“Our generation has the responsibility (more than any other generation in our history) to confront and deal with serious environmental issues.”
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.
Featured Earthsaver for the #Next100
Posted by Ann Pedtke | Monday, June 13, 2016
Kids, Parks, People, Volunteer Opportunities
An Interview with Pro Outdoorsman Michael A. Lanza
Posted by Joseph Thurston | Friday, June 10, 2016
How does a professional wilderness adventurer make time to spend with his family? For dedicated dad and outdoor explorer Michael A. Lanza it’s simple; he just brings them along on his adventures!
With his blog, TheBigOutside.com, Lanza has made a career of writing about the intense outdoor excursions he’s been...
Adventures, Backcountry & Wilderness, Climate, Kids, Parks, People, Trails and Hiking
Adventure Journalist Michael A. Lanza Shares His Secrets
Posted by Joseph Thurston | Friday, June 10, 2016
A former editor for Backpacker Magazine, Michael A. Lanza now makes his living blogging about the incredible outdoor adventures that he takes, often with his familiy, for his website, TheBigOutside.com.
We recently talked with him about how he got his start, how climate change is affecting the wildnernesses he’s...
...Results in a Perfect Teaching Moment at Sequoia National Park
Posted by Joseph Thurston | Thursday, June 9, 2016
ABOVE: The note written by a recent young visitor to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. (Photo Credit: Meredith Elgart)
Why is it wrong (not to mention illegal) to remove plants from national parks?
In what turned out to be a beautiful (or should we say precious?) teaching moment last week, ...
Education, Forests, Kids, Parks
200+ SCA Volunteers Discover Manhattan's National Park Sites
Posted by Ann Pedtke | Monday, June 6, 2016
In celebration of National Trails Day and in support of the Find Your Park campaign, SCA brought together over 200 volunteers in New York City for a Find Your Park Day of Service at General Grant National Memorial.
Parks, People, Trails and Hiking, Volunteer Opportunities
Posted by Megan McVey | Monday, June 6, 2016
Find Your Park In Alaska
In honor of its 100thbirthday next year, the National Park Service has teamed up with the National Park Foundation and created the ‘Find Your Park’ campaign to introduce national parks to a new generation of Americans. The campaign encourages people across the U.S. to discover...
200 SCA Find Your Park Volunteers Hit the Urban Trail
Posted by Ann Pedtke | Monday, June 6, 2016
In celebration of National Trails Day and in partnership with American Express, SCA brought together nearly 200 volunteers for a Find Your Park Day of Service at Fort DuPont Park in southeast Washington, DC.
Parks, People, Trails and Hiking, Volunteer Opportunities
A small group of volunteers can make a BIG difference!
Posted by Staff | Monday, June 6, 2016
In celebration of National Trails Day, SCA brought together over 40 volunteers in the Bay Area this weekend for a ConSERVE Bay Area event at Stern Grove Recreation Area in San Francisco.
Parks, Trails and Hiking
SCA Alumni Council Member Jeremy Taitano Returns to NPS Academy
Posted by Ann Pedtke | Friday, May 27, 2016
Two years ago, I was an SCA NPS Academy member in the Grand Tetons. Thirty other college students and I had made the trip out to the Teton Science School in Wyoming to go through a week-long orientation, before we would all go on to serve in SCA internship positions...
Coasts & Water, History, Parks, People
Posted by Kevin Hamilton | Friday, May 27, 2016
SCA is conducting its 2016 Career Discovery Intern Program (CDIP) orientation this week with the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) just outside of New Orleans. Thirty-eight students from a range of backgrounds have come together to explore FWS careers, team up with agency mentors, and prepare for their three-month...
Posted by Megan McVey | Monday, May 23, 2016
What if you could spend your days hiking along a wild coastline through lush old-growth forests and glacier-capped peaks, all while gaining real-world work experience? With The Student Conservation Association, you can!
SCA offers a variety of opportunities to work with other young people who share your passion for...
Adventures, Backcountry & Wilderness, Coasts & Water, People, Trails and Hiking
Posted by Kevin Hamilton | Wednesday, May 18, 2016
It’s a standard part of her remarks…and the response is standard, too.
SCA Founding President Liz Putnam addressed 350 outdoor professionals from federal, state, regional, and local government agencies, consultants, non-profits, and academic institutions at the Society of Outdoor Recreation Professionals (SORP) annual conference in Boise, ID.
In...
SCA's Henry Woolley on helping USFWS save an endangered bird
Posted by Henry Woolley | Wednesday, May 11, 2016
This post was written for Open Spaces, the official blog of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It’s part of a monthly series featuring SCA interns writing about their experiences working to promote, protect and study wildlife on public lands all over the United States. Today, Henry Woolley checks in...
Animals & Wildlife, Endangered Species, People, Wetlands
Featured Earthsaver for the #Next100
Posted by Ann Pedtke | Monday, May 9, 2016
“I love the outdoors and believe that we all need to do our part to make sure that our parks and environmental resources remain intact for others to enjoy.”
Parks, People, Volunteer Opportunities
Earthsavers of the Month
Posted by Ann Pedtke | Monday, May 9, 2016
“This is fabulous! Truly a great partnership idea !”
Kids, Parks, People, Volunteer Opportunities
SCA's 2016 Earth Day Projects Bring Out 2,173 Volunteers
Posted by Joseph Thurston | Friday, May 6, 2016
Each April, as Earth Day draws near, people in communities across America begin thinking more about the health of the planet and wondering what they can do to help improve it. Every year, the Student Conservation Association (SCA) responds by creating Earth Month opportunities for people to connect in local...
Parks, Volunteer Opportunities
360 Volunteers Serve at Greenbelt Park
Posted by Ann Pedtke | Monday, May 2, 2016
In celebration of Earth Day, SCA brought together 360 volunteers from across the DC, Maryland, and Virginia for a Find Your Park Day of Service at Greenbelt Park.
Parks, People, Volunteer Opportunities
330 Volunteers Brave Wet Weather to Conserve Chicago-Area Public Lands
Posted by Ann Pedtke | Monday, May 2, 2016
In celebration of Earth Day, SCA brought together 330 volunteers from across the Chicago area for a Find Your Park Day of Service at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.
Coasts & Water, Kids, Parks, People
Posted by Megan McVey | Thursday, April 28, 2016
Rich Guadagno was a son, a brother and a refuge enforcement officer with the Department of the Interior. He was also a passenger on...
by SCA Intern Jess Landis
Posted by Jess Landis | Wednesday, April 27, 2016
As a Centennial Volunteer Ambassador at Padre Island National Seashore, I’ve gotten to meet some pretty cool people. Recently I sat down with Dr. Donna Shaver, Chief of Sea Turtle Science and Recovery at Padre Island. Given we’re both natives of New York, Cornell University grads and SCA alumni, we...