1000 volunteers. 9 cities. 1 day. On August 10th, SCA led 9 flagship events as part of the 100+ event #NestleCares day, a national day of volunteering uniting the company’s business operations with community events nationwide.
Every year, SCA provides training, tools and projects that place motivated teens and young adults in the field to effect changes great and small. How do we measure the effects? Sometimes its through decreased CO2 levels or by the tons of trash collected or in the number of trees planted. Our success is also measured by the lessons learned, the perspective gained and the lives we transform—today and into the future. Often when the SCA project is over, the success story is just beginning. Take a look at some of our most recent accomplishments.
Posted by Kevin Hamilton | Tuesday, August 15, 2017
On August 12, SCA presented its Elizabeth Putnam Founder’s Medal to Olympic Superintendent Sarah Creachbaum in recognition of the park’s deeply-rooted support of SCA’s mission. Olympic is not only one of two original SCA partner sites – along with Grand Teton National Park – it is also the only park to host SCA volunteers every year since 1957.
Posted by Hayden Sloan | Tuesday, August 15, 2017
62 Nestlé employees volunteered their time at Cove Island Park in Stamford, CT for #NestléCares to get the long guardrail stained and protected! Despite the hot sun and messy stain, enthusiasm abounded.
Posted by Hayden Sloan | Monday, August 7, 2017
Kingman and Heritage Islands Park is a sudden breath of fresh wilderness at the edge of the city on the Anacostia River. Bisected by East Capitol Street, the northern and southern sides of the Kingman Island park are equal parts woodsy and picturesque picnic areas. The northern tip of the island past Benning Road boasts a golf course
Posted by Hayden Sloan | Friday, August 4, 2017
It may be hard to imagine how such a beautiful park needs improvement, but Ron D’Amico, our park foreman, assures me that there is always plenty to do to maintain Cove Island’s charm!
SCA Partners with NEON on Massive Climate Change Database
Posted by Megan McVey | Monday, July 31, 2017
Since 1957, the Student Conservation Association (SCA) has been at the forefront of preserving our national parks and forests, with the knowledge that these natural “lungs” act as a critical cooling and cleaning mechanism for our planet, pulling carbon dioxide from the air while releasing oxygen. But in recent years,...
Posted by Kevin Borja | Monday, July 31, 2017
Networking app Bumble and comedian-writer Samantha Bee aren’t the only bees a-buzzing amongst urban dwellers these days. Beekeeping and other forms of pollinator work are becoming increasingly popular hobbies in cities such as Los Angeles and New York, thanks to a recent lifting of restrictions in response to the rapid decline of pollinator populations and climate change.
Posted by Megan McVey | Wednesday, July 19, 2017
SCA is monitoring the Detwiler Fire that is burning north and west of Mariposa, CA, approximately 45 miles from Yosemite National Park. This fire has affected many Mariposa residents, structures, and roadways but at this time it has not directly impacted SCA members serving in Yosemite.
Smoke occasionally has...
Posted by Kevin Borja | Tuesday, July 18, 2017
New York City is so much more than bright lights and busy streets. Hidden behind the glitz and glamor is a series of environmental challenges. Some like mitigating the urban heat island effect, a phenomenon where urban centers are significantly warmer than the surrounding suburban or rural area due to...
Posted by John Goodrick | Tuesday, July 18, 2017
Not many people can say that they spent a month in the woods with a silent radio as their only connection to the outside world. No shower, no internet, no toilet… or toilet paper. This is how I spent my first summer with the SCA—living in the temperate rainforest of the Olympic National Park with a fellow crew leader and six high school students.
Posted by Hayden Sloan | Tuesday, July 18, 2017
Looking back on my life, it seems obvious that I should be working toward a career in ocean conservation. I was desperate to be a mermaid, enchanted by aquariums, and regularly called a fish every time my family took trips to the pool, the lake, or the beach. I took a rather round-about way to get into the conservation field, though.
Posted by Ally Ratliff | Tuesday, July 18, 2017
There is nothing quite like adventuring in the great outdoors. You strap on your worn mud-packed boots, fill your water bottle, and head out to the trail head. In front of you is endless hues of nature. The trees cascade down the mountainside, eager for you to summit. As you look down the path, a squirrel scurries by.
Posted by Megan McVey | Wednesday, July 12, 2017
How important are bees and other pollinators for our food supply? Let’s put it this way: one in every three bites of your food wouldn’t be there if weren’t for them. Pollinators are responsible for the survival of plants that bring us fruits, vegetables and nuts – including...
Posted by Kevin Hamilton | Monday, June 26, 2017
by Corps Member Emma Cunneen
Recently, the SCA Massachusetts Historic Preservation Corps – a new program conducted in collaboration with the MA Department of Conservation and Recreation and AmeriCorps – was wrapping up one of our bigger projects at Fort Warren out on George’s Island. The project involved installing...
Posted by Megan McVey | Wednesday, June 21, 2017
Bees have been much in the news of late, and for the saddest of reasons: due to habitat loss, global warming, pesticides, and monocrop agriculture, their numbers are in sharp decline across the United States. The loss of bees and other threatened pollinators could damage not...
Posted by Megan McVey | Tuesday, June 20, 2017
What is an Emerald Ash Borer and how did it get all the way from East Asia to America? Why did its population grow so fast once it arrived in the U.S.? Why should you care?
The Emerald Ash Borer has become an ongoing problem across the United States, and the...
Posted by Megan McVey | Tuesday, June 20, 2017
Eric Straw is a 30-year old North Texan, a former SCA crew leader, and an avid paddler. He’s currently on a six-month mission to canoe in each of the 50 U.S. states. We caught up to him in New Hampshire, his paddle still wet from the waters of Elbow Pond.
Where...
Volunteers Give New Life to a Historic Pennsylvania Town
Posted by Ann Pedtke | Tuesday, June 20, 2017
On June 17th, SCA teamed up with national supporter Domtar to restore a century-old community center and bring new life to the historic small town of Johnsonburg, Pennsylvania.
History, Parks, People, Volunteer Opportunities
Posted by Megan McVey | Tuesday, June 13, 2017
In Part I , we discussed how Liz Putnam founded the Student Conservation Association in 1957, and how the organization developed and flourished in subsequent decades. In the second of this two-part series, we will look at the how SCA has faced the challenges of the new millennium...
Buzzing in the Backyard
Posted by Megan McVey | Monday, June 12, 2017
In September 2016, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that, for the first time ever, it was placing seven species of bees on the endangered species list. Not ten days into the new year, it announced yet another addition: the rusty-patched bumblebee. In its statement, it noted...