ELY- A college camping trip proved a life-changing experience for Kesley Ebbs, and he’s hoping to give other young people of color that same chance to experience nature on its own terms.
Ebbs, who recently began a tree service in Ely, grew up in Jacksonville, N. C., a place he describes as “a big concrete slab” with little access to nature or public land.
His journey from the South to the North Country started with his decision to enroll at Louisiana State University in pursuit of a physics degree. Arriving as a freshman in college, Ebbs set to explore the outdoors but wasn’t making much progress. Then the physics majors went on a camping trip and Ebbs joined along. It proved transformative. “I was like, this might be what I want to do. So, after a semester, I started looking at conservation jobs.”
Ebbs googled “conservation corps,” and the first link that came up was for Conservation Corps Minnesota and Iowa (CCMI), a descendent of the original Civilian Conservation Corps. He applied and CCMI accepted him, so he moved to Bemidji and worked for the organization for two years. He then found his way to Ely to study at the Vermilion campus of Minnesota College North. He learned how to fell and clear trees while working as a wildland firefighter for the U.S. Forest Service, then started picking up odd jobs working on trees. He eventually had enough demand that he kept at it since finishing at Vermilion. More recently he got serious and set up his tree service as a proper business once he realized he needed to hire help. The Growing Futures Tree Service, which has been operating in the Ely area for the past two years, does invasive species removal and forest fuel reduction, performs Firewise risk assessments, and provides tree services year-round. The company has three employees, including Ebbs.
While building a business is a big enough challenge, Ebbs wanted to do more, and that’s what inspired him to bring other low-income youth to the Ely area for the kind of experiences that changed his own life. This past winter he brought seven Twin Cities area kids to the Boundary Waters for camping and ice fishing, and the experience was so successful, he’s bringing another group to the area next month.
Intro to wilderness
Ebbs set up an endeavor called the Intro to the Wilderness Program. He brought together several different organizations to bring the program’s first group of seven young people from the Twin Cities area last February. One of the groups working with Ebbs was the national nonprofit Outdoor Afro, which selected the group of seven participants for last winter’s outing. Another national nonprofit, the Bus for Outdoor Access and Teaching, or BOAT, organization provided transportation and meal planning.
The Superior National Forest provided meeting space, lodging for the group in its bunkhouse, and help with setting up orientation and a Leave No Trace (LNT) class. Friends of the Boundary Waters rented Wintergreen warm layers and windbreakers for each participant.
Wintergreen Dogsled Lodge took the group mushing and Arrowhead Outdoors took them ice fishing. The trip was supported by funds from The Iron Range Partnership for Sustainability and an Ely community Go-Fund-Me campaign.
The visitors did have time to eat at the Boathouse and do some shopping. “Ely was really welcoming,” Ebbs commented on how Elyites interacted with the seven visitors.
While the Intro to the Wilderness group loved the trip, ice fishing and mushing, Ebbs noted that they would have liked to spend more time in the Ely area. “They traveled up here, had orientation and Leave No Trace instruction, went ice fishing and out on dog sleds, and traveled home … All of the participants thought it was too short.”
Upcoming trip planned
With the success of last winter’s experience, Ebbs set out to organize another. This time around he’s been working with the nonprofit Wilderness Inquiry as well as the Forest Service and BOAT. The “Intro to the Wilderness Summer” trip will be Sept. 4-8. The group will camp at South Kawishiwi River Campground in the Superior National Forest. They will have Leave No Trace and wilderness first aid classes and will be biking and paddling around the Ely area.
Ebb’s goal for his fledgling program is “two trips a year, every year.” Intro to the Wilderness recently received a $10,000 grant from Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness. With what he doesn’t use to support the group’s immediate operations, he hopes to start building the project’s own gear stash. He is also busy reaching out to even more organizations to partner with, like Voices for Ethnic and Multicultural Awareness, based in Chisholm.