Story-Telling Through Photography in the Southwest - Southwest Conservation Corps

Southwest Conservation Corps: Ancestral Lands chainsaw crew member Jerald Meyers, ready to roll for another day of hard work! The SCC crew works to mitigate invasive species in the American southwest.

One experienced Ancestral Lands saw crew trains another in removing invasive Russian olive trees from a stream outside of Navajo, NM. The Ancestral Lands Programs empowers local Native young adults to be active transformers and restorers of their natural world. In this case, removing invasive tree’s and ultimately re-planting native species to restore critical wildlife habitat, increase viability of grazing land, and maintain ecological health and balance.

Crew leader Rolando Billie helps show new Crew Member Radeanna Comb the ropes as she practices face cuts and felling of Russian olives.

Southwest Conservation Corps: Ancestral Lands crew leader Rolando Billie walks through the days working, checking out the slash piles and tree stumps, making sure the site is complete, safe, and ready for the next phase of the restoration process.

Southwest Conservation Corps crew member Jared Earl sharpening his chain during lunch break. Being a sawyer instills not only the grit to endure long hours of grueling hard work in extremely rugged conditions, but also the intricate precision that goes into maintaining our equipment.

Being a sawyer is a thinking man’s game. Out in the field we stumbled upon this tree, already flagged. Why? Is it rotten, diseased, struck by lightning, or pose some other type of safety hazard? Does it house a bird’s nest or other environmental sensitivity concern? Every tree cut is unique and most be looked at with an open mind.