About Trails

Originally from the prairies of central Illinois, Tyler has been working with the SCA for the better part of 6 years. His initial introduction to outdoor leadership and the world of trail work was as a member on a Pacific Crest Trail team which traveled throughout California doing trail maintenance in some of the most beautiful spots America has to offer. Since that life changing experience Tyler has led numerous national crews, 3 corps teams, and in 2010 was Northwest Program Manager for Corps Trails. He currently serves as Program Manager for the Fish and Wildlife Service Trails Inventory Program based out of the SCA Boise office. Tyler is also an active Leave No Trace Master Educator and SCA Conservation Work Skills Instructor. His belief in the outdoor experience and the potential for SCA to change lives keeps him excited and passionate season after season.

While not in the office you can find Tyler mountain biking, backpacking, climbing, or tending his garden. His time spent working with the SCA over the past years has been full of growth, learning, and great people and he hopes that the future holds more. He has plans to continue his work in trails with the US Forest Service and hopes to get certified as a Wilderness EMT and AMGA Single Pitch Guide in 2012.

Alex has worked with SCA in numerous capacities since 2000. He worked in the Seattle regional office of SCA for four years with the Community program, Corps program and High School Program. He “left” SCA to attend graduate school and teach high school from 2004-2008, though even then he couldn’t help leading high school crews over the summers of 2005 and 2006 in Haleakala National Park in Hawaii, and White Mountains National Recreation Area north of Fairbanks, Alaska. He re-joined SCA in 2009 full-time, first leading a Corps Trails crew in Mt. Rainier National Park, then moving to Boise to become the Eastern Corps Trails Manger in 2010, and finally helping launch and manage a innovative new Trails Inventory Program with the US Fish and Wildlife Service in 2010.

Before SCA, Alex worked with the Rocky Mountain Youth Corps (1994-1999), and before that the nonprofit Green Mountain Club in Vermont (1991-1993). Throughout his twenty years of professional outdoor experience, he has led ten trail crews, supervised four backcountry trail programs in Colorado, and managed several programs during his “ten” years at SCA.

Alex has a Bachelors Degree in English from Colorado College, and a Masters in Teaching from the University of Washington, and has also taught American Literature and Creative Writing in a Seattle-area high school for three years.

Alex is an avid mountain biker, telemark skier, backpacker, rafter, and sea kayaker. Whenever he can, he travels internationally; past destinations include South America, Vietnam, Nepal, Mexico, China, and Europe.

Love of teaching, the out-of-doors and a deep concern for the environment led Alex to the Student Conservation Association. He has only one regret - he wished he knew about it when he was a high school student!