East Coast Students/Western Fence Work
On Wednesday, October 16th, a group of students from Catawba College, located in North Carolina, assisted the Absaroka Fence Initiative (AFI) partners with the removal of a fence enclosure near Hunter Creek Road on the South Fork in Cody. The students were led by two instructors: Drs. Andrew Jacobson and Joe Poston. There were six students, mostly juniors and one or two seniors. There was also an eight-year-old who, the son of one of the instructors. The students are taking a Conservation Biology course offered by the College and as a capstone experience to the course they undertook a ‘Western Fieldtrip.’ The intention of the fieldtrip was to meet with various natural resource managers representing state, federal, non-profit, and academic entities and to be exposed to different career trajectories. Their presence in Cody was facilitated by Corey Anco, Curator of Natural Science at the Draper Natural History Museum in the Buffalo Bill Center of the West and AFI member.
During the fence removal, the students had the opportunity to meet with Kerry Murphy, Brooke Hicks, and Julia Godsey with the Shoshone National Forest and Conservation Storyteller, Kathy Lichtendahl. Kerry, Brooke and Kathy are all members of AFI. The students participated in the enclosure removal while learning about various career opportunities. The fence was part of an exclusion experiment and consisted of barbed-wire and woven wire . For many of the students, this was the first time they had ever been to Wyoming or worked on fencing. They learned about the challenges that fences pose and the opportunities that groups like AFI afford community members as well as the role they play on both public and private lands.
Corey Anco talks to students from Catawba College about the process for removing old barbed wire from an experimental enclosure on Shoshone National Forest land.
Photo by Kathy Lichtendahl
Each student felt fulfilled knowing that the effort they put into removing the fence resulted in a tangible positive impact on the landscape. After spending a day out in the vast, open landscapes of Wyoming, more than one student expressed a desire to move here. The students thanked Kerry, Brooke, Julia, and Kathy for sharing their stories, expertise, and insights with the students. They all slept well after a morning in the field!
AFI members and students from Catawba College at the end of another successful fence removal.
Photo by Kathy Lichtendahl
