SCA Members Build Nearly 1 Million Feet of New Trails in Parks across Nation
WASHINGTON, DC – November 14, 2013 – The Student Conservation Association (SCA), the national leader in youth service and stewardship, today announced the states and universities that provided the most youth volunteers to its conservation programs in national, state, and local parks during the year from October 1, 2012, to September 30, 2013. SCA also revealed that the National Parks of New York Harbor, where some 200 volunteers restored beaches, habitats and other resources damaged by Hurricane Sandy, topped its list of service sites and partners.
In total, 4,189 young people – primarily college and high school students from all 50 states plus Washington DC, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands – served with SCA, including those from the following states and universities:
| The Top 10 States | Volunteers |
| 1. Pennsylvania | 414 |
| 2. California | 368 |
| 3. New York | 304 |
| 4. Illinois | 238 |
| 5. Washington | 221 |
| 6. Michigan | 212 |
| 7. Maryland | 194 |
| 8. Texas | 190 |
| 9. New Jersey | 174 |
| 10. Massachusetts | 169 |
“Where these students are from is often a source of pride for their home states and institutions, but the most exciting part is where they are going,” says SCA President Dale Penny. “These young people are the next generation of conservation leaders – destined to become park officials, scientists and environmental educators – and they’ve only just begun their contributions to creating a more sustainable planet.”
| The Top 10 Universities | Location | Volunteers | |
| SUNY – College of Environmental Science and Forestry | Syracuse, NY | 28 | |
| University of Vermont | Burlington, VT | 23 | |
| University of Massachusetts – Amherst | Amherst, MA | 21 | |
| Humboldt State University | Arcata, CA | 19 | |
| University of Florida | Gainesville, FL | 19 | |
| University of Michigan – Ann Arbor | Ann Arbor, MI | 18 | |
| Pennsylvania State University – State College | State College, PA | 17 | |
| Michigan State University | Lansing, MI | 16 | |
| University of Wisconsin – Madison | Madison, WI | 16 | |
| Colorado State University | Fort Collins, CO | 15 |
In addition to fielding volunteers in hundreds of national parks and state forests last year, SCA placed more than a thousand teens in urban greenscapes through its pioneering community conservation programs. These summer jobs programs engage under-represented local teens in conserving hometown parks in more than 20 cities across the U.S. and dominated the high end of SCA’s top 20 Sites list:
| The Top 20 Sites/Partners | Location | Volunteers |
| National Parks of New York Harbor | New York, NY | 204 |
| City of Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh, PA | 174 |
| District of Columbia | Washington, DC | 131 |
| City of Seattle | Seattle, WA | 126 |
| City of Detroit | Detroit, MI | 91 |
| SF Bay Area | Oakland, CA | 89 |
| Friends of the Forest Preserves | Chicago, IL | 85 |
| Santa Monica Mountains NRA | Calabasas, CA | 81 |
| City of Milwaukee | Milwaukee, WI | 73 |
| City of Houston | Houston, TX | 72 |
| Big Cypress National Preserve | Ochopee, FL | 67 |
| Great Smoky Mountains National Park | Gatlinburg, TN | 59 |
| US Army Corps of Engineers | Vicksburg, MS | 49 |
| City of Chicago | Chicago, IL | 48 |
| Grand Teton National Park | Jackson, WY | 45 |
| Allegheny National Forest | Marienville, PA | 44 |
| City of Baltimore | Baltimore, MD | 41 |
| Blue Ridge Parkway | Vinton, VA | 41 |
| Yosemite National Park | Yosemite Village, CA | 40 |
| Denali National Park | Healy, AK | 39 |
Once at these locations, Penny states SCA volunteers enjoyed a particularly productive year of conservation, generating many important improvements while racking up some impressive outcomes including:
- Nearly 1 million feet of new trails constructed
- Nearly 10 million feet of existing trails maintained
- More than 1 million acres restored, assessed and/or mapped
- More than 1 million visitors engaged or educated in conservation
- More than 2 million hours needed service rendered to America’s public lands
In addition to its Hurricane Sandy restoration program, Penny states significant SCA conservation programs over the past year include the SCA Veterans Fire Corps, which prepares recent-era military vets for careers in forestry while easing their transition back to civilian life, in collaboration with the U.S. Forest Service; the National Park Service Academy and Career Development Intern Program, workforce diversity initiatives with the National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, respectively, that prepare under-represented youth for careers in conservation.
SCA members are supported nationwide by generous sponsors including American Eagle Outfitters, ARAMARK, Domtar, Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Exelon Foundation, Hearst Foundation, Johnson Controls, Kendeda Fund, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, National Forest Foundation, Shell Foundation, Sony, Southwest Airlines and Wells Fargo.
About the Student Conservation Association:
The Student Conservation Association (SCA) is the only national organization that develops tomorrow’s conservation leaders by providing high school and college students with service opportunities in all 50 states, from urban communities to national parks and forests. Since 1957, SCA’s hands-on practice of conservation service has helped to develop a new generation of conservation leaders, inspire lifelong stewardship and save the planet. SCA is a nonprofit organization headquartered in Washington, DC, with offices in Boise, ID, Charlestown, NH, Chicago, IL, Oakland, CA, Pittsburgh, PA and Seattle, WA. For further information, visit www.thesca.org.