The WIS Kids of the Supers

"When we meet people at the trailhead or on the trail, we try to advise them on what our biggest problems are here." Jesse Dobbs, a lanky blond Marylander in his mid-20s wipes sweat from his forehead, replaces his Forest Service cap, and continues talking about what his job as a Wilderness Information Specialist is all about."

"We ask them to pack out all their trash even stuff they think is biodegradable. An orange peel takes six to seven years to decompose completely, and cigarette butts last forever. We ask them not to build fires, but if they have to have a fire, to keep it small and break up the fire ring and scatter the ashes. Another big problem here is the use of guns. Look at the saguaros along the trail, a lot of them have bullet holes in them."

Jesse is one of eight Wilderness Information Specialists, a group of men and women ranging in age from the late teens to mid-40s (Forest Service staffers proudly refer to them as WIS Kids).

Their work, which includes registering visitors, educating them on no-trace camping, and general clean-up for the few who choose to ignore wilderness ethics, takes the pressure off full-time Forest Service personnel.

The WISs receive $10 per day to cover food and expenses, which isn't much considering the extent of their tasks and the expanse of territory they must cover.

The starkly beautiful Superstition Mountains are only eight miles from Apache Junction at the east end of the 1.5-million-population Phoenix megalopolis, a key factor in making the Superstitions one of the most heavily used Wildernesses in the U.S.

"On an average Saturday or Sunday we register 400 to 500 people at each of the two main trailheads," says George Martin, the burly, pleasant Wilderness Ranger who supervises the WISs, "and there are 21 trailheads into the Superstitions. Although Peralta and First Water are the most heavily used, that's still more than a thousand people per day during the peak use periods."

And Martin is more than pleased with how the WISs have worked out. "They have to be real politicians, working with as many people as they do. People come out here to get away from the restrictions of the city, and can get upset if we start telling them what to do. But the WISs really handle them well."

The life of the WIS kids may be a lot of hard work and frustration. The pay is certainly subsistence level, and living conditions are anything but luxurious. But the benefits, the beauty of the wilderness surroundings, the camaraderie of the campfire, and the feeling of playing a role in the preservation of a threatened environment far outweigh the hardships.