Seattle, WA

Thanks for a terrific summer SCA Northwest Community Programs!  Together we cleared 1.5 acres of invasive species from Seattle Parks and built or maintained over 4.5 miles of trails at Mt. Rainier National Park.  Way to go!!

This fall SCA will host at least one service project or volunteer opportunity each month.  Keep your calendar open for the following public events:

• October 20, 2012: Alumni Trip (North Cascades National Park)
• November 3, 2012: Green Seattle Day (East Duwamish Greenbelt - Trenton and 39th St)
• December 8, 2012: Service Project (location TBD)
• December 19, 2012: Solstice Party!  (SCA Seattle Office)

SCA  School Year Program will begin on the dates listed below: 

• Old Faithful Crew (November 4, 2012) 
• First Year Crews (January 12, 2013)

This year SCA Northwest celebrated Earth Day two weekends in a row, with two major work projects.

Washington Park Arboretum (Saturday, April 14)

SCA Northwest celebrated Earth Day at the Washington Park Arboretum in Seattle, Washington on Saturday, April 14 and it was a huge success!  The celebration started with inspirational speeches from UW Dean Lisa Graumlich, Acting Superintendent of Seattle Parks & Recreation Christopher Williams, former Congressman and 2012 Democratic candidate for Washington State Governor Jay Inslee, and SCA youth leaders Latreea Garner and Georgia Ray.

Nearly 200 volunteers joined to complete 750 hours of volunteer service.  Work projects at eight different sites included removing invasive plants, mulching a trail, salvaging and replanting native ferns, and weeding. 

The Arboretum staff was surprised and pleased with the amount of work completed. Over 15,000 square feet of invasive plants were removed, 6.5 trailer loads of ferns were salvaged, and over 150 feet of trail was mulched.

We were also joined by Zoo Corps naturalists who provided environmental education talks throughout the day about wetlands, watersheds, raptors, turtles, toads, bears, wolves, and New Zealand wildlife. This youth lead event was full of energy and hard work. Beautiful weather, passionate people, and diligent work added another successful Earth Day event to SCA’s history.

CoastSavers, Point Grenville, Quinault Indian Reservation (Saturday, April 21)

In continuation of celebrating Earth Day, SCA Northwest joined CoastSavers on Washington Coastal Cleanup Day as proclaimed by Governor Gregoire in volunteering to remove marine debris from Washington’s Pacific coastline.

Former SCA board member Jackie Oldham, SCA youth members, SCA staff, volunteers, and other organizations, such as the Surfriders Foundation and ARAMARK, joined forces at Point Grenville, one of the Quinault Indian Reservation’s beautiful beaches, normally closed to the public. They removed marine debris and learned about our endangered coastal habitat and wildlife.

The Washington Coast Cleanup is an annual event which started as a series of separate beach cleanups held every April in celebration of Earth Day. Since 2000, they’ve had a total of 9,404 volunteers collect 300 tons of marine trash. This year, SCA’s Evan Escamilla helped to organize the critical clean up. The debris washing ashore comes from both land and sea sources and is harmful to the coastal ecosystem.

Activities like this Earth Day cleanup event promote awareness of preventable human activities and develop a sense of ownership towards our coastal habitat. Beginning this year marine debris related to the Japan Tsunami of 2011 has arrived on the US Pacific coast. The amount of debris and affects are anticipated to increase over the coming years. This was the first year that SCA has joined the clean up and contributed to its success in bringing 1,457 volunteers collecting approximately 33.5 tons of garbage. The total estimated value of Washington Coastsavers efforts is $94,501.

For more photos please go to:

Arboretum Work Projects and Celebration

CoastSavers Beach Cleanup

SCA 2012 Mount Rainier Crew for youth, ages 15-19, of Military Families

The SCA's Mt. Rainier Crew program is a 15-day service learning experience for high school students ages 15-19 who are from military families. Students live and work at Mount Rainier National Park doing trail maintenance and restoration projects with 2 adult leaders and approximately 8 students. This volunteer opportunity is free for all participants. No experience necessary, but one member of your immediate family must be in the military to qualify for this program.

