Tim Carroll fishes at Cimarron Canyon in Cimarron, N.M. on July 15, 2021.
Alex McLendon embraces two horses at Ponil on Philmont Scout Ranch, N.M. on June 13, 2021. McLendon worked as a wrangler for the summer season on the ranch helping to take care of horses and burros.
Rayado ranger, Bernadette Takash, runs back into base camp after getting drenched by close friends at Philmont Scout Ranch on July 9, 2022 in Cimarron, N.M.
Ben Skidmore knocks dirt off an uprooted stump while building trail at Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron, N.M. on June 2, 2021.
Visitors of Yellowstone National Park, W.Y. walk along the boardwalk at the Emerald Pool on August 3, 2018. The steam rising into the air creates a surreal scene during the day.
Joyce Luk, an intern with Minorities in Aquaculture (MIA), works at Orchard Point Oyster Co. in Queen Anne's County, Md., on Aug. 11, 2023. Luk's interest in the internship program was sparked by a passion for sustainable foods like kelp. MIA was founded by Imani Black to support young, minority women to create a more diverse and inclusive aquaculture industry.
Eva Scott holds up a honey-filled frame in the backyard of her childhood home in Burnt Hills, N.Y. on September 7, 2022. Scott and her father spent the afternoon extracting honey from the summer season.
Kyle Higby climbs ‘Horrorscope’, a 5.13a sport route, in Taos, N.M. on June 18, 2022.
Ben Skidmore chops off the rotten exterior of a snag, a burned tree, demonstrating the hazards of felling them at Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron, N.M. on July 12, 2022. Skidmore spent the day teaching conservation staff how to fell hazard trees as a part of their chainsaw training.
A boy holds on tight during the rescue race at the 99th Maverick Club Rodeo at The Maverick Club Rodeo Grounds in Cimarron, N.M. on July 4, 2022. The annual event is the longest running open rodeo in the Western United States beginning in 1923.
Makayla Lloyd, an intern with Minorities in Aquaculture (MIA), cleans a mass larvae tank at Horn Point Oyster Hatchery in Dorchester, Md., on Aug. 4, 2023. Lloyd found a deep love for oysters after being mentored by MIA founder, Imani Black. The organization was founded to support young, minority women to create a more diverse and inclusive aquaculture industry. “To have this person that can push me along and carry me and have faith in me, it’s just amazing,” says Lloyd.
Saj Dillard poses for a portrait in the grow space at BLISS Meadows in Baltimore, Md. on Sept. 11, 2023. Dillard is the farm manager at Backyard Basecamp.
From left, conservation staff members, Chris Shoulders, Nick Burns, Karson Wilson, Brendan Horan, and Gabe Cash lay a cap rock on a newly built trail at Cimarroncito on Philmont Scout Ranch, N.M. on June 2, 2021. With a total of 120 staff members, the conservation department combined their efforts to build trails and fell trees by areas affected by the Ute Park Fire of 2018 that wiped out large portions of the ranch’s land.
Jessica Seifert calmly strokes a horse in a stable before leading him to a trailer on Nov 15, 2022, at Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron, N.M. Seifert is often asked about her role as the only female ranch technician. “It doesn't make me feel like I'm super special or anything. I was just the person who was good enough for the job. And I'm proud of that,” She says.
Historic Harpers Ferry is seen in Jefferson County, W.Va. on Sept. 4, 2023. (With aerial support from Southwings)
Field Manager, Ben Harper poses for a portrait behind the conservation office at Philmont Scout Ranch on July 13, 2022, in Cimarron, N.M. Harper has worked on the ranch for 12 seasons in counting and now volunteers as a wildland firefighter.
Shane Linden, a volunteer at the farm, picks a mushroom at 490 Farmers Community Garden in Rochester, N.Y. on September 29, 2021. Linden moved into an apartment a couple of blocks away and was looking for a garden to volunteer in when he noticed 490. He now comes to take care of his own plot in the garden almost every day.
Juan Manuel Castillo Carmona funnels tomatoes into berry baskets before trucking them to the pack house at Moon Valley Farm in Woodsboro, Md. on Aug. 9, 2023.
A team from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) visits Common and Least Tern nesting colonies on Poplar Island in Talbot County, Md. on June 28, 2023. Working with the Diann Prosser Research Lab at USGS, the team has been surveying Least and Common Tern nesting colonies to track the productivity of the species. Although the Poplar Island Environmental Restoration Project has been a success, these two species of tern populations have been unstable.
Saj Dillard shows Jordan Bethea a baby rabbit she found roaming the grow space at BLISS Meadows in Baltimore, Md. on July 17, 2023. Before working at BLISS, Dillard spent little time outside; her advice for people like her was, “Get outside, hug a tree, touch some grass, in all seasons for all lives, you never know how it will affect you until you do it.”
Racers stretch during sunrise before the marathon in the first annual Trail Race at Philmont Scout Ranch on Aug. 13, 2022, in Cimarron, N.M. Racers began their run at 7 am getting an early start before the mid-day heat.
Joe Ramirez Bautista, right, and Juan Manuel Castillo Carmona harvest sun gold tomatoes at Moon Valley Farm in Woodsboro Md., on Aug. 9, 2023. The certified organic farm is owned and operated by first-generation farmer, Emma Jagoz.
A team from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), alongside interns, work to retrieve a hypoxia buoy that is connected to sensors along inductive wire at the mouth of the Choptank River near Talbot County, Md., on June 27, 2023. NOAA deployed three buoys in 2020 to measure oxygen levels throughout water columns in The Bay.