YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK — On Aug. 26, Yellowstone National Park (YNP) recognized the accomplishments of the Groundwork USA team, a group of 20 crew members who worked with the park’s Youth Conservation Corps staff on a variety of projects this summer.
Groundwork USA is a national network that works with cities, neighborhoods and rural communities across the U.S. to help facilitate partnerships and programs focused on supporting healthier environments and economic opportunities.
“A big thank you to the first group of Groundwork USA crew members for their hard work!” YNP wrote via Facebook.
Crew members from the nonprofit represented Denver, Colorado; Lawrence and Somerville, Massachusetts; and Pawtucket, Rhode Island, according to YNP.
Crews installed install 30 bear-proof storage boxes at Grant Campground, and removed and replaced 410 boardwalk boards in the Old Faithful Geyser Basin.
On another project, YNP wrote that workers collected environmental DNA (eDNA) samples at three sites on the Gardner River and at Joffre Lake near Mammoth. According to the National Park Service (NPS), eDNA is genetic material obtained from an environmental sample such as soil, sediment, water or ice. The practice of eDNA sampling allows biologists to detect invasive species and to learn more about fish populations, without directly handling the organisms or fish.
Groundwork USA crew members also collected over 10 dragonfly larvae for the Dragonfly Mercury Project. This national freshwater mercury study, which is a citizen science initiative, studies dragonfly larvae to assess mercury contamination in freshwater environments across the U.S., according to the NPS.
