The Leader Team Program is a new SCA program model that is primarily focused on fulfilling SCA’s mission to create the next generation of conservation leaders. Successful completion of this program qualifies a member to serve as an SCA leader themselves, ideally immediately following the Leader Team Program.
Leader Team Members will first work as part of the leader team for three months in the spring in one location, then (if they graduate) either: take on the Project Leader position for a larger, “standard” team of Corps members for the three-month summer team in that location, or take on a leader position for another SCA program.
The project for this leader team is the Army Corps of Engineers Visitor Use Survey Program (ACE VUS). This is a two-year-old SCA partnership that provides members a valuable opportunity to help the Army Corps of Engineers monitor the use of its beautiful recreational sites across the country. Teams will: collect, organize and download interview data; use a schedule of randomly selected sample sites for specific dates; collaborate with SCA leader and ACE staff; maintain proper care of supplies and equipment; and much more. The team will also design and carry numerous conservation projects and community service projects, both at the sites they are monitoring and elsewhere in the local community. This gives the members an opportunity to interact with project staff, develop their leadership skills, and leave a lasting impact in their community.
Hitch 1 [1]
The Waco team will be working deep in the heart of Texas, surveying three lakes in the central Texas region. So far we have been to training in Nashville, where we learned a lot and made some great friends, explored the lakes, and just completed our first week of surveys and first conservation project.
3/20-3/24
Leaving training in Nashville was exciting and sad at the same time. Exciting, because we were about to embark on a new journey in Waco, sad because, we were leaving six new friends that would be missed dearly. We parted ways after joining in a family photo, exchanging words of wisdom, and one big group hug.
We finally made it to the lone star state of Texas, where the crew split up. Josh and Stacy took a connecting flight to Waco, where they would begin set up for the coming weeks of surveying. Annie headed to North Richland Hills, where she picked up a few supplies she would need for the season.
The next couple days involved trying to get settled into the team's new home. Rental cars were picked up, electricity was finally turned on, and supplies were gathered for the season. The crew visited the Waco Lake site contact, traveled to and evaluated each survey site location, and took inventory of all supplies. The team also completed important paperwork like site ERP’s, JHA’s, and are currently familiarizing themselves with all of the responsibilities of leading the ACE VUS Team of 2013.
3/25-3/27-Survey
Annie and Stacy completed their first ever visitor use survey! Annie surveyed visitors to Waco and Belton Lake, Stacy spent her time at Stillhouse and Belton, and Josh interviewed visitors to Waco and Stillhouse. Annie spent her Tuesday surveying visitors at two of Waco Lake's parks, while Josh and Stacy spent the day at Baylor University. Baylor hosted a “Make a Difference Career Fair” aimed at students looking to enter the non-profit career field after graduation. Stacy and Josh spent the afternoon talking to students about the opportunities SCA has to offer, and had a great time meeting Baylor staff while finally having an excuse to check out the campus. Wednesday it was back to surveying for the team.
3/28-Conservation day
Thursday was the first conservation day for Team Waco, and was used to plan and coordinate future conservation projects throughout the season. After spending so much time setting up the site, all of Team Waco was pretty grateful to have a planning day and excited to see projects start to come together.
3/29- 3/30 Survey
Kathy, one of our partners from the Army Corps of Engineers, came to observe our sites we all enjoyed time spent with her surveying. All of the Texas team spent Saturday in the field, and had their first look at what weekends are like in the area. Visitor traffic picked up a lot today, and the team was able to complete the most surveys to date!
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Annie Julia Armstrong [11]
Okay, so this is Annie J. Armstrong in a nutshell! She is young at heart, because she is still growing into the adult she would like to be. She loves learning new things and is always up for a good challenge. Annie didn’t always know that working for the Student Conservation Association was something she really had a true passion for until the summer 2012. She had been through a lot career wise, and there were so many things she wanted to work out with herself. She felt torn between becoming a better version of herself and being able to work in environment where she felt motivated, happy and inspired instead of being content and unsettled with what she was doing. So, she applied for a Conservation Corps position listed on the Student Conservation Association website hoping she could change her situation around and start moving into a direction where she could grow, change and excel on her own terms. After not hearing anything for a few months she decided maybe it wasn’t going to happen for her with SCA at time. She was going to have to try other places to start her journey towards personal and professional success. Being the person that she is, she never gives up and never takes no as never going to happen. She always says, “Things don’t happen on my clock, there is a higher power.” With that said, as she so anxiously walked out of the admissions office of her College where she had just enrolled into summer classes towards completing her Bachelor’s degree in Organizational Management. Annie received a phone call. On the other end was an interview/selections Coordinator. She was calling on the behalf of the SCA to offer Annie a position as a crew member on a Conservation Corps Crew. The Crew would be working in the Angeles National Forest in San Fernando California. The representative went on to tell Annie that the work would be challenging and there were plenty of trainings to help prepare her for the job if she chose to accept. Of course Annie turned the offer down, just kidding! She happened to accept that offer and hasn’t looked back since. “Things always workout just not on your time,” is what she says to people who aspire to be a better a version of themselves.
She hopes to take on more responsibility in her leadership role with SCA this spring and summer. Annie wants to gain new skills that will continue to guide her throughout her professional development. Moreover, she is looking forward to all the new challenges the season has to offer. Annie will push herself out of her comfort zone and believe enough in her to know she has what it takes to make this spring and summer one of the bests she’s ever had.
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Stacy Stone [15]
Originally from Tempe, Arizona Stacy left the sonoran desert for southern California to attend California Lutheran University (CLU). While there she received her B.S. In Environmental Science with a minor in Biology. Throughout her time spent at CLU, Stacy began to appreciate both the field and research aspects of her degree, spending time pretty evenly split between leading an inorganic marine pollution research program, and attending wildflower hikes in the chaparral. This love of knowing how natural systems work, and wanting to see them in action lead Stacy to the SCA.
Stacy first served as a member of the Native Plant Corps, in both Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and Cowpens National Battlefield restoring native ecosystems. These experiences solidified her love of conservation work, living and working in the outdoors, and of course the SCA. Most recently she spent a year working throughout the state of Connecticut to the help communities reduce energy use and implement residential and municipal efficiency projects.
Stacy hopes to bring her love of botany and restoration work to her team, as well as put her community outreach experience to good use. She is looking forward to living deep in the heart of Texas and exploring a new area. She also hopes to gain leadership skills that will enable her to lead a summer team and create fun and meaningful experiences for the next round of conservationists.
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