The goal of the SCA/USFWS Trails Inventory program is to provide the Fish and Wildlife Service with a comprehensive and accurate inventory of all trails on USFWS sites across the country. This is certainly an ambitious project as there are over 600 USFWS sites nationwide. This project will take us to every corner of the country, to high mountains and low deserts through bayous and fjords. We are all extremely excited for this opportunity as it provides the chance to perform an important service to the USFWS, expand our own knowledge and expertise, and experience many different parts of the country for the first time.
Hitch 5- Idaho and Montana
Hitch 5 Delta team consisted of Dave Delcourt and Mike Mullaley. We started and ended in Boise, Idaho; completing a giant loop that took us from Northern Idaho, through Western Montana, to Western Wyoming, and through Southeastern Idaho back to Boise. We were able to see some amazing places such as Kootenai NWR in Bonners Ferry, ID and National Bison Range just North of Missoula, MT. On the weekends we stayed at Glacier National Park, Yellowstone National Park, and the Grand Teton National Park. With only two days of rain, we had mostly clear blue sky weather to work and play in. We saw a huge amount of wildlife including moose, a black bear, a bald eagle, three different species of owls, mountain goats, deer, elk, bison, antelope, and a host of other smaller creatures. National Bison Range and Lee Metcalf may be two of my favorite just because of the employees that work there. They came from different backgrounds, such as being a Salish Native American or wildland firefighting and were some of the most laidback individuals I have ever met. Overall it was a fantastic hitch filled with beautiful views, lots of wildlife, amazing people, and lots of travel.
