Alumni

My SCA Story

By Lindsay Warren, SCA Alumna

Growing up with parents involved in the Student Conservation Association encouraged me to care for my community. It also urged me to motivate others to come to appreciate their own communities, which include so much more than people. So, it may be surprising to learn that, at first, I didn’t think SCA was for me.

My idea of SCA was limited. I thought of being in four feet of mud, working on a backcountry trail, eating beans from a can and going without a shower for weeks at a time! This wasn’t my first choice of how to spend my summers. Of course, if anyone at SCA had been aware of my misconception they would have immediately explained that the organization had many other programs to offer, besides trail work.

This idea prevented my SCA involvement until college. Where during my first year, I took a literature of the South West course and I watched this low budget half an hour video starring Edward Abbey; an admired writer who was brand new to me at the time. I wish I could find this video again! There Abbey was driving this monster gas guzzling Cadillac convertible, tossing out beer cans on the road and then squatting in front of a trailer that he wanted to be buried under, all at Arches National Park. I thought who is this guy, an example of what not to be? But, watching further I saw that he had another side – he was a park ranger.

Abbey didn’t want to see America become one large parking lot. He did what he could to make a difference. During an Earth First! rally at the Grand Canyon, Abbey gave this advice, quote, “Do not burn yourself out. Be as I am – a reluctant enthusiast … a part time crusader, a half hearted fanatic. Save the other half of yourselves and your lives for pleasure and adventure. It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you can. While it is still there.” End quote.

Well, I read this quote and my mind was made up. There are so many things in this world that need someone’s help. But, for me I knew where my help could best be given. I chose to do something, that I thought I could do well - I decided it was time to do trail work. My parents said, “Are you sure? Cause there are so many other ways to get involved through SCA.” And I thought, “Wow! Really?” After exploring, these new found options, I realized that visitor services fit me best and applied. I spent the summer of 2004 at Lewis and Clark National Historical Park in Oregon, which at the time was called Fort Clatsop.

The staff included many dynamic leaders whose support assisted in making Lewis and Clark unforgettable. What makes a great leader? Well, I think of someone whose initial guidance helps you to earn the capability to achieve a goal your self. When someone’s influence enables you to apply your efforts in such a way that you develop the ability to lead others, this is learning. Through this learning, you may grasp an appreciation to enjoy both the journey and the goal you reach. Now, when you picture an exceptional leader that you have known – who do you think of? One of my fondest memories that first summer was the day I watched my park superintendent, Chip Jenkins, cry …

It was during my lunch break and Mr. Jenkins happened to stop in to find something before I went outside to read. He saw the book I was about to start, lying on the lunch room table – Desert Solitaire. Guess who the author is – Edward Abbey. We just both got it and in the middle of that moment Mr. Jenkins became Chip. Chip opened up to me that day; he shared with me how he was also influenced by Abbey and told his own story of why he choose to be involved with the National Park Service. Chip motivated me with his dedication and talent within a field of work that he truly loved. How many people enjoy what they do enough to not use the word “job?” Even though Chip is now a park superintendent, he still took the time to listen – and care – about a seasonal volunteer like me.

When we do these internships, each of us is making a difference by doing what we can to keep these park communities alive, preserved and public. Why do people come to your park? What kind of experience do they want to walk away with? The answer is different for each park, each person. I’d like to mention one example of how incredibly meaningful a park visit can be…

Near the end of my internship, at Lewis and Clark, -- we held a very unique event. We invited the descendants of the Lewis and Clark expedition to come to our park. Special tours and speeches were given, re-enactors greeted family members at the fort gates, and descendants were encouraged to learn about their family’s incredible heritage. Think about being one of these relatives - - many were traveling across the country and seeing the Pacific Ocean for the first time. Imagine how each of these guests were affected by this particular park experience … how their visit lasts beyond that summer day.

Now, what do you want to take away from your National Park experience? When I think about the beginning of all this, my Ford training - - sitting where you are, I was so nervous and I had so many mixed emotions about what lay ahead, and I didn’t know what questions to ask. However, there was a leader whose presentation restored my confidence and reminded the interns that what we were doing mattered and was right, that it would all work out. He did this with one quote by the Japanese environmental activist, Tanaka Shozo. When this ranger, from Yosemite, spoke, with a flash all the training came together for me and I finally knew what questions to ask. The quote was, “The care of rivers is not a question of rivers but of the human heart.” End quote.

At the end of this summer, when you leave to go back to your regular lives - - there is at least one thing many of us will share - - a relationship, a special connection – to a place. As interns, we are taking action for what we care about and helping others to may be do the same. When we start at these parks, we may not be able to answer every question, but what we can do, from our very first day till beyond our internship is – help others come to love these National Parks as we do. If we have appreciation for these places, if we enjoy being a part of these parks, if this is honestly inside us, visitors may experience and feel it too. Sharing our caring for our National Parks with others, helps encourage action that will save these wonderful places for future people to enjoy.