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From the official Facebook page of Jay Inslee former U.S. Rep. (WA-D), now Candidate for WA Governor.

"Just finished speaking at Student Conservation Association's Earth Day event in the Washington Park Arboretum. My parents led SCA trips up to Mt. Rainier, and those experiences gave me a deep appreciation for our environment. Thanks SCA for continuing the legacy of teaching our kids to appreciate and care for our natural surroundings."

• View more photos and videos from SCA Earth Day 2012 on the SCA Facebook.
• To view and sign up for an Earth Day event, please visit our events listing page.

By SCA intern Stephanie Wright, an SCA environmental education intern with the Kenai Fish & Wildlife Field Office. This blog post was originally featured on March 2, 2012 on Refuge Notebook, a blog from the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge.

My pants, socks, and boots are soaked. I’m tired and slightly embarrassed. I don’t think I could scream ‘Cheechako’ any more than I already do.

I successfully got the government vehicle stuck in the snow which didn’t appear nearly as deep as it was first driving into the abandoned parking lot. Can it be any more obvious this is my first Alaskan winter? Luckily my coworkers come to my aid, and though their rescue was not flawless, eventually the third vehicle freed us both, and I was on my way.

You probably wonder how a Cheechako like me ends up in a place like Soldotna, Alaska. I’ve come here from northeast Ohio, a place that knows nasty winters and extreme weather changes in minutes (or so I thought), but this is not my first visit to Alaska. Ever since I can remember, we had been taking family summer vacations in Seward where my great-grandmother Wilma Lind and her family lived from 1926 until her death in 2006. Some of my relatives have moved away, but others still remain. At times we would pack 15 people into her little house on 3rd avenue and call it a vacation. We’d never think to miss a Mt. Marathon race on the 4th of July (a race in which I now participate in) and I have many fond memories of hiking nonstop all around the peninsula. All those summers spent enjoying the unspeakable beauty that Alaska contains made a decision of where to live easy.

In 2008, I graduated from Kent State University with a degree in early childhood education and I taught environmental education at a local youth camp in Ohio for 5 years. It was the love of the outdoors and teaching our youth and communities about conservation and ecology that made me pursue a job with the park system.

Coming to Alaska to pursue this sort of employment only made sense as it was here that my eyes as a young child were opened to the endless beauty of nature. However, acquiring that type of employment was not as easy as I had envisioned. I was lucky to have come across the Student Conservation Association, or SCA. SCA is essentially the modern day Civilian Conservation Corps. High school students through recent college graduates like me protect and restore national parks, marine sanctuaries, cultural landmarks, and community green spaces in all 50 states. Many of us are searching for more experience in conservation and stewardship of our environment in order to further our careers. SCA has more internships available in Alaska than any other state, and the diversity of options is unparalleled.

Finding several positions that matched my desire was not difficult and I was lucky to be placed here in Soldotna, 5000 miles from home, where I serve as an Environmental Education Intern with the Kenai Fish and Wildlife Field Office. My main focus is to assist with teaching students, ranging from kindergarten to grade 6, enrolled in the Adopt-A-Stream Program. This program focuses on the organisms (including humans) and environment that live in and around the Kenai River watershed.

You may have seen a class walking down to Soldotna or Slikok Creek even on cold winter days. Throughout the entire school year, my partner-in-crime Dan Pascucci, from the Kenai Watershed Forum, and I brave the elements inside and outside the classroom to teach students about fish, habitat, water quality monitoring, invasive species, and so much more. With Dan's musical creativity put to good use, we sing songs, educate with PowerPoint presentations, and make use of puppets and props, all while presenting important scientific concepts.

It's delightful to see the students excited about science and taking care of their stream. At the end of the school year, we have school-wide stream cleanups to continue fostering the nature of conservation and protection of our natural areas. One of my favorite parts is entering each classroom and seeing the students' faces light up when they know it's another day with Mr. Dan and Miss Stephanie.

Through my internship I have been able to learn so much more about the ecological diversity that constantly surrounds us. I realize why many brave the harsh winters and extreme weather changes just to call this stellar place home. I’ve also learned how to get a car unstuck from 2 feet of snow, a lesson my coworkers are happy to pass along.

Stephanie Wright is a SCA Environmental Education Intern with the Kenai Fish & Wildlife Field Office (907) 262-9863. Check out the Kenai's website.

Seventeen year old Lakey Peterson is a champion surfer, conservationist, and spokeswoman for SCA. As she competes around the world, Lakey will share her observations of the environments she visits and her work to protect the world's oceans. To follow her on the pro tour, visit lakeypeterson.com.

I have pretty much the coolest job in the world.  I have been surfing competitively for about five years but just this last year went pro and made it onto the ASP (Association of Surfing Professionals) World Tour. Being a pro surfer, I have gotten to travel all over the world from Bali, France, Australia, Brazil, and more! It is amazing to see the state of the environment within all these countries, and how some of them really take care of the environment and how others, unfortunately, do not.

