“Be sure to check for snakes before grabbing the bottom wire.”
Molly Schroeder shared that sage-like wisdom high on a grassy hill while working with her son Tristan at a fence removal volunteer night hosted by Sheridan Community Land Trust at Soldier Ridge this summer. Thankfully, there weren’t any snakes under the wire, but they both felt a sense of pride knowing they had made it easier for wildlife like mule deer and antelope to move across this beautiful patch of paradise.
“It’s important to protect the vulnerable and to be faithful stewards,” Tristan reasoned. “I feel doing so will serve a sense of purpose for me.”
Molly said she has always encouraged Tristan to live “a life of service” and has tried to “set an example of getting involved.” That service also aligns with his love of wildlife and the outdoors, which he plans to pursue after high school. SCLT’s volunteer night served as an opportunity to see if the work aligned with his passion. He called it “educational, but also rewarding.”
“I obtained new skill sets and knew our work would be helpful and meaningful,” Tristan offered.
Seeing Tristan actively pursue his passion made it even easier for Molly to serve alongside her son, even if her only prior fencing experience came from working with the animal enclosures around their home.
“A good attitude and willingness to try is all that’s needed,” Molly asserted.
Volunteering was also a great way to spend quality time together. Tristan said having his mom there was “pretty great” because “I knew she was supporting my interests. “Any activity I can do with him is very special, but even more so knowing we were making a difference together,” Molly explained.
The mother-son duo also assisted at a wet meadow restoration volunteer day along Sixmile Creek outside Ranchester. There, they helped create stone structures that can control erosion, improve habitat for grassland birds like grouse and pheasants, restore soil water storage, and develop drought resiliency.
That experience gave Tristan “peace of mind and an eagerness to do more” volunteer projects like these that can help wildlife and conservation locally.
“We should encourage more projects that help our wildlife and their environment. The more people who not only read about the efforts being made but understand it through their own hands, the better we all can be,” Tristan concluded.
Molly echoed her son’s sentiment: “Although we only helped with a small part of a larger project, we did something, and that’s fulfilling.”
She explained why she values volunteering on projects that help ranchers work with wildlife, saying, “We need to recognize and support the landowners who are putting forth the effort and expense to work with nature rather than against it. Volunteering for these events is a meaningful way to do so.”
She also praised the other volunteers who shared their time to help protect the land. “Families are busy. It’s easy to show interest and then find a reason not to take the time to volunteer, consequentially missing out on what could be an impactful experience,” Molly closed.
Has Molly and Tristan’s story inspired you? SCLT offers many ways you can connect to land and history through fence removals, trail maintenance, stream cleanups, history programs, and more. To give back in ways you find fulfilling, visit SheridanCLT.org/ Volunteer/Volunteer-Sign-Up.
