Student Conservation Association
Encyclopedia
The Student Conservation Association (SCA) is a non-profit group in the United States whose mission is to build the next generation of conservation leaders and inspire lifelong stewardship of our environment and communities by engaging young people in hands-on service to the land through service opportunities, outdoor skills, and leadership training.
wrote her senior thesis, "A Proposed Student Conservation Corps". The idea, modeled after the federal Civilian Conservation Corps
program (1933–42), was to take the burden of labor-intensive jobs such as entrance fee collecting or trail work from the National Park Service
and shift to the SCC. In 1957, the Student Conservation Program (forerunner to SCA) had two separate programs in Grand Teton National Park
and Olympic National Park
. In 1964, the Student Conservation Program broke away from the National Park Service and formed the Student Conservation Association. Since then, the organization has grown tremendously and currently places more than 4,000 volunteers annually in public lands and urban green spaces.
s, national wilderness areas
, national monuments, Bureau of Land Management
-controlled lands, even military ranges, as well as a variety of other federally controlled lands throughout the United States. The crews are divided into frontcountry and backcountry crews, with frontcountry crews being based within one mile of a road and most likely having easier access to showers, stores, and park rangers. Backcountry crews are usually more isolated and provide a completely different experience.
The projects performed by the crews vary. The Conservation Crews typically do trail work, usually trail construction or erosion control, depending on the needs of the park. Other projects may include restoration of tourist-impacted areas and invasive species removal. The projects last from 21–30 days with a 4-5 day recreational trip at the end.
The program is free to students except for the cost of transportation to the prearranged meeting location, usually a nearby airport. Also, students provide most of their own necessary outdoor gear. Expenses are shared between the SCA, agency partners, and individual donors. Financial assistance is available to cover transportation costs, and SCA can provide gear to those needing it.
Once at their worksite, the students work eight hours a day, six days a week. The crews are led usually by two trained, experienced crew leaders, men and women over the age of 21. Most crew leaders are college students or teachers, though there are leaders in their 60's. The sponsoring organization such as the Park Service or Bureau of Land Management provides instruction and tools, but the crews are responsible for completing their job without supervision. On days off, they may undertake an ambitious hike or just relax around camp. At the end of their conservation project, all crews take a short recreation trip to enjoy the area, often a backpacking trip.
An online application as well as a catalog of conservation crew work sites is available on the SCA website. SCA begins reviewing applications in January and offers of placement are sent out beginning in April.
, Stamford
, Seattle
, Oakland
, Washington, D.C.
, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Dallas
, Detroit
, Jacksonville
, Manchester
, Milwaukee, New Jersey
, Philadelphia
, Seattle
, and Pittsburgh
.
The Conservation Leadership Corps (CLC) program takes place year-round in regional offices. The format of the CLC program varies from region to region. All students successfully completing the CLC program will have the opportunity to participate in a summer Conservation Crew and will have their airfare covered by their regional office. As part of the CLC, members volunteer on weekends throughout the school year in their home city, build trails, restore river and lakefront environments, conserve habitats, learn about the environment through field trips, go on weekend camping excursions, and give back to the community through service projects.
The Summer Community Crews are six to seven week crews over the summer in which students complete trail maintenance and site restoration projects in public parks, learn about the local environment through field trips led by the Crew Leader, visit local parks, learn outdoor skills, and go on a recreational camping trip.
Stipend.
Applications and a catalog of current internship openings are available on the SCA's website. Some internships are very competitive while others are not filled. The admissions process for each internship is on a rolling basis, with each internship position having a closing date. Students can apply for as many positions as they wish.
Many short-term Conservation Internship Positions involve work such as soil and water monitoring, GIS work, naturalist work, interpretation, visitor assistance, and more. The majority of short-term conservation internship positions are during the summer season, but positions are offered all year long.
Interns can work either on a one-to-one basis with state or federal professionals, or in groups as part of the Conservation Corps.
