Rose ClementsEditor’s Note: For the crew mentioned in this article, the term ‘Women’s+’ is used, with the intention of being inclusive of individuals identifying as trans, nonbinary, and/or genderfluid. Currently, Conservation Legacy does not use one specific term to refer to these types of affinity crews—language is alive and constantly in flux. Affinity crews are given the opportunity to self-identify and collectively choose the term they feel most comfortable with and represented by. Similarly, future use of other DEI-related terms may change. As these terms continue to shift in their meaning and application, we recognize the need to continually revisit the way we use them.
Imagine waking up at 4:45 am in the dead of winter, gazing at the vivid sunrise on the ocean with a sharp sea breeze whipping across your face. Though harsh, the wind offers a sweet but fleeting reprieve from the unrelenting mosquito swarms that dominate this small barrier island. Welcome to Portsmouth Village, part of Cape Lookout National Seashore! You’re about to join your crew for breakfast and a morning group run before a full day of technical hazard tree felling and bucking. This is what typical mornings looked like for the members of Conservation Corps North Carolina’s Women’s+ Advanced Saw Crew.
As an eight-person crew, we spent the winter months of November to March working on public lands along the coast of North Carolina. We spent time in Cape Lookout National Seashore, Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Wright Brothers National Monument, and the Croatan National Forest. We had the opportunity to work directly on the beach, in salt marshes, pine forests, cypress groves and were even ferried via boat to an island. The main scope of the project work was clearing hurricane-damaged areas, including snags and salt-killed trees.
In the beginning of the season, the crew leaders focused on bringing everyone up to a higher cutting level in order to safely cut dead and complicated trees. In this learning-focused environment, the crew could target specific skills they wanted to work on, like taking a tree off a back lean, completing a double cut, or assessing heart rot and hinge wood integrity. Crew member Erin Murr credits the crew dynamic as a big part of doing more difficult work. “Being on this crew has meant a lot to me. It’s given me the space to grow my technical felling skills so much, and as a crew we worked together to challenge and help build each other up throughout the season. It’s really fun to cut scary, sketchy trees when you know you have a whole crew of intelligent, capable people behind you to hype you up or talk through different hazards.”
The crew also went through wildland fire training to acquire their red cards, and were able to assist and observe prescribed burning operations in the Croatan. Crew member Erin Waldman said: “I really enjoyed getting to see the prescribed burn process in the Croatan Forest. I loved learning how the Forest Service uses regular burning to restore the land closer to how it was before European colonization, with more spacious longleaf pine areas and habitat for endangered red-cockaded woodpeckers. It’s cool to learn the ecology behind the work!”
Every member on this crew had previous conservation corps experience, which allowed them to hit the ground running. Crew member Laura Schimmel said: “This is my third AmeriCorps term and this crew was unique in the complexity of the scope of work. In most AmeriCorps conservation crews, there’s a crew leader with a lot of experience and crew members who are new(ish) to field work.
On our crew however, crew leads and members alike came in with several seasons of corps work so the baseline of experience was a lot higher to start out. We didn’t have to learn how to camp or run a chainsaw, which allowed us to dive into the more technical skilled trainings right away. As a result, my technical abilities improved in a way that I doubt I could have otherwise achieved. For all of us to have improved so much over the season, it’s truly impressive.”
Click the video below to watch a member of the Women’s+ crew use a ‘come-along‘ tool to take down a hazardous tree:
If not for this affinity crew I would not have grown as much personally and professionally—and the growth I’ve seen in myself has been remarkable.
Crew member Harlee Craddock found the affinity space to be helpful for skill-building: “This crew really feels void of ego. The skills we’ve learned this season have been historically exclusive to men, and that doesn’t always create an environment conducive to learning. Instead of learning, you’re constantly trying to assert yourself and prove you deserve to be in the space. We all support each other and want to see everyone succeed, which makes an incredible and productive learning environment. This crew has boosted my confidence and competence in chainsaw work. If not for this affinity crew I would not have grown as much personally and professionally—and the growth I’ve seen in myself has been remarkable.”
As the season came to a close, every member secured their next job, moving either into corps leadership and staff positions or seasonal jobs with the US Forest Service. Crew member Lela Waite said: “Each member of this crew ended their season with a B sawyer skillset and the gracious opportunity for a B certification. Gaining a solid footing in the disciplines of felling, bucking, and rigging has provided us with a competitive edge for the more sought after positions of conservation and federal service. I do believe that this crew is a career-maker for women and nonbinary individuals.”
