And just beginning their journey toward empowerment...

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Growing up, our family lived on the border of a small parcel of woods. It’s funny -- I’ve driven by our old house a few times as an adult, and I’m amazed at just how small it really was. Because at the time, it was massive. Those woods were my and my sister’s secret door into a world full of...well, blackberries and raspberries and poison ivy.

We could have spent a lifetime in and around those trees, and never grow tired of the possibilities that lay there. Our family was fortunate to have access to a place that could yield that type of escape for us.

Two of my colleagues returned from a trip to Death Valley National Park, CA last year, as part of a partnership retreat with the National Park Foundation, with the same buzz of that seven-year-old me running through the trees with complete abandon and awe.


It was there they first learned about NPF’s Women in Parks initiative, which would allow for the creation of an all-women service corps. Not only would such a project support a park with targeted restoration work, but it would also provide professional, hands-on experience for young women who may otherwise miss out on such a unique opportunity.

It is befitting that, as we celebrate the launch of this service corps in Great Basin National Park, we also commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which marked the progress of allowing women to vote. (Many women were excluded from the protections of the 19th Amendment because of their race, cultural affiliation, class, inability to read and write, and other factors.)

Says Katherine Chesson, NPF’s VP of Programs & Partnerships, “As we think about the 19th Amendment and so many stories related to women, we honor not only the past achievements of women, but also recognize present-day contributions and the potential of young women to make their own lasting legacy through service corps programs and beyond.”

These affinity corps, part of over 130 Corps across the country, provide opportunities for young people -- including LGBTQ+, Indigenous People, Latina, and American Sign Language crews -- to come together to grow and learn, bound by overcoming the challenges that their newfound environment might pose. This year, the Great Basin Institute, with full funding by Free People, is supporting four young women to develop leadership and career-building skills through service (which includes living in the wilderness for up to 13 weeks with no electricity) in order to maintain the integrity and safety of that park.

I was privy to seeing a few videos from the GBI crew as they learned how to fell trees, handle snakes, and most of all, connect with nature and one another. I’ll leave you with a quote from one of the women on the crew, who I have no doubt will go on to pursue a lifelong career finding and doting on her forest of choice:

“Not only do I feel more comfortable in my womanhood, but more empowered to break gender roles on a daily basis. Being surrounded by such smart and capable women inspires me to work harder every day. And I feel very honored to lead this amazing women’s crew. I can only hope for a future full of more of them.”