Corps members spend 3–10 months of their time devoted to critical environmental issues such as wildfire management and education, trail restoration and maintenance, environmental education, and invasive species eradication.
More than 20 million people directly benefit from SCA conservation services each year.
SCA members annually serve more than 500 natural and cultural sites in all 50 states.
Since 1957, SCA’s 50,000+ members around the world have provided service valued at over half a billion dollars.
70% of SCA alumni remain active in conservation in their careers or communities.
SCA members build or maintain more than 2,500 miles of trail per year, well over the equivalent of the Appalachian Trail.
12% of the National Park Service are SCA Alumni.
SCA was founded before Peace Corps, City Year and AmeriCorps.
SCA also preceded the EPA, Earth Day and Silent Spring.
SCA has been recognized by The White House, the Department of the Interior, and the Garden Club of America, among many others.
History of the SCA
In 1955, Elizabeth Titus Cushman of Vassar CollegeVassar College
Vassar College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college in the town of Poughkeepsie, New York, in the United States. The Vassar campus comprises over and more than 100 buildings, including four National Historic Landmarks, ranging in style from Collegiate Gothic to International,...
wrote her senior thesis, "A Proposed Student Conservation Corps". The idea, modeled after the federal Civilian Conservation Corps
Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families, ages 18–25. A part of the New Deal of President Franklin D...
program (1933–42), was to take the burden of labor-intensive jobs such as entrance fee collecting or trail work from the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
and shift to the SCC. In 1957, the Student Conservation Program (forerunner to SCA) had two separate programs in Grand Teton National Park
Grand Teton National Park
Grand Teton National Park is a United States National Park located in northwestern Wyoming, U.S. The Park consists of approximately and includes the major peaks of the long Teton Range as well as most of the northern sections of the valley known as Jackson Hole. Only south of Yellowstone...
and Olympic National Park
Olympic National Park
Olympic National Park is located in the U.S. state of Washington, in the Olympic Peninsula. The park can be divided into four basic regions: the Pacific coastline, alpine areas, the west side temperate rainforest and the forests of the drier east side. U.S...
. In 1964, the Student Conservation Program broke away from the National Park Service and formed the Student Conservation Association. Since then, the organization has grown tremendously and currently places more than 4,000 volunteers annually in public lands and urban green spaces.
Conservation Crews
Every summer, over 600 young people aged 15+ are placed into crews of 6 or 8 in national parkNational park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
s, national wilderness areas
National Wilderness Preservation System
The National Wilderness Preservation System of the United States protects federally managed land areas designated for preservation in their natural condition. It was established by the Wilderness Act upon the signature of President Lyndon B. Johnson on September 3, 1964...
, national monuments, Bureau of Land Management
Bureau of Land Management
The Bureau of Land Management is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior which administers America's public lands, totaling approximately , or one-eighth of the landmass of the country. The BLM also manages of subsurface mineral estate underlying federal, state and private...
-controlled lands, even military ranges, as well as a variety of other federally controlled lands throughout the United States. The crews are divided into frontcountry and backcountry crews, with frontcountry crews being based within one mile of a road and most likely having easier access to showers, stores, and park rangers. Backcountry crews are usually more isolated and provide a completely different experience.
The projects performed by the crews vary. The Conservation Crews typically do trail work, usually trail construction or erosion control, depending on the needs of the park. Other projects may include restoration of tourist-impacted areas and invasive species removal. The projects last from 21–30 days with a 4-5 day recreational trip at the end.
The program is free to students except for the cost of transportation to the prearranged meeting location, usually a nearby airport. Also, students provide most of their own necessary outdoor gear. Expenses are shared between the SCA, agency partners, and individual donors. Financial assistance is available to cover transportation costs, and SCA can provide gear to those needing it.
