This week, we had the privilege of working with Jared Trilling from the Gallatin Watershed Council, and he taught us all about BDAs! It was our crew's first time doing BDAs (with the exception of Carly, who built multiple during their youth crew hitches). We had so much fun working in the stream, using the 80 lbs (!) post pounder, and planting willows. We built around 15 in four days, and Jared even let us make the last one without assistance (only supervision), which was an exciting way to test our new skills. We enjoyed getting to develop new skills and learning about river ecosystems. We are hopeful that in a few years our structures, as well as the trees planted, may inspire wildlife like beavers to return to the river!

For the second half of our hitch, we returned to the Decoster Trail, where we had spent the previous two hitches. We had completed all of the initial tasks outlined for us in the previous hitches, so this week we focused on improving the trail in areas that were rutted out and needed maintenance. Although this was not work that the project partners had originally envisioned us doing, it was fun to go above and beyond to ensure that this trail will remain functional and beautiful for years to come. We implemented some grade reversal drains on a very inclined portion of the trail that will prevent future erosion. We also improved the backslope to help with drainage. It was awesome to spend a bit more time on a trail we had become familiar with, especially now that the colors have changed and we got to enjoy the bright yellows and oranges on the understory.