Rachel Barnett

Rocky Mountain Youth Corps’ internship program engages youth and young adults in valuable work experiences within natural resources management agencies and non-profits, facilitating employment with related jobs and careers. Partners include the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, Colorado Youth Corps Association, and other agency and non-profit partners. Upon completion of at least 640 hours, interns also qualify for the Public Land Corps Hiring Authority, offering priority hiring when applying for USFS jobs. Below, we catch up with former RMYC intern and current BLM employee Rachel Barnett for her take on RMYC’s internship program and how it helped launch her career.

What does your department do?

Terrestrial AIM crews collect standardized field measurements in upland habitats across BLM lands nationwide. The data provides valuable information on vegetative and soil conditions across vast rangelands and woodlands. We have AIM crews working out of most every BLM office across the nation.

Can you tell us about your internship with RMYC?

I was an intern with RMYC for three seasons. My first was in 2018 as a Campground Survey Crew Member for the U.S. Forest Service. My crewmate and I car camped throughout Wyoming and South Dakota, helping to update the Recreation.gov website. The camping experience later helped me compete for a spot on a BLM AIM Crew in 2020. I was an RMYC intern on an AIM crew in Kremmling in 2020 and 2021. After that, a full-time BLM Biological Technician position opened at the White River Field Office in Meeker, CO. I applied using my PLC, and here I am today. My position allows me to continue working with RMYC AIM interns as the AIM project lead for our office. This year will be my sixth season sampling AIM plots and celebrating the partnership between RMYC and the BLM.

How do RMYC’s interns help you? I can't say enough good things about RMYC and its internship program. RMYC recruits and employs crews for our northwest field offices—Kremmling, Little Snake (Craig), Colorado River Valley (Silt), and White River (Meeker). The sheer amount of data this program collects and accumulates is monumental and so important for management decisions and policy changes. BLM programs like mine could not be accomplished without partnerships like ours with RMYC. 

What are some of the biggest benefits of being an RMYC intern? A super valuable benefit of the AIM internship is that upon completion on 640 hours of service, interns qualify for the Public Land Corps (PLC) Hiring Authority. This can be used when applying to future positions within the government and allows you to compete with a much smaller pool of applicants who also have special hiring authorities. This is often overlooked in the position description, but to anyone interested in working for government agencies such as the BLM or USFS, it’s an incredible boost to getting your foot in the door.

Any advice for RMYC interns coming into your program?

My advice for individuals interested in field-going jobs such as AIM would be to strengthen your ability to adapt and embrace changing circumstances. An exciting part of this job is our opportunity to travel into beautiful and remote areas of BLM lands, but that comes with its own challenges and uncertainties. Some days go anything but according to plan. Rain makes roads impassable, perhaps the truck gets stuck in a ditch, lightning forces us to pause and take shelter, that brand new off-road tire springs a leak, or maybe someone is having an allergic reaction to that weird plant we were trying to identify. Navigating these circumstances while also maintaining efficiency can feel demoralizing at times, but it's just the nature of working in nature. Showing up prepared (mentally, physically, and emotionally), collaborating with team members, and pivoting together will make a crew unstoppable.

How long do the internships last?

Crew member positions begin mid-April and last through early October. This is our window between the spring thaw and any early fall snow showers. Crew lead positions have a two-week lead time before crew members arrive to begin planning and preparation for the field season. Leads will also stay on two weeks after crew members leave to review the data and ensure its quality before its final submission.

Does it seem like most interns enjoy and learn from the position?

I've seen people take away many different things from spending a season on an AIM crew; there is so much to learn. AIM is a season to totally nerd-out on plants and soils—we call every plant we encounter by its Latin scientific name, we characterize and texture soils by hand, and we familiarize ourselves with the ecological communities in our respective regions. It's like anything else in life—you get out of it what you put into it. Some folks hone-in on their plant identification skills, others take a deep dive into soil science, and other interns I've witnessed gain real confidence working on the crew and emerge as leaders. Some interns will return for a couple seasons of sampling and eventually get hired on by the BLM or the Natural Resource Conservation Service or state agencies like Parks and Wildlife. For others, AIM is the perfect filler between undergrad and grad school, and many go on to pursue their Master’s degree.

AIM is also a season to deeply connect yourself with the land—we navigate through all sorts of vegetation communities including open grasslands, sagebrush prairies, exposed badlands, vibrant aspen stands, and so many more. You never feel so surrendered to nature as you do when the oak brush is yanking out your hair or the thorny rose bushes are clawing through your clothes. But the prospect of each sunrise and sunset, cooking on the tailgate, catching those double rainbows, sleeping under the stars, and all the while far from cell signal to take us out of the moment is a big appeal and something that people tell me they miss after they leave.

Are the skills they gain helpful for their future careers? 

Not only do RMYC's internships create pathways to professional work in conservation, but they also provide interns with experience working on teams of people from different backgrounds. It was probably the best way that I could have entered "the real world" for this reason. This sort of teamwork strengthens individuals' work ethic, mental fortitude, conflict management skills, physical fitness, personal humility, and appreciation of the great outdoors. It's a beautiful blend of hard work, personal growth, lifelong friendships, and unforgettable memories.