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Wildland Rec and YCC workers team up to reconstruct bridge in Jocko Primitive Area

By B.L. Azure

YCC workers lay the bridge decking down at the South Fork Jocko Primitive Area. (B.L. Azure photo)

SOUTH FORK JOCKO — The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes Wildland Recreation Program and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Youth Conservation Corps teamed up again to do work that benefits the environment as well as the youthful workers’ work ethic, experience and wallets.

This week the Wildland Rec construction crew and the YCC workers hit the kidney jarring back roads en route to the hinterlands of the Jocko Primitive Area to reconstruct a bridge in the Bowes Meadow area.

The existing bridge traverses a tributary to the South Fork Jocko River and it was in bad shape, according to Terry Tanner, Wildland Rec construction foreman. “The bridge timbers and decking were rotting,” he said. “And ants had infested the wood too.”

It was time to replace the bridge so the Wildland Rec construction crew, comprised of Tanner, Stan Padilla and Joe Wheeler, and the YCC workers did so beginning Monday.

They stripped away the old bridge then did the excavation needed to expand the bridge length and width. They laid the 12-inch by 12-inch larch foundation timbers then put up the 12-inch by 12-inch larch stingers that were topped with 4-inch by 10-inch decking that was topped with the 3-inch by 10-inch tread decking.

Wildland Rec construction crew worker Stan Padilla anchors the ends of the bridge. (B.L. Azure photo)

The job will take approximately two days to complete then it will be ready for traffic. However, it was temporarily open for traffic at the end of Monday. Finishing touches and clean up of the area were scheduled for completion Tuesday.

According to Andrea Adams, YCC supervisor, the dozen workers under her charge have been working throughout the Flathead Reservation during the 12 weeks of the program. About half that time has been working with Wildland Rec and the rest have been with other organizations like the National Bison Range. They have two weeks of work remaining after this week. Adams said there would be a barbecue with fun activities for the YCC workers on their last day.

The YCC workers this year come from Evaro, Arlee, St. Ignatius, Charlo, Pablo and Polson.

The YCC and Wildland Rec recently constructed a foot trail between the upper and lower parking lots at the Salish Point swimming, fishing and boat launch area.

Adams said the foot path is getting plenty of use and seems to doing what it was designed for: shifting swimmers’ parking to the upper lot in order to free up parking in the lower lot for boat launching.

“I was up there with my children over the weekend and people were using it all day long,” Adams said. That is a good for the morale of the YCC workers, who besides learning good work skills can see the fruits of their labors being used by the public.

Adams said she is already looking forward to next summer with the USFWS YCC program and its planned expansion of the program on the Flathead Reservation. And so are Tanner and the Wildland Recreation Program.

Terry Tanner, Wildland Rec, checks the alignment of the bridge in the South Fork Jocko Primitive Area. (B.L. Azure photo)

“They’ve been really helpful and have done a real good job for us,” Tanner said. “We got a lot of things accomplished in the six weeks they have helped us.”

During that time they did the work at Salish Point, did campground clean up and trail work throughout the reservation, and helped get the Arlee Celebration grounds ready for the Fourth of July week festivities.

“They really did a good job at everything we asked them to do,” Tanner said. “I hope to have them back next summer.”