Samuel Merring, a seasonal interpretative ranger at the Stanislaus National Forest in northern California, develops and leads nature programs and guided walks around the forest’s picturesque Lake Alpine reservoir. What makes this all the more impressive is that Merring, who just completed his second summer on the job,...
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 | Thursday, September 20, 2018
Adventures, Backcountry & Wilderness, Career Success, Coasts & Water, Education, Forests, Parks, Science, Sustainability, Trails and Hiking, Volunteer Opportunities
Posted by Dani Tinker | Wednesday, September 19, 2018
Looking for a place to visit this fall? It can be a challenge to find new places to explore while avoiding crowds on the trail. That’s why we asked our alumni and community to share their favorite spots. Whether an awe-inspiring waterfall or a trail along a river, these sites...
Adventures, Backcountry & Wilderness, Parks, Trails and Hiking
Posted by Staff | Friday, September 7, 2018
Students all over the United States are checking class schedules and shouldering backpacks for another year of learning and growth. But as you head back to school this year, don’t leave your passion for sustainability at the door. Your school needs you – more than you might know. According to...
Education, Kids, Sustainability
Posted by Dani Tinker | Thursday, September 6, 2018
It’s no secret that pollinators are in trouble. Many bee and butterfly species across the country are struggling to survive. And in some cases, there’s not even enough data to figure out next steps to help them. That’s where SCA pollinator interns come in!
Gathering Critical Pollinator Data
Over the summer, Simon...
Adventures, Animals & Wildlife, Endangered Species, Science
Posted by Staff | Wednesday, August 29, 2018
Park rangers are the smiling, friendly, informative folks in uniform we see at the visitor’s center or on the trails of our favorite public lands. They interact with the public on a daily basis and occasionally must deal with people breaking rules or being disrespectful. Let’s give them a hand....
Adventures, Backcountry & Wilderness, Forests, Parks, Trails and Hiking
Posted by Staff | Friday, August 24, 2018
Going to work each day at some of the nation’s most significant and iconic lands is quite a feeling. And the competition for jobs with the National Park Service is a reflection of that. That’s where internships with the Student Conservation Assocaiton (SCA) — in partnership with national parks —...
Backcountry & Wilderness, Parks, Science, Trails and Hiking
Posted by Kevin Hamilton | Monday, August 20, 2018
All summer long, the SCA crew at Tongass National Forest worked an alternating schedule: one week of long, arduous days replacing a fading fish pass on Kupreanof Island, and the next in nearby Petersburg. Fortunately, they were in town when Chuck Najimy and Lane Bagley flew in on consecutive days...
Posted by Staff | Thursday, August 9, 2018
The tragedy of a natural disaster unfolds in multiple ways. First and foremost, there are the irreplaceable lives lost. Then, for survivors, there is the trauma of dealing with damaged or destroyed property, ruined livelihoods, and – in the worst cases – the prospect of having to uproot or relocate....
Coasts & Water, Forests, Parks, Volunteer Opportunities, Wildfires
Posted by Staff | Thursday, August 9, 2018
Bre Jané writes about backpacking along the Olympic Coast with her SCA crew learning everything from wilderness skills to marine science—and the realities of plastic pollution.
Landlocked for my whole life not a single bone in my Midwestern body was exposed to the importance of the ocean. In my
...Adventures, Backcountry & Wilderness, Coasts & Water, Education, Sustainability, Trails and Hiking
SCA, Cuyahoga Valley, and Nestlé Partner to Remove Invasives
Posted by Ally Ratliff | Wednesday, August 8, 2018
On Thursday, August 2nd, Nestlé gathered at Terra Vista Natural Study Area alongside SCA and Cuyahoga Valley National Park to continue a seemingly never-ending battle with invasive species. More than 140 participants came together to remove over 60,000 square feet of invasive autumn olive and honeysuckle! This was no small...
Forests, Invasives, Parks, Volunteer Opportunities
Posted by Staff | Tuesday, August 7, 2018
SCA interns Sophie Kline and Carol Gause write about their experiences serving at a haven for migratory birds with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service this summer.
We are students from North Carolina and Florida spending our summer out in the prairies of South Dakota with the U.S. Fish...
Animals & Wildlife, People, Science, Wetlands
Posted by Staff | Monday, July 30, 2018
Nearly 50 years ago, the Cuyahoga River in northeast Ohio caught fire. Although this was not the first occurrence of its kind – the river had caught fire some 13 times since 1868 due to spill-off from the steel mills and factories stretching between Akron and Cleveland – this...
Coasts & Water, Parks, People, Trails and Hiking, Volunteer Opportunities
Posted by Staff | Monday, July 30, 2018
There’s nothing like a bracing summer hike to get our blood pumping and our senses filled with the sights and sounds of nature. Fortunately, there’s plenty to choose from: with a network of nearly 60,000 miles, America’s National Trails System is longer than the Interstate Highway System!
Alas, no...
Adventures, Backcountry & Wilderness, Trails and Hiking
Posted by Staff | Monday, July 30, 2018
We recently asked our alumni to tell us their SCA stories, and did they ever! We were so moved by what they had to say that we want to start sharing them with you. Each month we will add a new one as well as link to those that have...
Adventures, History, Parks, People, Trails and Hiking
Posted by Kevin Hamilton | Friday, July 27, 2018
The thing you hear most often from SCA alumni is “those X weeks changed my life.”
Nature’s marvels, self-discovery, and a strong sense of accomplishment are all factors in these transformations, but the influence of conservation professionals is also paramount. Those who invest the time to mentor, instruct, advise, encourage, test,...
Posted by Staff | Tuesday, July 17, 2018
Sustainability
Posted by Staff | Friday, July 13, 2018
In Part I of our guide, we taught you how to identify bumble bees and honey bees—two of our most critical pollinators (and pretty nonaggressive, to boot!). In Part II we will explore the other common stinging critters in the U.S., teaching you how to identify them and...
Adventures, Animals & Wildlife, Backcountry & Wilderness, Education, Science, Trails and Hiking
SCA alum Ian Vogel is now a biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service!
Posted by Staff | Tuesday, July 10, 2018
Ian Vogel participated in the Directorate Fellowship Program with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in the summer of 2016 through SCA and is now a wildlife biologist with the Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office. He assists with collecting Yosemite toad eggs for two different captive rearing projects.
...
Animals & Wildlife, Career Success, People, Science
Posted by Kevin Hamilton | Monday, July 9, 2018
Things sure have changed since their dads made this trek a quarter century ago.
Cal Najimy and Steve Bagley are part of an SCA team on the Alaska Panhandle, replacing an elaborate fish pass in Tongass National Forest. They are literally following in the footsteps (and airstreams) of their fathers,...
Posted by Staff | Friday, July 6, 2018
Is that stinging critter a bee, yellow jacket, wasp, or hornet? It’s natural to feel worried when you see stinging insects buzzing around your backyard or barbecue in the park, but many of them are relatively harmless—and are important pollinators. In Part I, we’ll help you learn to identify bees,...