Volunteer Spotlight: Kaya McAlister

Volunteer Kaya McAlister on playing beaver and squishing her toes in the mud.

INTERVIEW BY AUDREY KRUSE

Hometown: Duck Creek Village, Utah
Volunteer since: July 2021
Total hours donated: 85 and counting

Tell us about yourself

I live with my partner on the mountainous edges of the Colorado Plateau, where I am currently tending to a small garden and building a tiny home. I’m 28, a writer, and a guide for off-grid mindfulness retreats. 

I’ve been on four Trust volunteer trips and they feel like educational field trips for adults — a nice balance of work, rest, exploration, learning, and conversing. I like the way so many important topics are woven in, from social justice to ecology. 

What's your favorite project and why? 

Creating beaver dam analogs (beaver dams built by humans). They definitely brought out an inner child in me because I got to play beaver and squish my toes in the mud. And the results were obvious the very next day…in some cases, within minutes. 

What should first-time volunteers know?

Each day you wake up to coffee, breakfast, and birdsong. The work is paced really nicely. Snack and water breaks are encouraged, and if you don’t know how to do something, you’ll learn! Everyone is very supportive and patient. Days end with an incredible meal at camp and a discussion around the metaphorical campfire. It’s a wonderful little ephemeral community of people who care deeply for the land. If we’ve finished early, there’s almost always the option of a group hike. I 100 percent recommend it.

Thank you, Kaya!