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.
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...
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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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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):
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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...
“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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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.
For many people, the Student Conservation Association (SCA) conjures up visions of crews in parks, working to restore trails and areas damaged by natural disasters. But another important facet of the SCA’s mission is its wide offering of internships. Through SCA’s intern programs, young people have the opportunity to...
By Hannah Brooks, SCA Massachusetts AmeriCorps Member
You’ve probably heard of Leave No Trace (LNT). But can you break it down into the seven core principles? Or teach its significance? How about incorporate it into your daily life?
Upon entering Hawley, I was in that same boat. A few weeks ago I...
Tyler Lau is the first person of color to thru-hike three major U.S. trails in less than a year. He completed the Appalachian, Pacific Crest, and Continental Divide trails—known as the Triple Crown—in fewer than 365 days.
Only...
These are the photos that the SCA Instagram community liked best in 2018. Whether you're looking for stunning outdoor landscapes or stories of adventure from the field of conservation, our Instagram posts had something for everyone last year. You can follow along in 2019 and beyond at @the_sca...
By Katie McGee, SCA Massachusetts AmeriCorps Member
Service, environment, and community. When I decided to join SCA’s Massachusetts AmeriCorps program, I knew it would be 10 months of service to the environment and communities. I did not realize that I would be immersing myself in a group of the most...
