Crews hoping to get into the woods, eventually

Getting crews back into the woods will be a little more complicated this year due to the coronavirus. The Montana Conservation Corps, which does a significant amount of trail and other work both for the Flathead National Forest and Glacier National Park will have about half as many programs as a typical year.

Having said that, “we’re cautiously optimistic,” Cliff Kipp, regional director for MCC’s Northern Rockies program said Monday.

The agency cut its youth programs for liability and safety reasons. For its adult programs, crew members coming from out-of-state will quarantine 14 days while at home and then another 14 day when they arrive, Kipp explained.

They’ll go through orientation remotely the first two weeks they’re here.

MCC is working closely with the agencies like the Forest Service and Park Service, as well as local health officials to meet safety protocols.

The adult program is for college-aged students. Typically it draws crewmembers from across the U.S. They’re paid a $1,200 a month stipend, receive health insurance and meals, and they also get money toward college tuition and deferment of student loan debt and interest.

MCC is often a doorway into natural resource careers. Many MCC jobs lead into jobs with the Forest Service and the Park Service.

With the quarantines, crews won’t hit the woods until June 1, Kipp said. Typically with youth programs, there’s about 60 participants total.

This year, Kipp expects about 30. Crews will also take other precautions. In years past, members would often change to different crews over the course of a season. This year, they’ll likely stay with one. For example, a crew that goes to Big Prairie in the Bob Marshall Wilderness will likely be there 10 weeks, with supplies from the outside brought in as needed, Kipp said.

The Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation also does a great deal of trail and other work in the Bob Marshall Wilderness. Last year it maintained 750 miles of trails in the wilderness and hosted 318 volunteers.

Like MCC, it, too, has delayed getting into the woods, said program director Rebecca Powell.

About 75 percent of the Foundation’s volunteers live in the state, so they wouldn’t have to quarantine, however, they will go through health screening before heading into the woods.

Social distancing is easier as well — volunteers get their own transportation to the trailheads and typically have all their own camping gear, like tents and sleeping bags, Powell noted.

They’ll also be assigned their own tools they’ll use throughout the trip and cook crews will prepare the food.

Tools will be sterilized after every hitch.

But there’s also the possibility that the Forest Service won’t allow volunteers. If that happens, they’ll likely send out crew leaders and interns to work on trails as a group.

But Kipp also notes that MCC isn’t just a trails and outdoor organization. It’s designed to do community service, and if need be, it could do contract tracing for the virus, if more investigators were ever needed.

What about testing crews before they leave for the woods?

Flathead City County Health public health officer Hillary Hanson said at this point, the state is only testing those with coronavirus symptoms. But she also noted that testing wouldn’t necessarily assure a person doesn’t have the disease before they head into the woods, because it has an incubation period — so a person could test negative and still be carrying the disease, not showing symptoms once they’re well into the woods.

That’s why the state requires the 14-day quarantine for out-of-state visitors.

The incubation period hasn’t shown to be longer than 14 days. According to studies, the average incubation period is five days and nearly all cases test positive within 11 days.