“Holding a toad was really valuable to me.” 

It’s the kind of line that sneaks up on you — simple, a little funny, and completely honest. For one student on this year’s Youth Outdoor Leadership Opportunity (YOLO), it captured something bigger than the sentence itself: a first encounter with a wild place, and with a version of themselves they hadn’t met yet. 

Ten young, aspiring scientists spent a week with SYRCL’s watershed science and education team this summer working in Loney and Van Norden meadows. Many had never set foot in a montane meadow before. By the end of the week, most didn’t want to leave. 

Fence by fence, foot by foot 

The first days were physical. The team installed 800 feet of cattle exclusion fencing around aspen stands near Loney Meadow to protect young aspen suckers — the new shoots that sprout from the root system — from grazing damage. This fencing comes down again each fall before snowpack sets in. 

For students who’d never used a t-post driver or strung barbed wire, it was a crash course in patience. “The teamwork and problem-solving I participated in will help me professionally in the future,” one fellow reflected. “I had to get out of my comfort zone and make decisions, even if they were simple, like what fence to set up next. That made a big impact on me for personal growth.” 

Reading a stream like a scientist 

On the final day, the crew moved to Van Norden Meadow to work along Castle Creek, collecting stream channel cross-section data — essentially a slice-in-time snapshot of the creek’s shape, cut perpendicular to the flow. It’s one of the ways SYRCL tracks whether the Beaver Dam Analogs (BDAs) installed in the creek are doing their job: slowing the water, easing channel incision, and helping raise the water table back toward the surface. 

It’s technical work, and the data students collect doesn’t just sit in a binder — it feeds directly into SYRCL’s restoration projects, helping us assess whether these interventions are working. For fellow Nico, that direct line from fieldwork to real-world impact was the heart of the experience: “What was most impactful to me was the effort and ability to have direct involvement in restoration projects. The opportunity to help conserve and protect areas that are threatened makes me feel like I am contributing directly and fully involved.” 

Strangers on day one, friends by the end 

Ask anyone who’s run a program like this and they’ll tell you: the science is only half of it. The students arrive not knowing each other. They leave as friends — bonded by long days, shared discomfort, and the particular kind of trust that builds when you’re handing someone a fence panel and trusting them to hold their end. 

“The sense of community was very valuable to me,” one student said, “and the experience from the fieldwork inspires me to pursue something similar.” 

For Aleah, the whole week added up to something she’s still carrying with her. “I found the entire YOLO experience memorable and so magical. I have never done anything like this, and while it is a lot of work, it was totally worth it in the end and you feel so rewarded. I had so much fun and it shaped who I am as a person. Being out in nature, especially this kind, was so amazing.” 

What comes next 

Not every student will go on to work in environmental science — but some will, and all of them now know what that work actually looks like: dirt under the fingernails, wet boots, data sheets, and a toad in their hand. That’s the point. SYRCL’s goal for YOLO has always been simple — get students outside, get their hands dirty, and give them an experience they’ll remember long after the fencing comes down for the winter. 

Thank you to our funder, the National Forest Foundation, for making this trip possible for our students.