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.
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.
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
On Thursday, September 27th, SCA, Timberland, Journeys, and many local partners came together to transform The Blue Island Corridor from an abandoned lot into a renewed green space. Over 70 participants teamed up to green about 3,500 square feet totaling more than 400 conservation service hours. These conservation leaders strapped...
On Saturday, September 29th forty-two bright and eager Domtar Employees, Family Members, and Friends helped revitalize Sanborn Natural Trail in Port Huron. Port Huron Parks & Recreation Staff, who usually maintain the trail has experienced a busy summer. With a staff of only seven to maintain 19 city parks, the trail hasn’t gotten as much...
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,...
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...
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...
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!
Over the summer, Simon...
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....
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 —...
