2025 YOLO Program Brings Students into the Field 

By Tova Rothert, SYRCL Summer Intern

From June 16th to 19th, a group of twelve high school students ventured into the Sierra Nevada to take part in SYRCL’s annual Youth Outdoor Leadership Opportunity (YOLO) program, an immersive four-day field science and leadership program held at Loney Meadow. This program is an incredible opportunity for high school students to actively aid in restoration efforts, get better acquainted with the outdoors, and explore a career in environmental science. As a SYRCL summer intern and recent high school graduate, I was fortunate to join this year’s group and witness firsthand the impact of meadow restoration.

Piling out of the van on the first day, we were all in awe of the natural beauty of Loney Meadow, a lush meadow speckled with wildflowers. Once altered for grazing by diverting the channel, Loney Meadow was restored in 2017 thanks to SYRCL’s efforts. Wading our way through the meadow we saw firsthand the effects of SYRCL’s restoration, as the stream meandered down the meadow, seeping outward from its main channel. Prior to restoration, the old, diverted channel was fast flowing and left the meadow dry. We learned that this new slow-moving flow is ideal for a healthy meadow because it leads to a wetter meadow, has great biodiversity, is a speed bump for wildfire, and sequesters more carbon dioxide. It was eye-opening to realize how much life and climate resilience this landscape holds beneath its surface beauty.

We learned more about the area, our project, and got to know each other as we hiked around 5 miles to and from Loney Meadow to Culbertson Lake. Stopping to eat lunch and journal by a serene lake, we then piled back into the van to head home, feeling tired and accomplished. 

Over the next three days we tackled our main project: putting up cattle exclusion fencing around two vulnerable aspen stands in and next to Loney Meadow. Through this we learned techniques such as installing barbed wire, putting in T-posts, and evaluating aspen stand health. 

Above two students pound in a T-post and two others secure fencing.  

Aspen provide important ecosystem services and are vital species in the Sierra. They provide a wildlife refuge for birds, insects, and deer, while fostering high levels of diverse plant life. These meadow fringe aspen are at risk of being lost in the Sierra Nevada, which is why SYRCL is protecting and monitoring them through efforts such as this one. They are also beautiful. As one student remarked, “My favorite part was laying under the quaking aspens in the grass.” 

During YOLO, we also delved into the local ecology, learning about the different species of animals and trees that make up this critical ecosystem through tree identification activities and installation of game cameras. After exploring the delicate flowers nestled under the aspen, I can now tell you the red flower below is called a sarcodes or a snow plant, while the yellow one is a sierra lily.

After these four days spent learning, exploring, and sweating together, the group became tightly-knit with friendships that will last beyond the program. It also imparted knowledge about this ecosystem’s importance, which I think will stick with each of us beyond the program. One student said, “The most valuable part was learning more about what I want to do in the future; this experience has inspired me to work in the environmental field.” 

For me, I came out of this experience touched by the transformative power of restoration, and, specifically, the potential meadow restoration can hold for helping mitigate climate change. Healthy meadow habitats can sequester up to six times as much carbon as forest ecosystems per acre, while degraded meadows can release carbon. I hope that after college I can come back here and help restore meadows, but, for the meantime, I feel fortunate to have actively aided in protecting the aspen. 

SYRCL has hosted the YOLO expedition for local youth since 2018 and plans to continue hosting it next year. This experience is perfect for anyone who loves the outdoors, wants to meet other students interested in enacting change, or who is curious about environmental science.

A special thanks to the National Forest Foundation for funding this program and making it equitable and accessible to everyone.