Resilience and Preservation in Southwest Colorado

Spend a week with the Southwest Conservation Corps as they attend to Canyons of the Ancients National Monument during a stormy summer.
In July 2026, the Southwest Conservation Corp(Opens in a new window)‘s Montezuma County Camping Youth Crew was contracted by Canyons of the Ancients National Monument (Opens in a new window)to install buck and rail fences and perform light trailwork across the monument in an effort to preserve some of the fragile desert ecosystems and archaeological sites from user-created roads or trails. I, as the Youth Crew Field Supervisor, spent my summer bouncing between crews as needed to assist with more technical projects or give the adult crew leaders a much-earned break. I was excited to visit a NPS site I hadn’t even heard of until I moved to Durango, CO and check in with the crew leaders about how their season was progressing. 

Midweek, a torrential downpour erupted as we passed through Cortez, CO, on our way back to camp for the night, and we were forced to wait out the worst of the rain and hail in a Wendy’s parking lot. When most of the heavy precipitation had passed, we continued on, all the while still receiving flash flood warnings, dodging downed tree limbs, and detouring around areas of Cortez that had become whitewater parks.

The rest of the drive was uneventful until a flash flood a few miles from camp crossed the road, making it impassable. After activating our emergency on-call system, the crew split as one leader took the members to get Domino’s and sleep at the Old Fort at Hesperus(Opens in a new window), and I waited with another crew leader for the flood to subside to assess what became of our camp. We were eventually able to reach camp and pack up the sodden remains of the crew kitchen and personal gear before also making our way to Hesperus. When we arrived in the dark and rain, the youth members quickly helped unload and laid out their gear to dry as much as possible overnight. I remember as I went to bed, the crew was playing UNO by headlamp, seemingly un-phased by the long and chaotic end to the day.

Conservation projects are so rarely simple as the actual work to be accomplished, and in those unpredictable moments, a crew’s resilience and ability to problem-solve is tested. Throughout the season, I was continually proud of the youth members’ ability to show up for what is already a tough job, leave some of their personal baggage at home, and meaningfully contribute to projects benefiting their own communities.

SCC Overview 

Southwest Conservation Corps, a local program of Conservation Legacy, is based in Durango, Colorado and supports a wide variety of conservation-based programs in the Four Corners region. SCC programs serve youth and young adults 11-30 years old, with a wide range of programs. From chainsaw crews to volunteer middle school programming, the Southwest Conservation Corps is committed to connecting people to the natural world. 

 

 

Youth Program Overview 

SCC’s Youth Program serves local youth from the Four Corners in meaningful, place-based opportunities. Our youth program consists of a Middle School Program that serves 11–13-year-olds in volunteer projects, and our High School Program hires 15–18-year-olds in paid conservation jobs. This program serves 90 youth from the Four Corners annually and has become a highly competitive program for young people, with 200 high schoolers applying for 65 spaces in 2026. SCC Youth Programs has become a critical job pathway for young people in the Four Corners to enter the conservation and natural resources field.