Creating equitable, inclusive trail crews that support personal growth, land stewardship, and the next generation of outdoor leaders.
Those sinuous ribbons of hard-packed guidance that allow us to access the mountains, meadows, forests and lakes that open our hearts, soothe our minds and challenge our bodies. How often do we spare a thought for the trail crews that make it all possible?
Agnes Vianzon thinks about them all the time. She knows that while trails provide access to the outdoors, trail crews provide access to the outdoor industry. Most trails on public lands in California were built by young people working for state and federally funded conservation corps. Those transformational experiences of living in the backcountry for a summer doing hard manual labor are often the launching pad for outdoor careers.
Vianzon followed that same trajectory, joining a trail crew fresh out of college. Originally she thought it would be a pause before she began her “real career”, but she kept returning year after year. As a queer Filipina woman, she didn’t always feel comfortable or understood in what has traditionally been a male dominated environment. So in 2017 she founded a non-profit called Eastern Sierra Conservation Corps, with the aim of creating an inclusive space to nurture the outdoor leaders of the future — especially female, queer, transgender, gender non-conforming and BIPOC. 
“When I started ESCC, I had no business or non-profit background,” Vianzon laughs. “I figured if I started with one crew, that was OK.” Their first season ESCC had five employees and an operating budget of $55,000. Nine years later they run four trail crews all over the state, employ almost 40 people and have an annual operating budget of over a million dollars.
Though ESCC welcomes people from all ethnic, gender and socio economic backgrounds, Vianzon’s first crew was all-female. “Right out of the gate that felt better, it just felt good,” explains Vianzon. “The first year the park service asked us for an all women’s crew, and the next year they said they weren’t allowed to provide an all women’s crew. It’s been a roller coaster.”
But due to their structure — a private fund-raising non-profit that signs contracts with public organizations — they’ve been able to thrive even in challenging times. “We are able to choose our projects instead of taking whatever work we can get,” Vianzon says. Their trail crews work from San Jacinto to Humboldt, the Sierra Nevada to Big Sur.
ESCC focuses on developing the whole person, teaching soft skills like conflict resolution and community living, along with hard skills like operating a chainsaw, brushing, rock work, water diversion and changing the oil on a company vehicle. “We create community through stewarding land,” explains ESCC Field Operations Logistics Coordinator Micah Craig, in his fourth season with ESCC. “Our trail crews learn hard skills while finding paths to benefit Mother Nature.”
ESCC’s next major shift was compensation. Offsetting low wages by offering scholarships upon completion is a common practice in entry level outdoor positions, but Vianzon recognized that college is not for everyone. Some folks need the salary for basic survival. ESCC is dedicated to creating a system that benefits trail crew members from all walks of life. “I’ve had people actually tell me we pay our core members too much!” she laughs. “We keep up with the California minimum wage and pay $18-20 an hour. Our trail crews are so much more than cheap labor.”
The ESCC program is sober and completely immersive. “Folks don’t go home on the weekends, they have to fully commit for four months,” Vianzon explains. “Our curriculum includes who am I, why am I here, members get evaluated on how they are living, if they are grumpy all the time. A healthy community is going to be more productive and get more work done. This is the elevation of everyone. We have the resources to support everyone.”
Those resources include making a therapist available to the trail crews throughout the season. “In our leadership program folks are filling out daily logs, food orders, asking partners about work, practicing all these skills throughout the season,” Vianzon says with pride. “We are all about facilitating an experience and elevating our young people.”
“I’ve never been in a work space like this before. I feel more seen and taken care of than I ever have in my life,” says 28-year-old Minoli De Silva, a queer Sri Lankan in their first season with ESCC. “Agnes is very into taking care of us while pushing us. This season has definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone, but I feel physically stronger, I feel connected with the land, I feel community every day. This is what it looks like to take care of each other and the land.”
First generation Mexican-American Tayi Ramirez is the youngest person on the ESCC crew this year and amazed at the world that’s opened up for them. “In a lot of work situations folks are like ‘that’s on you,’ everyone for themselves, sink or swim,” they say softly. “But here at ESCC it feels like we are all in it together, people are really looking out for each other.”
Like all the best caretaking, this extends to when people mess up. Roxanne Rosalie Anastasia Rox came into her first season with ESCC navigating addiction and mental health challenges, and had to leave early. “ESCC helped me get home quickly, they made me feel like it was OK to take care of myself, there was no shame,” Rox explains.
And they welcomed her back for a second season. “Folks at ESCC were happy to see me healthy, ready to grow and take on a new season. Their expectations are a little higher because they see my potential. I want to live up to those expectations because I know they care about me.” Her pride is audible. “This is by far the best place I have ever worked, the best treatment I’ve ever experienced at work. The only other place I feel this welcome is among close friends and my partner.”
ESCC’s Instagram feed features women, non-binary and BIPOC, and they are promoted and supported by queer activists like Patty Gonia. Therefore, ESCC gets loads of applicants with minimal advertising. “We are changing the face and demographics of land management,” says Vianzon. “We don’t do a lot of posting. We are developing a reputation and the people who need us find us.”
After almost a decade of service, ESCC is ready to export their model to create an impact beyond their immediate trail crews and employees. “This is literally access-opening work,” explains Vianzon. “We know what we are doing. We are trying to raise a million dollars to spread and teach this model. We can teach it virtually or on the ground. We just want folks to take it and bring it home and implement it.”
Although ESCC focuses on creating safe inclusive trail crews, their ultimate goal involves social transformation. “There are enough resources for everyone to live well,” Agnes declares. “At the risk of sounding ridiculous, it literally starts with the simple act of being kind, being nicer. Be nicer to the person next to you on the bus, the car that cuts you off in traffic, the people who work for you, the people you work for. This is all about making change one crew at a time, one person at a time.”
Vianzon knows a better world is possible. “When we wonder how to bring about the changes we want to see, we need to ask everyone in the room. We need to ask who is not in the room,” she insists. “Don’t keep your stuff secret, share what you know with others so everyone can enjoy it. Share your pro tips about gear, where to go, all that stuff. Examine your privilege. We can make this easier and more accessible together. Being nicer and better humans is how we are all going to get through this.”
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Main photo by ESCC
Read other stories by Leonie Sherman.