Once at their worksite, the students work eight hours a day, six days a week. The crews are led usually by two trained, experienced crew leaders, men and women over the age of 21. Most crew leaders are college students or teachers, though there are leaders in their 60's. The sponsoring organization such as the Park Service or Bureau of Land Management provides instruction and tools, but the crews are responsible for completing their job without supervision. On days off, they may undertake an ambitious hike or just relax around camp. At the end of their conservation project, all crews take a short recreation trip to enjoy the area, often a backpacking trip.
An online application as well as a catalog of conservation crew work sites is available on the SCA website. SCA begins reviewing applications in January and offers of placement are sent out beginning in April.
Community Programs
Community Programs are offered in the following cities: HoustonHouston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
, Stamford
Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 122,643, making it the fourth largest city in the state and the eighth largest city in New England...
, Seattle
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, Oakland
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
, Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Dallas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
, Detroit
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
, Jacksonville
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
, Manchester
Manchester, New Hampshire
Manchester is the largest city in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, the tenth largest city in New England, and the largest city in northern New England, an area comprising the states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. It is in Hillsborough County along the banks of the Merrimack River, which...
, Milwaukee, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, Seattle
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, and Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
.
The Conservation Leadership Corps (CLC) program takes place year-round in regional offices. The format of the CLC program varies from region to region. All students successfully completing the CLC program will have the opportunity to participate in a summer Conservation Crew and will have their airfare covered by their regional office. As part of the CLC, members volunteer on weekends throughout the school year in their home city, build trails, restore river and lakefront environments, conserve habitats, learn about the environment through field trips, go on weekend camping excursions, and give back to the community through service projects.
The Summer Community Crews are six to seven week crews over the summer in which students complete trail maintenance and site restoration projects in public parks, learn about the local environment through field trips led by the Crew Leader, visit local parks, learn outdoor skills, and go on a recreational camping trip.
Conservation Interns
Through partnerships with agencies such as the National Park Service, people 18 and over are placed in internship positions. There are two different types: short and long term internships. The short term internships last under three months, while long term internships can last from 6 to 12 months. The jobs performed by the interns varies. They can include backcountry patrol, working with visitors, and conducting ecological surveys. The interns are provided with a stipend, housing (in most cases), and an AmeriCorpsAmeriCorps
AmeriCorps is a U.S. federal government program that was created under President Bill Clinton by the National and Community Service Trust Act of 1993 and later expanded by 50 percent under President George W. Bush...
Stipend.
Applications and a catalog of current internship openings are available on the SCA's website. Some internships are very competitive while others are not filled. The admissions process for each internship is on a rolling basis, with each internship position having a closing date. Students can apply for as many positions as they wish.
Many short-term Conservation Internship Positions involve work such as soil and water monitoring, GIS work, naturalist work, interpretation, visitor assistance, and more. The majority of short-term conservation internship positions are during the summer season, but positions are offered all year long.
Interns can work either on a one-to-one basis with state or federal professionals, or in groups as part of the Conservation Corps.
Conservation Corps
At the Conservation Corps sites, members learn conservation skills. Corps are teams with members living and working with others who share a connection to the land and the people who live there.Corps members spend 3–10 months of their time devoted to critical environmental issues such as wildfire management and education, trail restoration and maintenance, environmental education, and invasive species eradication.
SCA Facts
SCA's 4,000 volunteers annually provide more than 2 million hours of conservation service – including trail construction, wildlife research, habitat restoration and GIS mapping – in parks, forests, refuges and urban green spaces in all 50 states.More than 20 million people directly benefit from SCA conservation services each year.
SCA members annually serve more than 500 natural and cultural sites in all 50 states.
Since 1957, SCA’s 50,000+ members around the world have provided service valued at over half a billion dollars.
70% of SCA alumni remain active in conservation in their careers or communities.
SCA members build or maintain more than 2,500 miles of trail per year, well over the equivalent of the Appalachian Trail.
12% of the National Park Service are SCA Alumni.
SCA was founded before Peace Corps, City Year and AmeriCorps.
SCA also preceded the EPA, Earth Day and Silent Spring.
SCA has been recognized by The White House, the Department of the Interior, and the Garden Club of America, among many others.