From Erie to Yellowstone: Green Team Takes On Yellowstone National Park
Groundwork Affiliate Youth and Staff, National Park Service Staff, Youth Conservation Corps Members, Groundwork USA Staff
This summer, two of our Green Team members, Asha and Anifa, joined Groundwork youth from across the country for a 10-day service and learning experience in Yellowstone National Park through Groundwork USA’s National Service Corps.
Since 2012, Groundwork USA affiliates have connected young people with opportunities to work and learn in some of our country’s national parks. Through a partnership between Groundwork USA and the National Park Service’s Youth Conservation Corps, young people get to experience these incredible places not just as visitors, but as people doing the work to care for them.
For Asha and Anifa, that meant saying yes to a new place, new people, and a whole lot of new experiences. They camped in the backcountry, worked alongside National Park Service staff, helped with conservation research, replaced boardwalk in the Upper Geyser Basin, rafted the Yellowstone River, and hiked through some of the park’s most iconic landscapes.
Old Faithful - just 5 minutes from our crew’s worksite!
Learning by Doing
The trip gave our Green Team members a chance to see how conservation work happens on a national scale and to meet young people from Groundwork communities across the country who are doing similar work back home. For several nights, our crew stayed at the Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) campus in Yellowstone, a residential program that brings young people from around the country together throughout the summer to complete conservation projects in the park.
There was an extra Erie connection, too. Our former Green Team member, Pelagy, was accepted into the Yellowstone YCC program this summer and spent a month working on conservation projects in the park. During their visit, Asha and Anifa got to see where Pelagy had spent her summer and even see the results of her work including a YCC boardwalk reconstruction project!
For five days, our Erie Green Team members worked alongside Groundwork Hudson Valley youth to replace more than 200 feet of boardwalk in Yellowstone’s Upper Geyser Basin near Old Faithful. The boardwalk winds through one of the most active thermal areas in the park, providing visitors with safe access to geysers and other thermal features while protecting the fragile landscape. To make this boardwalk replacement project possible, the crew learned basic construction skills while practicing safety, problem-solving, communication, teamwork, and leadership. They also learned how important it is to work carefully in a landscape as unique and fragile as Yellowstone.
And the boardwalk wasn’t the only work our crew took on. Our Green Team members also assisted National Park Service staff with bumble bee population research and dragonfly larvae research, getting a closer look at the science and stewardship happening throughout the park.
Beyond the Typical Visitor Experience
Over the course of the trip, our crew got to experience Yellowstone in ways that most visitors never do. They camped in the backcountry, woke up to coyotes howling around their campsite, woke up to a full moon over the mountains, and cooled their feet in a nearby creek. They explored places like Grand Prismatic Overlook, Lamar Valley, and Artists Point and spent time looking for some of Yellowstone’s most iconic wildlife.
After completing their work, including going above and beyond their boardwalk goal, the Groundwork crews headed out onto the Yellowstone River. Along the way, they spotted elk, osprey, and eagles sharing the river with them!
Hear From the Green Team
In Erie, our Green Team members spend their summers doing meaningful environmental work right here in our city neighborhoods. Our Green Teamers are planting trees, growing food, caring for green spaces, and learning how to work as a team.
In Yellowstone, they got to see those skills travel. They showed up ready to learn, contribute, and work alongside young people from communities across the country. They took on unfamiliar work, stretched outside their comfort zones, and discovered that what they’re learning in Erie has value far beyond Erie.
We’re proud to see Erie youth taking their place in a national network of young people who are caring for their communities and the places we all share.
Part of Something Bigger
At Groundwork Erie, we believe young people should be at the center of building a greener, healthier, and more resilient Erie. That means more than providing a summer job. It means creating opportunities for young people to learn, lead, serve, and see the impact of their work. From planting trees in Erie neighborhoods to restoring boardwalk in Yellowstone, Groundwork youth are doing meaningful work in communities and places across the country and learning that they have a crucial role to play in creating a more resilient future for our planet. Now we’re excited to see what they bring home to Erie.
A huge thank you to Groundwork USA for creating opportunities for young people from Groundwork communities across the country to learn, serve, and connect through the National Service Corps. We’re proud to be part of a network that opens doors for young people right here in Erie and connects their work to a national movement. We’re grateful to the National Park Service staff who welcomed our crew, shared their knowledge, and worked alongside them throughout the trip. And thank you to Groundwork Hudson Valley for teaming up with our Green Team in Yellowstone and making the boardwalk project so much fun!
Most of all, we’re proud of Asha and Anifa. They worked hard, tried new things, stretched themselves, and represented Erie with curiosity, enthusiasm, and a willingness to jump in.
Your support helps Groundwork Erie provide our community members with paid environmental work, hands-on learning, leadership opportunities, and experiences that take them beyond what they imagined was possible. Find ways to engage with this work below!
