Home » Economic & Workforce Development » Summer LCCC Programs

Summer LCCC Programs

The LCCC Summer Crews

By joining with partners and sponsoring organizations, LCCC helps conserve critical habitat areas and enhance the places we love to play in. Our summer crews are full-time, seasonal positions for young adults, ages 16 - 25 and are typically made up of 1 crew leader, 1 assistant crew leader and 8 corpsmembers. LCCC crews enhance and restore public lands and open spaces through projects such as trail building and maintenance, habitat restoration, fire mitigation, invasive species removal and more. Learn more about each of our seasonal crews below!

 

Land Crew

Our only 16 - 18 year old crew completes the largest variety of projects out of all of our crews including trail construction and maintenance, invasive species management, fisheries maintenance and ecological restoration. With projects on local, state and federal lands throughout Northern Colorado, our Land crew has the potential to camp for portions of the summer. Unique education opportunities with this crew include resume building, natural history and ecology, and professional skill building.

Trail Crews 

The RMNP Trail Crew

This crew for 18 - 25 year olds involves working and camping in Rocky Mountain National Park (during the work week of Monday - Thursday). While working alongside NPS Trail Staff, this crew completes trail construction/repair and maintenance projects that are needed to accommodate the approx. 3.5 million visitors every year. Unique education opportunities with this crew include meetings with park staff to learn about the wide variety of career opportunities with NPS, federal resume workshops, and lessons on the natural history and ecology of RMNP.
 

The US Forest Service Trail Crew

Corpsmembers aged 18 - 25 years old work and camp for the duration of the summer on Arapaho & Roosevelt National Forest lands while performing trail construction/repair and maintenance projects within the 208,913 acres of forest that were damaged in the 2020 Cameron Peak Fire. This crew works in partnership with US Forest Service staff to reopen trails for public use and to prevent erosion in sensitive post-fire areas. Unique education opportunities with this crew include wildfire and post-fire impacts, purpose of recreational areas and personal and professional development.

Forestry Crew 

This crew of 18 - 25 year olds become S-212 and Wilderness First Aid certified before operating chainsaws to complete fire mitigation, tree removal and fire restoration projects throughout Larimer County. One ongoing project this crew has contributed to involves fire mitigation work on the Ben Delatour Scout Ranch in an effort to reduce wildfire severity and post-fire impacts on the watershed in the event of a wildfire. Unique education opportunities for this crew include impacts of wildfires on habitats and watersheds, career development and lessons on forest management.

Fire Recovery Crew 

Corpsmembers aged 18 - 25 years old work on public and private lands in Larimer County that were affected by the 2020 Cameron Peak fire as they complete projects related to post-fire restoration and erosion control. This crew works to minimize effects from post-fire flooding that cause roads to wash out and forest soil to erode, impacting river health and roadways. Unique education opportunities for this crew include wildfire impact on local habitats and watersheds and career development.

Summer 2021 Accomplishments

In 2021 LCCC ran 5 crews that served on public lands and private lands across Larimer County. 55 youth and young adults were employed and were able to accomplish

  • 16 acres of fire mitigation treatment
  • 13 miles of trail maintained
  • 319 slash piles built
  • 807 wattles (erosion control structures) placed
  • 275 trail drains installed

Testimonials from Summer Corpsmembers

  • “I learned a lot this summer. Some of the obvious ones are things like how to use a chainsaw safely and efficiently, how to build good slash piles, and how to effectively lead a team. However, sitting here reflecting on the season, I’m realizing that I learned so much more. I learned so much about myself, and about my leadership style that I didn’t even know was there. I learned things like understanding that I’m not the most patient individual and figuring out how to become more patient, how to teach things in more than one way, figuring out the line between becoming friends with your crew and still being an effective leader, and so much more.”- Nate, Forestry Crew

  • “I just generally enjoyed working with the NPS. They were all super knowledgeable, friendly, and very willing to teach us what they knew. I also thought it was fun to get to use all of their various technical tools. Finally, I really enjoyed the opportunity to work on the Longs Peak Trail.” - Ben, RMNP Trails Crew

  • “I thought this work was challenging. It challenged my work ethic and my mental attitude but being out here and working in these conditions changes you and what you’re able to accomplish. I really love this work because you can see that through your hard work you are able to make a good impact.” -Aidan, Land Crew

  • “Do it! It is a worthwhile experience whether or not you are considering a career in natural resources” - Grace, RMNP Trails Crew

RMNP    RMNP 2    Land Crew

LCCC Team Photo 2022

Larimer County Conservation Corps