![[Image Description: Two MCC members taking a brief break; one is sitting on a rock, the other is standing nearby. They are both in their uniforms, looking out at the expansive, mountain view surrounding them.]](https://cdn.firespring.com/images/c3f85e97-43a9-4810-8081-e8e6338173d0.jpeg)
Our first hitch placed us, quite literally, across the street from our office along Mandeville Creek, working with Connor Parrish from Trout Unlimited. The biggest work had already been done; beaver dam analogs (BDAs) spanned the creek as far as we could see, and the overflowing banks turned the ground back into marsh. It was a hitch of pulling posts, pulling weeds, transporting willow branches from site to site, placing (then planting, then mulching, then watering) saplings along the length of the creek. Our hitch was almost entirely just making way for wildlife to come.
We stomped through knee-high grass, hiding prairie dog holes and boot-sucking mud. Wetland grasses have roots that sink deep into the earth to stabilize the dirt around them. In theory, this is a wonderful tool to prevent soil erosion as the wetlands shrink and grow with the seasons. In practice, it meant a lot of hacking away at root balls before we could even start planting. Mandeville Creek is bordered on one side by train tracks and the I-90 on the other. The constant hum of cars and trains definitely made our work feel a little bit silly at times.
Still, the Bridger Range greeted us every day, outshining every man-made thing around it. Native wildlife was already making its way back to Mandeville Creek. Red-winged blackbirds perched on fence posts and swayed from willow branches, trilling at us from every side. Ducks paddled back and forth, clearly annoyed at us as we splashed through their home. Willow stakes planted by a previous crew were already sprouting leaves. On one occasion, a single doe hopped the fence and walked along the creek a while before continuing on her way.
On the less wild side of wildlife was Lolo, our project partner’s dog. She spent the hitch running around underfoot, dropping sticks at our feet to fetch, and overall setting the bar for future project partners impossibly high (although Connor tried his best with donuts and a cooler of Arizona Iced Tea).
Connor showed us how the weeds we pulled made way for native species to take their place. He taught us how deer, beavers, and even bears might someday use the trees we planted as saplings. It was clear that wildlife was already returning to Mandeville Creek, and our work was vital to bringing back even more.
