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National Fire Plan Success Story

Youth Conservation Program and Fire Crews Team Up on Fuels Project
Grand Teton National Park, State of Wyoming, Wyoming
National Fire Plan - Fuels Reduction
2010

For the past four summers, the Youth Conservation Program (YCP) has teamed up with the Teton Interagency Fuels Crew to help complete a fuels reduction project. This summer, 25 YCP students and 18 NPS and USFS employees worked together to reduce hazard fuels adjacent to the Signal Mountain Campground.

Group photo.
The Teton Interagency Fuels Crew (with saws) and the Youth Conservation Program participants pose for a photo after completing 44 acres of fuels reduction near Signal Mountain Campground.

Fire ecologist Diane Abendroth, plant biologist Jason Brengle and an exotic vegetation crew member look for weeds.
Fuels Crew Lead Jenn D'Emilio (right) cuts hazard fuels while a YCP participant stacks cut vegetation.

“The YCP helped with stacking while the fire crews ran saws,” said Deb Flowers, prescribed fire specialist for Grand Teton National Park. “We did this project in conjunction with ‘Dog Team Days,’ which is when the modules come together for focused effort on a fuels project. It’s a great opportunity to work with our counterparts on other modules and build rapport within the program while really making a dent in a fuels project.”

For four days, the interagency fire crews ran 18 saws while the YCP members stacked wood for burn piles.

“We usually can only run four or five saws while everyone else stacks,” Flowers said. “We were able to get two weeks’ worth of work completed in just four days with the YCP, five trail crew members, two engine crews and the 11-person fuels crew.”

The group effort resulted in treating 12 acres. The Signal Mountain Campground is set between the Signal Mountain developed area and a heavily forested area. Last year’s Bearpaw Bay Fire burned just south of the project area. Firefighters took suppression actions on the southeast side of the fire, south of Spalding Bay to keep the fire from spreading toward Signal Mountain’s developed area.

Contact: Traci Weaver, Fire Communication/Education, (307) 739-3692.