Long ago and far away I was working on the Rexford Ranger District, Kootenai National forest. It was spring and I was managing reforestation contracts. This was one remote Ranger District. The town of Eureka, Montana was 9 miles from the Canadian border in far Northwest Montana. The places we planted trees and did much of our other work was about 50 miles west, back into the mountains toward the Idaho border. Very rough and remote.
Contract tree panting crews are a very different bunch, at least they were in the early 80's. They were either made up of hippies or illegals, for the most part. Although I did run up against one crew of wannabe lawyers. They had a reputation of suing everyone when they did not do a good job. They tried it with me and lost!
The hippy crews usually planted the best trees. Plenty of beer and other amenuities to elevate your soul for the task of swinging a hoe and smashing a tree into the ground every 10 feet hour after hour, day after day, month after month. They partied hardy and planted the same, most days.
The hispanic crews usually had one person, the crew leader, that knew english. The rest were just there to work, far from the eyes of the law. Hey, I was not an INS agent. I was a contract officers representitive with the job of assuring quality work.
On one very memorable occasion I drove onto a remote site. From a ways out I could see the clearcut dotted with planters making hoe. As I drove up, there was no one in sight excpet Jesus, the crew leader. I asked Jesus where did everyone go? Jesus laughed and said the green Forest Service vehicle I was driving looked just like an INS vehicle and the planters all "ran like bunnies". I asked, when will they return and was told not until I left, then he would explain to them about my presence.
OK - that is my bunny story...back to the blog!