Youth Corps changed their lives

Marissa Reynolds was climbing Mount Reynolds with fellow Glacier Youth Conservation Corps members after a 10-hour work shift when she found herself in a bad spot. She was stuck and scared.

Reynolds is no mountain climber. She’d never even tried to scale a peak before that. But there she was, in a spot where she felt she couldn’t go up or down.

So one by one, her co-workers came down to guide her through the rocks to the summit, where she took in the expansive views offered by one of Glacier National Park’s most famous peaks. It was the highlight of her summer.

Reynolds is one of seven young adults who worked in the Park under the YCC program this summer. They came from as far away as Florida and Hawaii and ended up more than co-workers — they became family. Unlike typical jobs, YCC crews live, work, eat and sleep together while working in the Park.

The program kicked off last year under joint $55,000 grants from the Glacier National Park Conservancy and the National Parks Foundation. Similar to the Montana Conservation Corps, the crew worked together in the Park on trail restoration, citizen science and restoring historic structures.

To a person, the members said it was life-changing experience.

“I was completely tossed out of my comfort zone,” said Anthony Snelling, from Las Vegas, Nev. “We’re often called the lost generation — failure to launch. This program gave me a purpose in life.”

Park superintendent Jeff Mow said programs like YCC are critical to the National Park Service.

“So many of us started our careers in much this same way,” he said.

Glacier Park held a small ceremony last week to recognize the program and to give the crew members a chance to tell some of their stories. Funding for additional years has not been fully realized yet, but the program clearly has made a difference.

“You learn that if you take care of the earth, it will take care of you,” Reynolds said.

Crews were paid a small living stipend of about $1,000 a month. They also receive a $2,775 education award toward college after completing a five-month term of service or a $5,500 award for a 10-month term.