Aldo Leopold High School Youth Conservation Corp (YCC) Trails Crew students recently built a switchback along the Silva Creek Nature Trail, immediately west of Western Bank's parking lot along Highway 180. The trail will ultimately connect the historic Waterworks Building and Penny Park.Trail Connects Historic Waterworks Building to Penny Park
Silver City -- Aldo Leopold High School Youth Conservation Corp (YCC) Trails Crew students - 16 10th to 12th graders - have been working since December to complete the Silva Creek Nature Trail from the historic Waterworks Building on Little Walnut Road to Penny Park.
The trail is part of the Town of Silver City's Trails and Open Space plan, and the restoration of the Waterworks property is a public-private partnership between the town and Southwest New Mexico ACT (swnmACT), a Grant County nonprofit organization, dedicated to cultural tourism and economic development in southwest New Mexico.
Bridgette Johns, swnmACT project coordinator, could barely contain the pride that she feels when talking about the youth and the great work they've completed to date.
"This crew has just blown me away," said Johns, who's known several of the crew members since they were children. "I'm just so proud of them, their work ethic and the sense of pride that they feel from participating in a project that benefits the entire community. They're really doing an incredible job, and coming up with creative, workable solutions."
The YCC Trails Crew is responsible for building the entire Silva Creek Nature Trail, including the trail from the creek up to the Silva Creek Botanical Gardens. The crew began building the trail in the summer of 2022 with the Waterworks portion of the trail, then completed the trailhead at Jose Barrios Elementary School and the trail behind it last year. The crew is also responsible for designing and hand-building benches and a water fountain along the trail.
Much of the work entails clearing invasive trees and replanting native species, building or shoring up retaining walls, and creating egresses out from the creek bed in case of rising water - all by hand. Traditionally pedestrians have used the culvert under Highway 180, which is not the official trail and is potentially dangerous during the rainy season. Johns added that the state Department of Transportation has granted the town permission to place what is known as a "Z-block crossing" on Highway 180 at the trail crossing by Western Bank. The Town of Silver City has received $175,000 in state funds to improve the sidewalks at the Little Walnut Road intersection with Highway 180 to increase safety and accessibility, especially for people with disabilities.
Junior Casaus, 17, is a senior at Aldo, and has been a YCC member since 8th grade. He's now crew leader on the trails project.
"I've learned so much about team building, working together and collaborating on a project for the community,' he said. "Learning together is what really makes it special for me."
His co-leader, Addi Pearson, also a senior at Aldo, agreed that the sense of community and working are what makes the work enjoyable. "It's great being part of what's going on in Silver City, giving back to the community and finding beauty in the little things. The manual labor is pretty awesome too."
YCC senior Thomas Pendleton enjoys teaching. "It's fun to watch others learn,' he said. "It's really satisfying to know that you've accomplished something."
Other YCC crew members are: Julian Chaney, Ben Halbison, Jackson Hould, Jiro Iwassa, Violet Leadbetter, Sol Markham, Elijah McDonald, Johnny Murillo, Martin Perrault, Dominic Rasmussen, Alexander Ratliff, Nico Sherwood and Jacob Vega. The crew mentor is Dickey "Toxtli" Sanchez.
For more information about the historic Waterworks project or the Silva Creek Nature Trail, please contact swnmACT at
