COLORADO — A proverb attributed to the philosopher Lao Tzu famously states that "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." On the Grand Mesa, Uncompahagre and Gunnison National Forests, six people helped the forests take that first step toward enhancing, expanding and improving relationships with American Indian Tribes and tribal members.

In the summer of 2024, working with the Rio Grande National Forest, the GMUG hired their first all-Native American field crew using money from the Greater Rocky Mountain Resource Advisory Committee. On the GMUG, the crew constructed handline to help contain the future Horsefly prescribed fire. They used chainsaws and hand tools to remove vegetation along one edge of the unit, which will allow for a safe and effective prescribed fire.  

The project came about through a partnership with Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps to offer land management opportunities to young Native Americans. ALCC’s goal is to strengthen indigenous peoples’ connections to their native lands and to careers with the Forest Service.  

Amanda Sanchez, GMUG tribal relations specialist, was passionate about organizing this effort, “Through projects like this, we give youth and young adults on-the-ground opportunities to work with us and expose them to careers in public service.  I was initially exposed to the Forest Service when I was a member of the Rocky Mountain Youth Corps.” With the help of a similar program, Sanchez went on to become a Student Career Experience Program student, beginning her Forest Service career at 19 years old.

Like Sanchez, participants were also enthusiastic about their experience on this crew. Their original hopes for the ALCC Program, ranging from the opportunity to travel, camp and gain work experience, were well met. Other opportunities, like leadership, cross-training and wilderness first responders training were also provided to the crew.   

Chris Sandoval, crew lead from the San Felipe Pueblo, said, “I learned there are a lot of opportunities in land management agencies.” Working with chainsaws and doing trail, fencing and restoration work, he gained new skill sets and opportunities for networking. He enjoyed the job for the places they got to see and the people he met, and, “I really loved doing restoration work on other reservations.” 

Alex Otero, crew member from the Navajo Nation, learned, “how to be adaptive with work,” and was surprised at just how much work their small crew got done. 

Santiago Toya, crew member from the Zia Pueblo, said, “I loved how the hours flew by when working with a chainsaw,” and that he could, “get lost in the saw.”

And what were some measures of success of the effort? 

“I came back a stronger person,” said Sandoval. Otero talked about appreciating the crew dynamic and that his crew felt like “brothers.”  And when asked if this opportunity made participants want a job with the Forest Service or another public land management agency, the answer from all participants was a resounding, “Yes!”

This year’s Ancestral Lands crew fits into the larger Forest Service effort to elevate tribal self-determination. Like many federal agencies, the Forest Service is still learning how best to work with and strengthen relationships with American Indian and Alaska Native Tribes. On a large scale, the Tribal Action Plan, released in 2023, is meant to be a new roadmap to serve tribal nations with a deeper commitment to regular and meaningful consultation. It includes commitments to enhance, expand, improve, engage and grow agency and tribal capacity to get the work done.  

But a plan is only as good as the individual actions that implement its intentions and goals. Sanchez took that to heart. Through her consultation work with tribes for the GMUG forest plan revision and other projects, Sanchez knew that opportunities in tribal youth involvement with the Forest Service had been highlighted. “I found this partnership and crew program was a good opportunity for youth engagement, specifically tribal youth and young adults. This crew assisted us with restoring and improving land health and water quality, which is of great importance to both tribes and the Forest Service. We exposed this crew to public land management job opportunities and with any luck, helped build our future workforce.”

And Sanchez appreciated the partners she found in doing this work. The Ancestral Lands partnership and working with the Rio Grande National Forest were key to hiring this crew. The Rio Grande National Forest has a long history of working with Native American and at-risk youth crews and used their existing model to partner with the GMUG on this project. Under this agreement, the RGNF also hosted a Native American field crew in 2024 and has plans to work with the crew in 2025 as well.

And back on the GMUG, with this project, six Native American young men aided the Forest Service in an important journey. They not only prepared an area for prescribed burning, but their work was also one of the first steps - taken by six people - toward expanding and strengthening relationships between Indian Tribes and the Forest Service.