growing public consciousness for the environment. More than 20 million Americans came together to preform different acts of stewardship on this first Earth Day.
Forty-nine years later, Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park (L&CC) is doing its part to protect the natural beauty of the park while simultaneously providing an enjoyable and safe experience for visitors. Because L&CC is so well known for its cave, many visitors often overlook the over 10 miles of scenic hiking and biking trails the park offers. Being in the rain shadow of the Rockies, however, means that the trails of the park are some of the first to dry out in the area, attracting a large volume of people itching to get out after the winter thaw.
This year the responsibility to put together a repair event fell on my shoulders as the full term AmeriCorps member for the park. Part of what attracted me to this position initially, besides being a summer tour guide for the cave, was the off-season work as a program coordinator. In past years, the Earth Day event in the park could be anywhere from 25–80 people. I had never organized an event so vast and recognized that I needed to combine my strengths with those of others to make this event run smoothly.
Over the course of two months, I reached out to local hiking and biking organizations and had to make many emails, phone calls, and conference calls to try to get everyone on the same page. In the end, eight different organizations decided to partner with Lewis & Clark Caverns for the event: REI, Jefferson County Weed District, Copper City Trails, FWP, Southwest Montana Mountain Biking Association (SWMMBA), Gallatin Valley Land Trust, Montana Conservation Corps, and Montana State Parks AmeriCorps. There was a definite intimidating learning curve to understanding how best to accommodate so many different voices, but through many conversations and dialogue with parks staff and outside organizations a picture started to form of an Earth Day event that could combine trail work, weed management, volunteer appreciation, and park promotion, all the while building a sense of community.
On April 13, Lewis & Clark Caverns hosted an Earth Day trail repair and weed management event. The event attracted a record-breaking 97 total volunteers. After I kicked off the event, highlighting the purpose of the event, our partners, and the expectations for the day, Jill Allen from the
Jefferson County Weed District also gave a short talk on the role cyclists can play in not spreading weeds. About 20 people then split off with Jill and park staff maintenance worker Riley Bell to help with weeds and learn more about the threats of invasive species.
My Montana State Parks AmeriCorps (MSPA) supervisor, Joe Naiman-Sessions, graciously agreed to then do the safety talk for the trail crew. About 70-75 people chose to volunteer for trail work. Four small trail crews were organized and spread out over the majority of the trails. The other 45–50 volunteers were put to work on a large project team focused on the DanMor Gypsum Mine Trail. We could not have asked for better weather for a mid-April day—sunny and a high of 55 degrees.A shout out goes to all the crew leaders who spent time instructing and helping volunteers determine how best to improve the trails.
Old drains were repaired, new drains dug, old posts removed, benches painted, narrow trails widened, sharp corners rounded, and minor grade improvements were made.
In those four hours, the weeds crew was also able to fill up over two dozen garbage bags full of weeds. The crew targeted specific invasive species such as common mullein, thistle, and spotted knapweed.
When all said and done, 388 work hours were put into repairing the health and functionality of the park. Although very fulfilling work, the effort and sweat that went into the day cannot be understated.
Each of the organizations that contributed their time, repair expertise, and promotional support were indispensable in making this event “the most organized park event” that one volunteer had been to.
Every organization and park staff worker got a special handwritten thank you note to articulate just how appreciative I was for all of their help.
Tim Hawke: Copper City Trails Scott Harvey: Fish, Wildlife, and Parks
Jill Allen: Jefferson County Weed District Joe Naiman-Sessions: MSPA
Montana Conservation Corps Crew Teresa Larson: REI
Bill Foreman: L&CC Head Maintenance Riley Bell: L&CC Maintenance
Tom Forwood: L&CC Assistant Manager Holly Moulton: L&CC Administrative Clerk
Kyle Johnson: SWMMBA (no photo) Rhea Armstrong: L&CC Park Manager (no photo)
Thank you also to all those who sent in photos and to Jim Morton for volunteering his photography skills for the day. This blog would have been pretty mundane without all of your contributions!
One man, however, whom this event could not have occurred without and whom I owe a great debt of gratitude is Matt Marcinek from the Gallatin Valley Land Trust. Matt was my trail guru. He and a number of other trail leaders came a week early to assess the trails. He made maps for each trail crew and made sure that each crew leader knew what was expected of their group. He also took it in stride that the project group had 10-15 more people than expected.
Coby Gierke: Montana State Parks Foundation
Thank you again to the 97 people who came together to make this event so spectacular! Don’t forget to come back next year for the 50th anniversary of Earth Day! It is bound to be a repair event to remember!
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