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...
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 | Monday, February 4, 2019
People, Trails and Hiking, Volunteer Opportunities
Posted by Staff | Friday, February 1, 2019
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...
Adventures, Education, People, Sustainability, Trails and Hiking
Posted by Staff | Wednesday, January 23, 2019
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...
Adventures, Backcountry & Wilderness, Diversity, People, Trails and Hiking
Posted by Staff | Tuesday, January 22, 2019
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...
Adventures, Forests, Parks, Trails and Hiking
Posted by Staff | Monday, January 21, 2019
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...
Adventures, People
Posted by Staff | Tuesday, January 15, 2019
By Leah Wildeman, SCA Massachusetts AmeriCorps Member
“Welcome to Hawley!” was sprawled across a paper in neon colors as I walked into the kitchen. All 18 of our names perfectly written around the greeting. Hanging from the wall, it was one of the first things I saw when
...Adventures, People
Manhattan Center for Science & Mathematics gets a green makeover
Posted by Alycia Chuney | Wednesday, January 9, 2019
On Wednesday, more than 100 Timberland and Journey’s Employees and SCA Volunteers rallied on the campus of Manhattan Center for Science and...
Education, People, Sustainability
Posted by Staff | Thursday, January 3, 2019
By Rachel Rothe, SCA Massachusetts AmeriCorps Member
As I drive west through Massachusetts to my new site location, the weather got worse and worse. What started out as a clear and dry day, was now snowy and covered with a heavy fog. I was the first corps member to...
Adventures, People
Posted by Staff | Wednesday, January 2, 2019
As pharmaceutical solutions for mental health care have dominated in the United States in recent decades, we tend to overlook an important component of both our physical and emotional wellbeing: Nature.
Although anecdotal evidence of nature’s benefits has existed forever, the medical community is just starting to evaluate and consider the...
People
Posted by Staff | Monday, December 31, 2018
Looking for the secrets to a better year for you and the planet? We’ve compiled a few ideas on how to accomplish both. These might inspire you to formulate a set of your own resolutions and goals for the new year.
1. Step outside—even just for a short walk.
There’s no minimum...
Adventures, Sustainability, Trails and Hiking
Posted by Staff | Friday, December 21, 2018
By Anna Wadhams, SCA Alumni Council
Want to start 2019 in the great outdoors? On January 1st you can join a nationwide initiative to support state parks with a First Day Hike. All 50 state park systems will celebrate the New Year with guided hikes for the...
Adventures, Parks, Trails and Hiking
Posted by Staff | Thursday, December 20, 2018
The world of graduate programs is alluring for many students interested in careers in the outdoors or environmental science. While the process and requirements for undergraduate programs are familiar—transcripts, SATs, interviews, and campus visits—graduate school may feel mysterious and daunting.
So, what’s needed to be competitive for grad school in the...
Career Success, Education, Forests, People
Teaming Up to Green Little Green Acres Park
Posted by Ally Ratliff | Thursday, November 29, 2018
On Thursday, November 1st, SCA, Timberland, Journeys, and many local partners came together to transform an abandoned community garden into a thriving green space for the LA community. Over 80 participants tallied more than 500 service hours, uniting to renew 10,018 square feet of garden space. These Earthkeepers came...
Parks, Volunteer Opportunities
Posted by Staff | Thursday, November 15, 2018
Not sure what to get the nature lover in your life? Do they refuse anything fancy and seem to already have all the gear they need? How do you show your love and appreciation without breaking the bank? Luckily, we have a few ideas to help you find the...
Adventures, Backcountry & Wilderness, Forests, Parks, People, Trails and Hiking
Posted by Staff | Tuesday, November 13, 2018
How do kids fall in love with the outdoors? Interpretive guides or environmental educators inspire them daily at parks and schools. We are in dire need of innovative educators to develop and guide this hands-on learning. Up to the challenge? Instill an appreciation of the natural world in students and...
Education, Parks, People
Posted by Staff | Friday, October 26, 2018
Throughout history, many of the world’s greatest works of art have arisen out of a contemplation of nature: just think of Monet’s Water Lilies paintings or Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony, which within its five movements captures everything from a burbling brook to a storm to a country...
Animals & Wildlife, Career Success, Parks, People, Science
Posted by Dani Tinker | Wednesday, October 24, 2018
Popular culture and common myths perpetuate a fear of these misunderstood animals. They are more closely related to primates than rats and mice, they aren’t all rabid, and they don’t like to mess with humans. Bats want to do their own thing and be left alone. There’s no real reason...
Animals & Wildlife, Endangered Species, Science
Posted by Staff | Wednesday, October 17, 2018
Thirty years ago, in the summer of 1988, more than thirty percent of Yellowstone National Park – known as the “Wonderland of the West” – turned into a raging inferno. After a wet spring, drought struck the park in June, leading to the driest summer in...
History, Parks, Wildfires
Posted by Dani Tinker | Monday, October 15, 2018
A growing SCA initiative is helping teens with autism transition into young adulthood. For the second consecutive summer, high school students with autism joined SCA crews to improve local green spaces. The partnership between SCA and Drexel University launched last year in Philadelphia. This year, it expanded to Pittsburgh and...