Mt. Rainier Crew Dates: Aug 6-Aug 20

To Apply: Please contact Sarah (sweigle@thesca.org OR 206.324.4649 x4814) and tell her you are interested.  All military family applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis.

Thank you for your interest in applying for SCA Summer 2012 Crews!

Sarah Weigle
Seattle Community Programs
1265 South Main Street, Suite 210
206.324.4649 ext.4814
sweigle@thesca.org

SCA 2012 National Park Crews for High School students ages 15-19

The SCA's National Park Crew program is a 15-day service learning experience for high school students ages 15-19. Students live and work at Washington State National Parks doing trail maintenance and restoration projects with 2 adult leaders and approximately 8 students. This volunteer opportunity is free for all participants. No experience necessary.

Session I: June 25-July 9,    Session II: July 16-July 30,    Session III: Aug 6-Aug 20

Once you have completed the following application our staff will contact you within 2-3 weeks with further information. All applications are due by April 15, 2012.

To Apply: Go to www.thesca.org and click "Sign Up" to create a profile. After your profile is complete, select "Community" application. To complete your community application, select "Seattle" as your city preference.

SCA Seattle 2012 Summer Commuting Crews for High School students ages 15-19

The SCA's Seattle Commuting Crew program is a five week paid program for high school students ages 15-19 from Seattle, WA. The start date is June 25, and students work Monday - Thursday 8:00am-3:30pm and Friday 8:00am-1:30pm. These are conservation crews with 2 adult leaders and approximately 10 students. Crews complete a variety of projects in local Seattle parks including invasive plant removal, trail work, park maintenance, and restoration. Students earn an hourly wage.

Once you have completed the following application our staff will contact you within 2-3 weeks with further information. All applications are due by April 15, 2012.

To Apply: Go to www.thesca.org and click "Sign Up" to create a profile. After your profile is complete, select "Community" application. To complete your community application, select "Seattle" as your city preference.

Thank you for your interest in applying for SCA Summer 2012 Crews!

Sarah Weigle
Seattle Community Programs
1265 South Main Street, Suite 210
206.324.4649 ext.4814
sweigle@thesca.org

The SCA Seattle School Year Program offers leadership opportunities and community service hours through outdoor programs. Meet new friends from all over Seattle! Work on conservation projects in local parks and gain outdoor recreation skills. No experience necessary.

You will be expected to attend one evening meeting and one weekend event each month, January to May. Some of these will be overnight camping trips. In the summer you will be challenged to spend 15-35 days on a trail crew away from home.

Once you have completed the following application our staff will contact you in 2-3 weeks with further information. To Apply: SCA Seattle School Year Program Application

All applications are due by October 21st.

Thank you for your interest in applying!

SCA Seattle 2011 Summer Community Crews for High School students ages 15-19

The SCA's Seattle Community Crew program is a five week paid program for high school students ages 15-19 from Seattle, WA. The start date is July 5, and students work Monday to Friday 8:00am - 3:30pm on conservation crews with 2 adult leaders and approximately 10 students. Crews complete a variety of projects in local Seattle parks including invasive plant removal, trail work, park maintenance, and restoration. Students earn an hourly wage.

Once you have completed the following application our staff will contact you within 2-3 weeks with further information.  To apply: SCA Seattle Community Crew Application

All applications are due by April 15th.

SCA 2011 Mount Rainier Crews for High School students ages 15-19

The SCA's Mount Rainier Crew program is a 15-day service learning experience for high school students ages 15-19. Students live and work on Mount Rainier doing trail maintenance and restoration projects with 2 adult leaders and approximately 8 students. No experience necessary.

Session I: June 27-July 11, Session II: July 18-Aug 1, or Session III: Aug 8-Aug 22

Once you have completed the following application our staff will contact you within 2-3 weeks with further information.  To apply: SCA Mount Rainier Crew Application

All applications are due by April 15th.

Thank you for your interest in applying!