By Hazel Harris-Staples ’27 | Photo by Ezra Robertson

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Once the sun goes down while camping, the imagination comes alive. The wind through the trees, the gurgle of a stream, the rustling of a tent. Is there something out 

there or is the mind playing tricks? 

For Trisha Cracroft, a 2001 Utah State graduate and current assistant state conservationist for the state of Montana, there usually was something out there. At least that was case when she was a member of the Utah Conservation Corps on a work crew in Zion National Park fending off fiendish ringtails. 

“I got to spend a lot of time in Zion, dealing with woolly mullein and trying to keep ringtails out of our food at night,” Cracroft recalls. “Almost every single stint I did throughout that year was pretty incredible, and I have a lot of fond memories of that time.” 

For the past 25 years, the UCC has given participants like Cracroft experiences and memories while working to develop the conservation leaders of tomorrow. Following in the footsteps of the Civilian Conservation Corps from the 1930s and ’40s, the UCC serves as a modern-day version focusing on building necessary skills for working in natural resources. 

The program is dedicated to serving the country, community, and state’s public lands and local landscapes says Sean Damitz, executive director of the USU Center for Community Engagement. And those goals are achieved in a variety of different ways. 

“We have a mission to develop the conservation leaders of tomorrow,” Damitz says. “That encompasses everything from working with different nonprofits throughout the state, supporting environmental education, all the way to a lot of crew-based work with natural resource land managers doing stuff like trail maintenance, habitat restoration, fuel reduction, sentencing — you name it.” 

To accomplish this mission, the UCC relies on teams of AmeriCorps members who spend time working on conservation projects throughout the state. These crews spend their days on a variety of different projects, often in remote areas of wilderness. The work can range from trail maintenance in the Ashley National Forest to collaborative work near Preston, Idaho, with the Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation. 

For the past six years, crews have helped remove invasive Russian Olive trees and work to restore native plants as part of the Wuda Ogwa Cultural and Land Restoration Project. Damitz says this project brings a lot of pride, not only because of what it means to the community, but also how members of the UCC team have handled themselves. 

“I’m really proud of our staff and our AmeriCorps members because they’ve been at the forefront of developing the relationship and making sure we sustain it,” Damitz explains. 

While the crews leave a lasting impact on the lands and communities they are working in, alumni of the program say their time with the UCC has also left a lasting impact on their lives and careers. 

“It was an amazing experience, one that I frequently look back on and reflect on,” Cracroft says. “It’s a great opportunity to go do something challenging physically, emotionally, and mentally.”

The UCC offers the opportunity for members to challenge themselves while serving their communities. Opportunities that have been helpful in crew members’ lives and careers long after their term of service is over. 

Kody Kitchener, who currently serves as the program’s Northern Regional Coordinator, says his time in the program and the management skills he learned there have been especially helpful in relating with current crew members.

“It’s super hard, but this is what we do. You just let them know you’ve also been through it. I think the people management has definitely helped the most,” Kitchener says. 

And much like the program its modeled after, a surplus of natural resources experience isn’t necessary to get involved. 

“Something that we have strived for has been the development of folks from all walks of life,” emphasizes UCC assistant director Jake Deslauriers. “That kind of melting pot of different aptitudes and different people has led to the member experience. The job skills required are really not that much. It comes down to an ability to challenge yourself and to adapt.”

Kitchener’s experience is proof of that philosophy. He wasn’t originally planning on pursuing a career in natural resources, but he gave the UCC a shot and that has ultimately led him to his role as the UCC’s Northern Regional Coordinator.

“I just think it’s a really great opportunity for people to push themselves and kind of get out of that comfort zone and realize that they can do really hard things,” he exhorts. “I encourage everyone, even if they don’t want to do natural resources for the long term, to give it a shot and see what they’re made of.”