Yellowstone gets help bear-proofing campsites

JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. — Yellowstone is working hard to install bear-proof food storage boxes in all 2,000 frontcountry campsites. A big part of that effort is being carried out by the Youth Conservation Corps (YCC).

Bear boxes improve visitor safety and reduce the chances a bear or other animal gets human food, which often leads to their removal in management actions. Over the last 10 years, Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) crews and employees like Sam Archibald, who heads the work crew this year, have installed over 1,000 bear boxes. With financial support from Yellowstone Forever, the expected completion date is 2026.

“It’s rewarding to help YCC teenagers master new skills like using hand tools, mixing concrete, and team problem solving to place these 400-pound bear boxes,” Archibald said. “It’s easy to see the tangible results of the crew’s hard work and the intangible growth in confidence that comes from knowing they’ve done something that will help protect visitors and Yellowstone’s wildlife for years to come.”