What do Tinker Air Force Base, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, and Delaware State Parks have in common? Each place encouraged and empowered Riley Hays in discovering her passion to inspire people to love parks and the great outdoors, and started her own love of Visitor Interpretation at parks!...
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 Staff | Wednesday, May 22, 2019
Adventures, Career Success, Parks, Trails and Hiking, Volunteer Opportunities
Posted by Emerson Gaziano | Wednesday, May 22, 2019
Photo of original wood creation by Matt Gang, SCA Alumni
A path often taken by SCA Alumni is to pursue a career outdoors with the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or other agency. That is amazing and we value all the hard work our alums...
Career Success
Posted by Kevin Hamilton | Friday, April 26, 2019
As time passes, legacies grow larger. As the people who forged those legacies pass, we pause to remember.
SCA lost two former and beloved crew leaders recently: Bill Brockman, who with his wife, Mary Jane, led crews in the North Cascades from 1970-1987; and Chuck Barnosky, who supervised teams...
April 20-28, 2019
Posted by Staff | Thursday, April 18, 2019
Guest blog by Anna Wadhams, SCA Alumni Council
Looking for fun activities during Earth Month? Head to your closest national park April 20-28 to enjoy National Park Week programs and events!
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Adventures, Animals & Wildlife, Education, Kids, Parks, People, Trails and Hiking
Posted by Staff | Thursday, April 18, 2019
A guest blog from an SCA Alumni Council Member, Nancy Fernandez
Climate change is a polarizing turn of phrase.
I learned about the Al Gore Climate Reality Leadership training through the SCA Alumni network. A gentle nudge encouraged me to apply and I’m so glad I did! This was an amazing opportunity...
Climate, Diversity
Posted by Staff | Wednesday, March 20, 2019
A guest blog from an SCA Alum, Lauren Traylor
After completing my degree in the arid southwest of Colorado, I was looking for a change in scenery when I found my SCA intern position at the Franklin Roosevelt National Historic Site in Hyde Park, New York. The Eastern Deciduous Forest seemed...
Adventures, History, Parks, People
Posted by Ally Ratliff | Monday, March 18, 2019
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The Student Conservation Association (SCA) is proud to count Southwest Airlines as a long-time partner in building the next generation of conservation leaders. Since 1957, SCA has mobilized more than 90,000 youth and community volunteers in service to the environment.
In addition to volunteering with SCA throughout the year, Southwest Airlines employees...
Volunteer Opportunities
Posted by Staff | Thursday, March 14, 2019
Before I began my first position with Student Conservation Association as a five-month member of the Massachusetts AmeriCorps Team, I had recently graduated from college in western Pennsylvania as a music teacher and was working part-time as a lifeguard and lifeguard instructor. I was working multiple jobs - none of...
Adventures, Career Success, People
Posted by Emerson Gaziano | Wednesday, March 13, 2019
SCA/AmeriCorps provided me something I consider priceless, and something that helped launch my career. SCA/AmeriCorps provided me what I call ‘dirt time’.
Dirt time occurs when you lead a 25-member SCA AmeriCorps service project to build a 24-foot, backcountry bog bridge, over three 85-90 degree Fahrenheit July days. Dirt time occurs...
Adventures, Career Success, Parks
Posted by Staff | Monday, March 11, 2019
May 10, 2015 was supposed to be the day I walked across a stage in a cap and gown with my classmates to celebrate ourselves and our hard work over the last four years.
Instead, it was the day I moved to the Challis-National Forest to start an internship. Rather than...
Adventures, People
Posted by Kevin Hamilton | Monday, March 11, 2019
Bruce Putnam, husband of almost 27 years to SCA Founding President Liz Putnam, passed away earlier this month following an extended illness. SCA’s Kevin Hamilton worked frequently with Liz and Bruce over much of that time, and shares these memories.
As Bruce used to tell the story –...
Join SCA in Celebrating Earth Month 2019!
Posted by Ally Ratliff | Friday, March 8, 2019
This April, SCA is celebrating Earth Month across the nation! With national support from American Express and Southwest Airlines, we are aiming to connect our members, alumni, friends, and partners across the country to create a nationwide network of Earth Month celebrations.
From large-scale team-based events to “quick touch” service activities...
Posted by Staff | Tuesday, February 26, 2019
On February 26, Grand Canyon National Park turned the big 1-0-0. Anything but a hidden treasure in northern Arizona, the Grand Canyon is as amazing as it is vast.
Here are four things SCA loves about GRCA (that’s government-speak for this gobsmacking gorge):
Our Founder LOVES GRCA
...
Parks
Posted by Staff | Thursday, February 21, 2019
By Sam Spence, SCA Massachusetts AmeriCorps Member
Sub-Zero temperatures. Icy walkways. Snow constantly getting dumped from the sky. These are all things that corps members experience during their stay in Hawley MA. The fashion here is heavy coats, hats, gloves and boots. How can any sane person survive living in...
Adventures, People
One Woman's Solo Hike on the Hayduke
Posted by Emerson Gaziano | Wednesday, February 13, 2019
“May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds.” -Edward Abbey
Danielle Alling served with SCA as a Crew Leader in Yellowstone National Park in 2017. She knows the importance of our public lands and how they...
Adventures, Backcountry & Wilderness, Parks, Trails and Hiking
Union Bank & SCA Give Back in San Diego
Posted by Ally Ratliff | Tuesday, February 12, 2019
On Saturday, February 9th, Union Bank, SCA, and City of San Diego Parks and Recreation united to help with the upkeep of Chicano Park and Paradise Senior Center. Seventy participants teamed up to pick up litter from 2.5 acres of park land and restore over 5,000 square feet of...
Parks, Volunteer Opportunities
Posted by Emerson Gaziano | Friday, February 8, 2019
Don’t let the cold winter weather keep you indoors – enjoy it in these state parks! Take your sweetheart, best friend, or family with you and fall in love with these state parks! Last year, SCA had crews working in state parks in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, California, and...
Adventures, Parks, Trails and Hiking
Posted by Staff | Thursday, February 7, 2019
The United States has over 640 million acres of federal land. States and local governments manage another 199 million acres. Most of these public lands are open for recreational use. But how accessible is that land for the 40 million Americans living with disabilities?
As of 2017, around 12.7% of the...
Diversity, Parks, People, Trails and Hiking
Posted by Staff | Wednesday, February 6, 2019
By Adam Winfield, SCA Massachusetts AmeriCorps Member
When living with a large group of people, it can be challenging to make decisions. There are so many unique perspectives, thoughts, and opinions that go into it. Here at SCA Massachusetts in Hawley, we decided to have all our voices heard in...
Adventures, People
Posted by Staff | Tuesday, February 5, 2019
The recycling rate in the United States has increased from less than 7% in 1960 to over 34% in 2015. While the progress is promising, we still have a long way to go. This resource should help get you started so that you can recycle at work, home, and school.