SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN WILDERNESS STEWARDS

The Naval Academy Crew is an innovative partnership between SAWS and the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland started in 2016. The opportunity provides midshipmen with hands-on leadership training during their summer months, while accomplishing critical stewardship projects on National Forest lands.

Each year SAWS employs a group of Wilderness Rangers, who serve as premier wilderness interpreters and educators, researchers, and advocates. Rangers are stationed in wilderness areas across the landscape to interact with public land users, helping visitors understand the importance of federally-protected Wilderness areas, how to preserve the natural environment and the principles of Leave No Trace, local animal and plant populations, among other key wilderness concepts. Their presence on public lands allows them to assist with trail and campsite maintenance projects, such as removing trash and dispersing fire rings, while also helping to monitor that visitors follow public land regulations and safety guidelines.

A cohort of SAWS' Rangers serve as Wilderness Specialists for the USFS, collecting wilderness data and carrying out other research assignments as needed. This includes inventorying invasive species, water quality, trail systems, and recreation sites. Rangers also assist with fisheries surveys, helping to determine species compositions, as well as conduct solitude monitoring of wilderness areas. Data collected in the field informs forest management decisions and helps them to develop future projects on National Forest lands.