General Site Information

Through this program, my members and I will be using the surveys created by The Army Corps of Engineers to get the general feel of why the public uses local parks. My members will also spend part of their time during this program creating and implementing conservation projects of their choice in the greater Atlanta/Cumming area. I will support them in whatever ways I can by reviewing and approving their ideas, and then overall by helping them with the construction of their projects.
Each member will have access to an SCA vehicle, which they will use these to get to various program locations in which we will all carry out Visitor Use Surveys. We will perform routine checks on our vehicles to ensure they are in proper and safe working condition.
Goals will be accomplished by maintaining a line of professionalism, and only speaking with those who are willing and wanting to help us. We will try to involve the general public as much as we can with the conservation projects, since these are intended to benefit local people.
My members and I will share information and photos on this group blog so that others can see the work we are doing.
My main goal for my members as far as contacts go is to allow them to learn how to make connections with the agency contacts at our various parks. Different parks have different contacts, obviously, and different contacts mean all different kinds of personalities. It is important for my members to understand the proper way of speaking with and dealing with park contacts.
Throughout our time together, whether it is in general conservation or through our work we will talk about civic engagement and what it means to us as members in a society. We will also talk about Environmental Education and its importance with young people, ourselves, and even the older generations. It doesn’t matter how old or young you are, you can still actively choose to be environmentally friendly, or not. We hope to teach others why it is important to spread knowledge and educate others on these topics.
The history of conservation is extremely interesting in my opinion. It is something that has been going on for a long time, and people are unaware of it’s rich history. Hopefully my members and I can touch on what we know about the conservation movement. We can talk about what it means to us, and how The SCA comes into play with this topic. We all know that The SCA was founded in 1957, right during the peak of many interesting things going on in our US History. The fact that The SCA was so welcomed by America during this time makes me personally proud to be part of such an incredible organization. As active members of The SCA, and conservationists, we will do what we can as we are working, and even during our personal time to ensure people understand the point of us being there. We will explain the reasoning behind my members work projects, in addition to having others help implement them. The same goes for the visitor use surveys. Knowledge + Education = POWER!

Keep checking in with us!!

Written by Leah Cantor

Read about what is going on at SCA Massachusetts this winter.

We are starting to get ready for our April School vacation program. Students in grades K-3 are invited to Hawley on April 16 and 17 and students in grades 4-8 are invited on April 18 and 19. Come learn more about the local environment, play games, and explore the state forest!
Applications are due by March 14. Please fill out both attached documents and email them to jharwood@thesca.org or mail them to SCA Massachusetts, 466 West Hawley Rd, Plainfield, MA, 01070.

Our Summer Nature Program will be June 25 - June 28 this year for students aged 7-12. Applications will be available at Hawley Nature Days and posted on the website on April 22.

Yucca Valley, California, is a town of about 25,000 people located on California Route 62 (aka The 29 Palms Highway). Neighboring towns are Morongo Valley, Joshua Tree, Yucca Mesa, Pioneertown, Landers, Flamingo Heights, Johnson Valley, and Twentynine Palms. The two major economic stimulators in the area are Joshua Tree National Park and the marine base outside Twentynine Palms. Many people who live here commute down to the Palm Springs metro area about 40 minutes south. Yucca Valley is built up mostly against the highway, with supermarkets, a movie theater, coffeeshops (local and Starbucks), restaurants(local and chain), and a few big box stores. Driving up Route 247 (aka Old Woman Springs Rd) you can get a picture of what desert towns used to look like before four lane highways and big commerce.

One of the beautiful parts about living in a desert town is that the relatively untrammeled desert exists in close range. Yucca Valley borders Joshua Tree National Park, most of which is designated wilderness. Joshua Tree is an excellent place to take up rock climbing or get into the wilderness. There are 69 designated wilderness areas under the BLM’s management, several are a short drive from Yucca Valley: Sheephole Mountains, Cleghorn Mountains, Big Morongo, Bighorn Mountains, San Gorgonio. Just off the highway in Morongo Valley is the Big Morongo Preserve, a BLM-managed oasis where water flowing underground down from the mountains gets close or breaks the surface. It’s a world-renowned bird-watching spot. You will be close the Wildlands Conservancy Preserves as well. They are a non-profit land manager and we have a good working relationship with them. Whitewater Preserve has a trail that connects to the Pacific Crest Trail, following the Whitewater River. There is a thriving, if strange, artistic community in the desert, and a collection of people who believe in extraterrestrial contact.

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The mission of the California Desert District (CDD) of the Bureau of Land Management is to protect the natural, historic, recreational and economic riches of the beautiful California Desert for generations to come. California is a state wealthy with resources and natural beauty, but this beauty can quickly disappear if not properly taken care of. The California Desert District is responsible for protecting and preserving nearly 11 million acres of California’s natural heritage.

In 1976, The United States Congress created the California Desert Conservation Area (CDCA), which covers nearly one quarter of the State. As one of the government’s primary authorities for the management of public lands, the Bureau of Land Management - through the California Desert District - acts as steward for 10.4 million acres of this 26 million acre preserve. In an effort to provide the most benefit to the most people, while preserving one of the west’s most rugged and awe inspiring landscapes, the CDD developed a balanced, multiple-use plan to act as a guide for the management of this vast expanse of land. The plan, completed in 1980 with the help of the public, divides the desert into multiple-use classes. These classes were created in order to define areas of in critical need of protection, while allowing for the use and development of less-vital swaths of desert.

In addition to the lands under the CDCA, the California Desert District also manages 300,000 acres of scattered parcels in Kern, Inyo, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, Orange, Imperial and San Diego counties. The district is divided into five resource areas, governed by field offices in Ridgecrest, Palm Springs/South Coast, El Centro, Barstow and Needles. The CDD currently has over 200 full time employees.

- via BLM, CDD website (http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/cdd/about_cdd.html)