Liz Putnam is widely recognized as “the Mother of the American Youth Conservation Movement.” She’s received dozens of major awards, including the Presidential Citizens Medal, the nation’s second-highest civilian honor. And she’s touched the lives of thousands upon thousands of young people, who in turn have left their mark on...
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 | Wednesday, March 7, 2018
Career Success, History, Parks, People
Posted by Staff | Tuesday, March 6, 2018
From Asia to Africa, from Europe to the Americas, countries around the globe are finding creative ways to help save the environment. In today's post, let's take a virtual world tour to discover the best ideas being enacted outside of our borders - no passport or visa needed.
Animals & Wildlife, Climate, Coasts & Water, Endangered Species, Forests, Sustainability, Wetlands
Posted by Kevin Hamilton | Monday, March 5, 2018
Attention SCA AmeriCorps alumni and anyone else with an AmeriCorps Education Award: you can apply your award toward registration fees, lodging, and even travel to attend the 25th annual Wilderness Risk Management Conference (WRMC) in Portland, OR October 3-5, 2018. You can even earn a college credit.
Here’s how...
Posted by Staff | Friday, March 2, 2018
Are you torn between your love of nature and your desire to live in a big city? Does your job, school, or family situation require you to live near a larger population center? Well, we’ve got good news for you: cities across the country are “going green,” reducing...
Parks, People
Posted by Staff | Friday, February 23, 2018
Within the wonderful, multifaceted world of green professions, confusion often exists between careers in conservation and those that focus on the environment. While you won’t go wrong with either, it is important to know the difference between the two in order to steer your ecological interests and studies in the...
Career Success, Education, People
SCA and MUFG Team Up to Conserve Midwestern Bird Species, Clean the Florida Coast, and Restore a Southern River
Posted by Ann Pedtke | Thursday, February 22, 2018
This February, SCA and MUFG headed back into the field to bring community conservation to three new cities: Chicago, Atlanta, and Tampa.
3 Presidents Who Did the Most for the Environment
Posted by Jennifer Gaillard | Friday, February 16, 2018
Presidents are frequently remembered for issues of war and peace, or how they handled times of crisis. But it is often their quiet initiatives that – over the long-term – have the greatest effect on people’s lives and the wellbeing of a nation. So it is with the presidents who...
History, Parks
An SCA Alum reflects on taking a risk, building a strong network and finally landing his dream job.
Posted by Staff | Wednesday, February 14, 2018
Intro/Bio: Rob has served three consecutive terms with SCA at Gateway National Recreation Area in NYC. After graduating with a business degree, he’d landed a comfortable job in waste management which led to a promotion, however he still felt something was missing. Here he reflects on taking the leap of...
Career Success, Education, People
A special gift to you in celebration of Valentine's Day.
Posted by Staff | Wednesday, February 14, 2018
If you are going to fall in love, may I suggest first chasing your passion and then turning to look for the person next to you who is running in the same direction. For a couple of adventure hungry seventeen-year olds, the charming gem that is Acadia National Park of...
Adventures, People
by Brianna Rain Credle, three-time SCA alumna
Posted by Staff | Wednesday, February 14, 2018
As a young girl from New Jersey, I knew my life was lacking something wild. Which is why when I started looking at colleges, I felt there was only one choice: Paul Smith’s College of the Adirondacks. I knew that getting a degree in wildlife management would allow me to...
Adventures, Diversity, People
Posted by Ann Pedtke | Thursday, February 1, 2018
The Student Conservation Association 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...
SCA Harvey Recovery Volunteers Reforest Sims Bayou in Houston
Posted by Ann Pedtke | Tuesday, January 30, 2018
Five months ago, when Hurricane Harvey swept through Houston, flood waters rose from Sims Bayou to overflow Milby Park — eroding banks, washing out trails and bike paths, and drowning the young forest growing along the waterfront.
“When I first saw the park after Harvey,” said one SCA alum, “the seedlings...
Five Environmental Careers That Don’t Involve Science
Posted by Megan McVey | Monday, January 29, 2018
You followed your heart and majored in the humanities, and now that same heart is pushing you to save the environment. But green careers are for science majors, right? Marine biologists and geologists and environmental engineers? Well, not quite. In reality, the environmental movement is a burgeoning, interdisciplinary network, and...
Career Success, Education, Science
Posted by Megan McVey | Monday, January 29, 2018
Author: Michaela Aney
As I collected information from our former Excelsior Conservation Corps (ECC) alumni, I saw a trend of people changing jobs at least two or three times within a two year span. When I spoke with other millennials I discovered a similar pattern: We were all quickly...
Posted by Megan McVey | Friday, January 26, 2018
The Excelsior Conservation Corps is gearing up to start their third field season! While they begin preparations for a new class of members, slated to arrive in March, they recently reached out to a few Year One members to see what they are up to now:
Kelsey Ruffino
...
SCA Brings Communities Together to Serve for MLK Day Coast to Coast
Posted by Ann Pedtke | Thursday, January 18, 2018
With the support of American Express and Southwest Airlines, SCA brought together hundreds of community members across the country to honor the MLK National Day of Service…
Posted by Hayden Sloan | Tuesday, January 9, 2018
By SCA Community Engagement Fellow Hayden Sloan
As you may know, plastic degrades (breaks down into pieces), but it doesn’t biodegrade (break down through natural decomposition). This becomes a problem over time, as all of the plastic pieces we’ve generated over the last seven decades are steadily turning the sea into...
Preserving Our Heritage, One Trail At a Time
Posted by Megan McVey | Monday, January 8, 2018
Amid the tumultuous era of the Vietnam War, the civil rights movement, and a push for women’s liberation, a less controversial piece of legislation also appeared on the scene. In 1968, the National Trails System Act was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Johnson. However...
Five resolutions that are easy to execute, but add up to a major impact for the environment.
Posted by Megan McVey | Monday, December 18, 2017
In the words of the famous carol, fast away the old year passes. And as we gather with family and friends to celebrate the holidays, it’s a natural time to reflect on the year gone by and make resolutions for the year ahead. This year, in addition to eating less...
Education, Sustainability
Posted by Kevin Hamilton | Monday, December 18, 2017
Reginald “Flip” Hagood, who currently serves on the SCA President’s Council following a 20-year run as senior vice president with SCA, will receive The Corps Network’s 2018 Legacy Achievement Award at a February ceremony in Washington, DC. The award recognizes leaders who have made significant contributions to the corps...