Field Program

A cup of coffee has nothing on pulling up frosty waders early in the morning. Plunging into Tincup Creek on that first morning was both numbing and exhilarating for our whole crew. After doing trail work on our first hitch, I think we were all excited to mix it up and help build some beaver dams! The 80 lb. hydraulic press that we were lifting from post to post (collectively dubbed 'Poundie and the Hose') was exhausting by the end of our 9 days out there (and 750 posts pounded) But it also kept all of us warm during those stormy mornings. I'm proud of our crew's positive attitude and collective perseverance through a tiring, but rewarding hitch! It took unwavering commitment, constant communication, and plenty of stupid jokes for each and every one of the 40 dams that we ended up building or reinforcing during our time there. We were lucky enough to be in the area while the crawdads were aplenty, providing some reprieve from the loud and strenuous work, and a close-up look to wildlife that some on our crew hadn't seen before. There was also the added bonus of hundreds of sheep and cows roaming around our camp and work site, adding some welcomed moos to help us get to sleep. One or two escapees even managed to drift into camp and make themselves comfortable. Although we were initially torn on whether that was a positive or negative omen, each of us ended the hitch a bit sad at having to part ways with our fluffy friends.

Thanks to all of our hard work, those dams in the ~3-mile span of the creek we were working on should help to break up the energy of the water come spring melt, and expand the wetlands allowing for new growth. Plus, who doesn't want to help some beavers do their dam thing?!