On a boggy section of single-track trail outside the Southeast Alaska tribal community of Angoon, two men are building a bridge on Admiralty Island National Monument that does much more than simply cross 10 yards of boot-eating muck. This unassuming wooden span is connecting generations, cultures and governments while symbolizing a shared path forward for the Tongass National Forest and Southeast Alaska communities.

The bridge and trail are a vital link in the Cross Admiralty Canoe Route, a 32-mile series of lakes and trail portages that allows backcountry canoeists, kayakers and others to traverse the island. But while the Civilian Conservation Corps established the modern route in the 1930s, the path it follows was not news to the island’s residents, according to Donald Frank, tribal liaison for the national monument.

“The history of this trail doesn’t go back to the CCC. It goes back to the time when our people crossed the lakes to hunt and fish and trap for furs to sell,” said Frank. “We didn’t build this trail, no. This is a trail that the bears chose. Its story goes back much farther than we know.”

Roger Williams and Aaron McCluskey, members of the Angoon tribe that has lived on the island for thousands of years, are carrying on a tradition of stewardship today. Part of the tribe’s trail crew, they work on the Tongass through a Youth Conservation Corps partnership. The Corps provides employment for local residents while giving back to the land.