For instance, Bali is a tropical paradise but the local environment is really suffering. Tourism and development rule. Corals are being used as building materials. And if you go to the beach, trash is everywhere and most people seem resigned or indifferent.  But when I went to Singapore, it was a completely different story. You couldn’t find one piece of trash, no matter how hard you try. Why? Local government cracked down – it’s a $2,000 fine if you’re caught littering! – and passed other laws to reduce pollution and protect natural resources.

This is what led me to SCA. I learned about the organization two years ago and immediately knew I wanted to be a part of it. As a surfer, I am in nature all day, every day and I see the damage that we are doing to the Earth. I wanted to help make this world a healthier place.

So I contacted some people at SCA to see if we could team up and they were really into the idea. I’ve become sort of a spokesperson for them, participating in their park clean-ups (which was a blast, by the way) and recording a water conservation spot for SCA partner American Water in New York!

Working with SCA has been incredible for me for so many reasons. I have learned a lot about the environment that I never would have if I didn’t get involved with them. And I’ve had the opportunity to tell more people about SCA and get them involved as well!

Depending upon where I am in the world, sometimes after it rains, you can’t go into the water because it’s so polluted from runoff. It’s insane to treat our planet this way! SCA is devoted to making a change and that’s why I’m a part of it!  I look forward to sharing more of my experiences with you and writing about how we can make a change together!

Thanks for reading,
Lakey P. xoxo

We are please to announce the winners of the I Heart Snow 2012 Photo Contest! Thank you all for your great entries this year, we had a great team viewing them all.

First Place - Hold On!

First place winner: Chad Slater
The expressions are worth a thousand words!

Runner Up - Friends

Runner up: Tanja Popovic

Runner Up - Snow Eagle

Runner Up: Richard Nemish
American Bald Eagle captured in Flight in Minocqua WI Winter

View all of the photo contest entries.

Written by SCA alumni and recruiting reps Beth McCarthy, and Deanna Wyatt.

The second extension of SCA's NPS Academy, a program designed to promote diversity within the National Park Service took place at Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Thirty students from across the US joined together to learn about conservation and the different divisions and opportunities within the National Park Service.

Enthusiasm among the students was amazingly high throughout the week. The days started early and went late and although there were a few stifled yawns each morning at breakfast, you didn't hear any complaints because the days were jam-packed with fun, engaging and exploratory opportunities to create enthusiastic future conservation leaders. The moon was often still out when we walked to breakfast.

One of the members commented, "I bet a lot of people don't get to see things like this because they stay in their car. I'm glad we are outside so we get to see this."

Wednesday was excursion day! Our morning was spent enjoying the beauty that is the Great Smoky Mountains. The group split into two where some went biking and others went hiking.

The bike trip included an eight mile bike ride with two other SCA staff and 10 members in Cades Cove, a site in the park that is visited by over two million visitors a year. The students made sure to stop and check out the sites along the ride. While we were taking our lunch break, we saw some animal tracks in the mud.

For 20 other members, the morning consisted of a two-mile hike to one of the Smoky's most scenic views, the Chimney Tops. Those two-miles was no walk in the park, unless your typical walk in the park consist of a 1300ft elevation gain and a bit of bouldering. Nevertheless, the reward was well worth the climb. Upon reaching the summit of the Chimney Tops Trail, we settled down to enjoy our lunch of tuna sandwiches against a beautiful background. The shared sentiment echoed among us was that this was one of the best lunches we had ever had... the tuna had nothing to do with it. But rather it was the enjoyment of the fruit of our efforts and doing so in the company of good people and spectacular views.

"This was my first time hiking, but it taught me a lifelong lesson to never giv eup going up the mountain...like in life, never give up no matter how steep it gets," said an NPS Academy member after hiking at the Smokys.

Thursday, we learned more about NPS careers, including search and rescue, fire, backcountry patrol, GPS and mapping, and the park natural collections. The NPS staff we met was enthusiastic to talk about their jobs, and the members enjoyed the behind-the-scenes look at potential future careers.

Friday afternoon was Community Service Day, where the groups were able to participate in various projects around the area, including trail work and litter cleanup. We joined members as they interacted with kindergartners, first and second grade students at the local elementary school.

An Academy member and her two enthusiastic elementary students discover insects.

Each Academy member took on two students, and equipped with a shifter, aspirator, and a clipboard tallied the insects they "discovered" and set out to take a closer look at the world of insects in their own backyard.

An Academy member overlooks asstudents further investiage contents gathered via their aspirator, or better known to the elementary students as the "sucky-uppy thing."

Closing ceremonies, though bitter sweet, were full of laughs. Friday night kicked off with students sharing their field group presentations. Students boldly presented skits of their group themes to their peers, and to renowned members of the park service such as the NPS Southeast's regional director David Vela, the superintendent of Blue Ridge Parkway Phil Francis, Deputy Superintendent of Great Smoky Mountains Kevin Fitzgerald, and Superintendent of Great Smoky Mountains Dale Ditmanson.



It was definitely a week to remember for program participants. We found leaving Friday night hard to do. The bond that these students shared after only one short week and their enthusiasm for National Park Service careers was obvious. We had a long drive ahead of us, but our drive that night to the Chattanooga airport was made bearable by our reminiscing of moments with participants, the laughs over the closing skits, and our knowledge that this week was only the beginning of an amazing conservation career for these members.