Pathways Newsletter

Service to our shared lands and to one another has long been a defining tradition in Montana. The Montana Conservation Corps (MCC) carries that tradition forward by engaging young people in meaningful work that strengthens both natural landscapes and the corps members’ professional and civic future. MCC’s mission and work builds on “eras of service” that have come before, with generations of members contributing to a progression of projects to continue unfinished work and stewardship of public lands. 

The roots of conservation service in the United States reach back to the Civilian Conservation Corps, whose crews in the 1930s built trails, park facilities, and infrastructure across the country. In Montana, one lasting example is Lewis and Clark Caverns. Early conservation crews developed access to the cave system, creating pathways and structures that allowed visitors to experience the underground formations. Decades later, MCC crews returned to continue that work in a new era of stewardship. During renovations in the 1990s, MCC members carefully removed outdated materials and replaced them with more neutral, environmentally appropriate ones. The work was physically demanding. Materials had to be chiseled out by hand and carried through narrow, low sections of the cave with buckets! Today, the park continues to be supported by MCC volunteers who carry forward that legacy.

Our crews often build on earlier efforts through projects that emphasize accessibility, sustainability, and community involvement. In Glacier National Park, MCC members have spent several seasons working on the Swiftcurrent Accessibility Trail, helping expand opportunities for people of all abilities to experience GNP’s stunning landscape and history. This long-term project reflects how conservation work can unfold over many years, with each new group of crew members contributing to a shared goal. The trail stands as a symbol of how service evolves: not just preserving wild places, but making them more welcoming and accessible to everyone.

Aside from contributing to public lands, crew members learn a myriad of skills from leadership development to problem-solving, to conflict and time management. Young people who join our crews are not simply completing projects, they are continuing the broader tradition of public service. By working side by side, learning practical skills, and contributing to their communities, they become part of a generational chain of stewardship. Each era inherits the responsibility to protect and improve the lands that previous generations cared for, while also identifying new challenges and opportunities. And who better to carry things into each modern era than the generation who will define it (often with their own lingo…no cap).

In this way, MCC itself continues to evolve and push forward new eras of service. From the careful restoration work at Lewis and Clark Caverns to ongoing accessibility improvements in Glacier National Park, we can demonstrate how civic engagement can span generations. Each crew passes the work forward, ensuring that the tradition of service continues for the generations yet to come.