Arianna Landreth and Anna Leadbetter set a repurposed cement block (Courtesy photo)The spring Youth Conservation Crew (YCC) offered by Aldo Leopold Charter School (ALCS) provided paid internship positions for 38 students from January to mid-March and returned to work with COVID-19 safe practices on May 18 following the Governor’s declaration that YCC crews are essential. The crews included the following: archaeology, garden, trails, eco-monitoring, and mural design and installation.
Under the direction of Jon Bjornstad, the trail crew has focused on enhancing the quality of life for WNMU students and campus visitors by completing the Tree Rock Trail next to Mustang Village.
This trail provides a brief hike with a panoramic vista point at the top. Further, the crew designed and installed a trail connecting Ritch Hall (the new ALCS facility) to the parking lot below.
Trails Crew prep for the day's work taking COVID-19 precautions. From left to right: Ava Bjornstad, JB Bjornstad, Ezra Stockton, Titus Metcalfe, Emiliano Rodriguez, Arianna Landreth, Danielle Wacondo (Courtesy photo)Bjornstad brings 14 years of trail building experience for the US Forest Service. He worked with the crew to develop a unique retaining wall that incorporates the onsite demolitioned concrete. The result is an innovative installation that shows crew members how to artfully repurpose construction debris into necessary infrastructure. As a recent graduate from WNMU, Bjornstad thought this was an unexpected way to put his Bachelor in Fine Arts degree to work.
The garden crew, under the guidance of Lone Mountain Natives Nursery co-owner Tricia Hurley, improved the Ella, Michael, and Ella Memorial garden in the Silva Creek Botanical Gardens, continued maintenance on the 10th Street Median pollinator garden and the Gough Park Orchard, and prepared to install a native plant and vegetable garden below Centennial Hall on the WNMU campus. This involved the nursery at the dome with their community partner, Silver Health Care.
In early spring the archaeology crew toured the Gila Cliff Dwellings and the WNMU Museum with Dr. Cynthia Bettison, honed their research skills at Miller Library, and prepared to teach youth in our region. They worked with archaeologist Marylin Markel to provide educational programming for K-6 graders at San Lorenzo Elementary, and hosted education days for 7th graders from La Plata Middle School and 4th graders from Deming Schools at the Mimbres Cultural Heritage Site. They also partnered with the SiteWatch program to monitor the petroglyphs of the Dragonfly Site and pictographs of Spirit Canyon.
The mural crew, headed by local artist Diana Ingalls-Leyba, spent early spring crafting the tiles needed to complete the ofrenda mural on the wall of the annex to Silver City Museum. The focus of this mural is the history of the Silver City Museum. They are looking forward to installing these tiles in late June.
Garden Crew at the Silva Creek Botanical Gardens. From left to right: Josiah Marshall, Carlos Arias, Marisa Holguin, and Darynn Smith. (Courtesy photo)The eco-monitoring crew, under the direction of conservation biologist Mike Fugagli and conservationist Carol Fugagli, has been busy banding birds, mapping songbird territory in riparian habitats along the Gila River, and monitoring water quality at the Iron Creek Bridge Preserve. The crew also worked with the Audobon Society to monitor the swallow populations on the WNMU campus and surrounding area. This data will be used to gain a deeper understanding of the role of swallows in urban areas and to advocate for their conservation.
Aldo Leopold Charter School is a tuition-free public school with a focus on stewardship of the community and the natural environment. The school offers small class sizes, after-school academic support, opportunity for paid internship with Youth Conservation Corps (YCC), dual-credit coursework with Western New Mexico University, and the opportunity to play team sports with either Silver High School or Cobre High School. For more information regarding the school and the COVID-19 safe practices visit the school website www.aldocs.org.