This month we welcome guest author Arden Wyaco to the Field Guide! Arden has been a long-time member of our Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps (ALCC) Zuni program, and recently stepped into the role of Communications Technician for ALCC. He now works to amplify the stories of the members of ALCC, visiting crews in the field, taking photos and making videos. 

Keshi! (hello), I’m Arden Wyaco from the Pueblo of Zuni in New Mexico. I’d like to share about my experience with Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps, which has been a major step for me as I entered into adulthood. I hope that sharing my story can inspire others to take on the challenge of joining a conservation crew. Your experience may plant the seeds to cultivate a future in the conservation world. 

Arden (left) at Grand falls in Arizona during crew leader training in 2017.

Let’s take it back to 2016. After searching around my community endlessly for a job, I stumbled upon recruitment flyers for Ancestral Lands’ pilot Zuni program. The tasks listed included working in National Parks and Forests across the Southwest, constructing trails, and preserving historic sites. The flyer explained the ‘hitch’ schedule that members would follow throughout their season: camping for up to eight days at a time and then returning home for six ‘off-days’. 

This would be a totally new experience for me—the camping, the work schedule and just exploring in general outside of my pueblo, but I did have some familiarity with conservation work, and the promise of traveling the Southwest was enticing. So, I applied until I secured my spot in a crew. After my first season, I decided to continue with the program and develop the skills needed to take on the crew leader role, which I eventually achieved. The friendships I made at ALCC kept me coming back year after year. Ever since my first season, the ALCC community has been so welcoming and supportive. Their passion for caring for the land still inspires me to this day. I always appreciate the opportunity to meet other Natives and see so many people working hard to accomplish their goals.

Arden (left) taking a break with his fellow crew members while on hitch at El Morro National Monument. This image is from his third season in the program and his second as a crew leader.

Each season as a crew leader has been transformational for me, but one that really stands out in my memory was back in 2019 when I led crew 611. That year, I set a goal for myself to live in the city with minimal support. I accepted my position as crew leader that season without secure housing. I lived with my colleagues at one point until I eventually found an apartment for the rest of the season. I know that many worried about me during that time of instability. Finally looking inward, I realized I had to put my pride aside and finally reach out to others and accept the help I was offered. 

That season allowed me the space to isolate and reflect, but I also had the chance to become more extroverted, meet new people, bond with my crew, and get to know their personal history. I think about crew 611 often, and those memories really remind me why I started this journey in the first place.

With five successful seasons as a crew member and leader now under my belt, I recently began a new role as the Ancestral Lands Communications Technician (a new position for the program). In my new role, I work to capture the unique stories that our participants have to offer. My position allows me to document the same crews I was once a part of, and share their stories through various mediums. It brings me joy to help tell these stories and discover new ones along the way.

Arden is especially interested in videography. He currently shoots with a Fujifilm X-S10.

Many years ago when I took that chance to apply for a position with ALCC, it set the course of what was to come. From my years as a crew member and leader, I’ve begun to appreciate and learn how to properly take care of the Earth. For the first time in my life, I’ve discovered a purpose I am dedicated and indebted to. I joined ALCC because I wanted to push beyond my comfort zone, challenge myself to become more responsible, and begin to forge my own path as I entered adulthood. My experience has taught me so much, built up my confidence, and helped me to establish connections which will help me continue a career in the conservation field. I will always be grateful for the existence of Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps and the people who make it what it is. I am truly blessed to have been a part of Ancestral Lands for so long, and to continue on now as one of the many voices striving to tell its stories.

Thanks Arden for sharing your story with the Field Guide! Arden’s plans for the future include continuing his education at Santa Fe Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) studying Cinematic Arts & Film. He plans to apply the many AmeriCorps awards he has earned while working for ALCC towards his studies there. Keep up with his photos and videos on ALCC’s social media accounts: @ancestrallands on Instagram and @ancestral_lands on TikTok.