“Working with SCA and Sagamore Hill National Historic Site has made me realize conservation has a strong presence in American history and we need to keep that presence strong.”Read more
Celebrating the National Park Service Centennial
The Student Conservation Association (SCA) is commemorating the National Park Service’s 100th anniversary by mobilizing thousands of young volunteers to protect and restore America’s most inspirational assets, and planting the seeds of stewardship in tens of thousands more.
For the past 60 years, SCA has been a key partner in empowering youth to not only protect our parks today, but to become stewards for tomorrow. Join us as we engage thousands more young volunteers and community members in ensuring America’s natural legacy for the Next 100 years.
Featured Earthsaver: CJ Goulding
CJ Goulding has attended SCA’s NPS Academy as both a member and a mentor. Now, he’s traded in his hard hat and workboots for wingtips and a tie as SCA’s Youth Programs Analyst Intern in Washington, DC. As good with a pen as he is with a pulaski, he’s written two essays for Children & Nature Network’s “New Nature Movement” blog.
“Our national parks form the common ground that unites us as a people, and I want to make sure that all Americans see their stories in national parks.”
Diandré Watkins, SCA CVA
National Mall and Memorial Parks
Washington, DC
Find Your Park Days of Service
In partnership with American Express, SCA is hosting large-scale volunteer events at urban national park sites across the country. These celebrations will engage over 6,400 young people and community members to preserve their national parks for the next 100 years. Projected outcome include:
Centennial Volunteer Ambassadors
One hundred SCA members are leading a nationwide effort to connect people to their national parks and public lands. At national parks, monuments, and historic sites across 30 states, SCA Centennial Volunteer Ambassadors are forging new community relationships and expanding volunteer capacities. This year alone, these volunteers will:
Stories from the Field for the Next 100
SCA members and alumni have protected our national parks for 60 years. The partnership between SCA and NPS has yielded immediate impact to our parks and long-term impact to ensure the future of our public lands. These stories are just a few examples of how SCA members are contributing to the Next 100 years of our national parks.
“I want to help new generations of students feel the same excitement I felt about protecting our parks when I first joined SCA over nine years ago.”Read more
Former SCA intern and current wildlife technician, Diana Gu, checks in from Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge in Florida.Read more
“I serve because it gives me a purpose greater than myself, and I think that is really important.”Read more
This September, SCA leaders went international to protect endangered species in the Canadian interior — teaming up with national supporter Domtar to restore the BC Wildlife Park in Kamloops, British Columbia.Read more
Thanks to sponsorship from ATN International and partnership with Canyon de Chelly National Monument in Arizona, dozens of youth have experienced conservation on SCA crews comprised entirely of Navajo, or Diné, students. The teenaged crews repair trails and restore habitats, though much time is...Read more
Time spent enjoying the great outdoors is more than just fun. It’s an essential part of life, and an especially essential part of growing up. Time spent in nature, or even just time spent gazing at greenery through a well-placed window, has lately been shown to have a variety of cognitive benefits...Read more
Ever wonder what it’s like to work with dinosaurs? Well I can’t tell you what it’s like to work with a Tyrannosaurus rex, but I can tell you about working with a reptile whose ancestors were around during the Cretaceous period.Read more
After working outside helped Emmett Pegan deal with the stress of coming out as transgender, he decided to try and make a career of it. Now as an SCA Biology Intern at John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge in Philadelphia, he’s learning what such a career might look like before he heads to college in the fall.Read more
Hema Lochan hopes to use her position as an intern in the Zion Museum to cultivate and revitalize a human connection with wilderness.Read more
SCA IS ENSURING THE NEXT GENERATION OF PARK STEWARDS.
SCA Day of service volunteers report the following:
Next100SCA on Instagram
Post your photos to Instagram using the hashtag #Next100SCA