Nature in America’s national parks, refuges, and protected spaces is a profusion of color: from the purple-pink rhododendrons in the Great Smoky Mountains to the palette of reds, tans, and oranges on the south rim of the Grand Canyon, from the steel blues and grays of Glacier...
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 | Tuesday, July 3, 2018
Backcountry & Wilderness, Parks, People, Trails and Hiking
Boots on the Ground at Taku Lake Park
Posted by Ally Ratliff | Wednesday, June 27, 2018
June 21st, the longest day of the year, is quite a unique experience in Alaska. The Great Land celebrates this day with live music, gatherings with friends and families, and in the great outdoors. The sun never seems to set here. On this year’s summer solstice, CIRI and SCA teamed...
Forests, Invasives, Kids, Parks, Volunteer Opportunities
Posted by Staff | Wednesday, June 27, 2018
As a history major at Loyola University New Orleans, Peter Winfrey didn’t expect his career would lead him to the National Park Service (NPS). He definitely didn’t think it would take him to the largest and one of the wildest states in the country: Alaska.
Yet, after years of volunteering, an...
Career Success, Education, Parks, People
Domtar Employees, Family and Friends Help Clean Up Lions Park!
Posted by Alycia Chuney | Tuesday, June 26, 2018
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On Saturday, June 16th, Domtar Employees teamed...
Parks, People, Volunteer Opportunities
Posted by Staff | Monday, June 25, 2018
Located on the southern tip of Florida, the Everglades National Park – a World Heritage Site, International Biosphere Reserve, Wetland of International Importance, and a specially protected area under the Cartagena Treaty – is the only place in the world where alligators and crocodiles live side by side....
Career Success, Diversity, Parks, People, Trails and Hiking
Posted by Staff | Wednesday, June 20, 2018
At the moment, the land owned by Elder Pyatt in Beattie, Oregon is covered by juniper trees and rocks. But it won’t be for long. Pyatt, a Student Conversation Association alum and Iraq War veteran, has big dreams for his 40 acres: to turn them into a flourishing lavender farm.
Good...
Animals & Wildlife, Sustainability, Wildfires
Posted by Julia Kaback | Wednesday, June 20, 2018
Recently, at my synagogue Congregation Rodeph Shalom in New York City, a rabbi shared his desire to learn about bread baking. Hearing this sermon reminded me of baking bread on Student Conservation Association (SCA) high school crews during my summer recess. I returned home a few hours later and checked...
Posted by Staff | Monday, June 18, 2018
You’ll find the latest updates from Alexis on the road with the Vans Warped Tour 2018, here.
Hey hi hello!
My name is Alexis Acar and I am one of the Corporate and Community Engagement Coordinators at the Student Conservation Association (SCA). In a few days, I’ll be...
Posted by Kevin Hamilton | Tuesday, June 12, 2018
What are the chances of history repeating itself…twice? Simultaneously?
This story begins in the summer of 1992 on Kupreanof Island, part of Tongass National Forest in southeastern Alaska. Officials there wanted to install a fish pass to make it easier for coho salmon to navigate Mitchell Creek. To
...Posted by Staff | Wednesday, June 6, 2018
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In the United States, summertime is synonymous with getting outdoors and visiting a national park. But many of the most popular parks – such as the Grand Canyon, Great Smoky Mountains, Olympic, Yellowstone, and can get very crowded. Although there are tricks for avoiding the crowds even at...
Adventures, Parks, Trails and Hiking
West Monroe teamed up in Seattle to restore University District P-Patch
Posted by Ally Ratliff | Monday, June 4, 2018
On Friday, June 1st, West Monroe employee volunteers teamed up with SCA at Seattle’s University District P-Patch to help revitalize this much-loved, public space. Over 50 participants gathered together for #WMPDayofChange to clear pathways and garden beds and restore the garden’s composting structure.
...
Invasives, Parks, People, Volunteer Opportunities
Posted by Staff | Wednesday, May 30, 2018
In 1998, President Clinton launched “Great Outdoors Week,” seven days to celebrate our relationship with nature in all of its facets: recreation, art, therapy, conservation, and so much more. So popular was the initiative that, over time, it blossomed into Great Outdoors Month. And, fitting for the time that heralds...
Adventures, Parks, Trails and Hiking, Volunteer Opportunities
Seed Balls with American Express
Posted by Kelly McSween Runzel | Friday, May 25, 2018
April 17th , 2018 - American Express hosts Seed Ball events in Phoenix, Miami, Salt Lake City and New York City and helps create thousands of Seed Balls.
I made my way through the TSA security check point hoping that the quarter pound satchel of Native Western Wildflower Seeds...
Posted by Kevin Hamilton | Thursday, May 24, 2018
SCA has earned many honors over the years: from the Interior Department, the US Conference of Mayors, the Garden Club of America and others (not to mention Founding President Liz Putnam’s Presidential Citizens Medal).
This week, however, we entered an entirely new realm when the SCA documentary “National Park...
Posted by Staff | Thursday, May 24, 2018
What does it take to be a park ranger? To find out, we caught up with SCA alumni who have gone on to hold government careers as park rangers. In Part I, we explored the college majors and internships that can help you land your dream job. In...
Career Success, Parks
400 Volunteers, 5 Cities, 1 Earth Month Project
Posted by Ally Ratliff | Wednesday, May 23, 2018
Drones flying overhead, youth tweeting to the world, Go Pro’s readied for action. Doesn’t sound like something you would see during an outdoor service project, does it? At Exelon’s first ever National Volunteer week, that was exactly what we saw. During the month of April, SCA & Exelon teamed up...
Forests, Invasives, Kids, Parks, People, Volunteer Opportunities
Posted by Staff | Friday, May 18, 2018
Many children dream of becoming park rangers, and the career retains the allure of the romantic. But what does it take to turn that dream into action? To find out, we tracked down SCA alumni who have gone on to become successful park rangers and asked them precisely that. In...
Career Success, Parks, People
Sony Springing into Action for Tompkins Square Park
Posted by Ally Ratliff | Friday, May 18, 2018
On Tuesday, May 15th, Sony employee volunteers joined SCA to conserve Tompkins Square Park. They met early in the morning to get fueled up for a full day of spreading seed, laying soil, and cleaning up the park. Before getting their hands dirty, the group gathered up for the morning...
Parks, People, Volunteer Opportunities
Hearts in Action Across the Nation
Posted by Kelly McSween Runzel | Thursday, May 17, 2018
The Student Conservation Association (SCA) is proud to call Southwest Airlines its most LUV’d partner, especially after SWA “Cohearts” participating in the airline’s spring company-wide initiative, fueled a record-setting SCA Earth Month celebration in April. Together, we mobilized a record-setting 4,000 volunteers to serve the planet, and conserved over 136,000...
History, Kids, Parks, People, Volunteer Opportunities
Posted by Staff | Wednesday, May 16, 2018
We all want to see wildlife. I travel to Great Smoky Mountains National Park to find salamanders and Bombay Hook Wildlife Refuge for avocets and bald eagles. But we forget that cities are complex ecosystems with perhaps unexpected levels of biodiversity.