Youth Forest Stewards (YFS)
Your Donation to FDRD will make a difference!
Summit County’s Local High School Trail Crew
The Youth Forest Stewards (YFS) are a crew of high school aged students (age 14-18) who join FDRD for several trail maintenance and forest restoration volunteer projects during the course of the summer. Youth who participate in this five-month long forest stewardship program will learn a variety of trail maintenance techniques, while building a community of like-minded students focused on bettering the White River National Forest.
This group will meet during the summer months of May through September for a forest stewardship volunteer project. Each month, the type of project will differ: from new trail construction to tree thinning, illegal campsite rehabilitation to wildlife habitat restoration, and much more! The culmination of the summer program will result in the students planning, promoting, and leading a volunteer project of their own in September. The YFS program allows students to make new friends while giving back to the White River National Forest.
Student Benefits
Build friendships
Earn community service hours for school
Opportunity to apply for FDRD’s $1,000 college scholarship
Join a community of youth focused on helping the forest and trails in Summit County
Improve your resume for college applications
Make a difference on the public lands of Summit County
Student Expectations
Must be 14-18 years old
Provide your own transportation to all project locations (within Summit County)
Dress appropriately for each project and bring an adequate amount of water and food for the day
A positive attitude and engagement in each project – this is a program for students who already have an interest in forest stewardship
Attend at least 5 of the project dates (listed below) in order to graduate the program – if a day is missed, the participant can work with instructors to make up that date. *SEPTEMBER PROJECT IS REQUIRED*
“I’ve learned quite a bit about how they put the trails together. How they build the fences, how they put the turnpikes together, and also how to use a couple tools that I’ve never used before. I think it’s been very valuable. I’ve learned a lot of different things, I’ve got to meet a lot of different people, and I got to be outside which is really fun.”
