garrett's blog

From fws.gov, By Bill O’Brian

The numbers are impressive.

More than 1,545 miles of trail inventoried on 234 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service units, most of them national wildlife refuges. More than 142,000 trail feature points collected. More than 15,400 volunteer hours logged. More than $48,000 in AmeriCorp education credits earned. Almost 189,000 air miles and 90,000 terrestrial miles traveled in 49 states and Puerto Rico. All in 10 months.

That’s what the 10 Student Conservation Association interns and two SCA staff members who made up the Service National Trails Inventory Project team did last year.

The ambitious project, part of a multi–year effort to inventory and assess trails, was a great service to the National Wildlife Refuge System. ...read more

From the official Facebook page of Jay Inslee former U.S. Rep. (WA-D), now Candidate for WA Governor.

"Just finished speaking at Student Conservation Association's Earth Day event in the Washington Park Arboretum. My parents led SCA trips up to Mt. Rainier, and those experiences gave me a deep appreciation for our environment. Thanks SCA for continuing the legacy of teaching our kids to appreciate and care for our natural surroundings."

• View more photos and videos from SCA Earth Day 2012 on the SCA Facebook.
• To view and sign up for an Earth Day event, please visit our events listing page.

Seventeen year old Lakey Peterson is a champion surfer, conservationist, and spokeswoman for SCA. As she competes around the world, Lakey will share her observations of the environments she visits and her work to protect the world's oceans. To follow her on the pro tour, visit lakeypeterson.com.

I have pretty much the coolest job in the world.  I have been surfing competitively for about five years but just this last year went pro and made it onto the ASP (Association of Surfing Professionals) World Tour. Being a pro surfer, I have gotten to travel all over the world from Bali, France, Australia, Brazil, and more! It is amazing to see the state of the environment within all these countries, and how some of them really take care of the environment and how others, unfortunately, do not.

For instance, Bali is a tropical paradise but the local environment is really suffering. Tourism and development rule. Corals are being used as building materials. And if you go to the beach, trash is everywhere and most people seem resigned or indifferent.  But when I went to Singapore, it was a completely different story. You couldn’t find one piece of trash, no matter how hard you try. Why? Local government cracked down – it’s a $2,000 fine if you’re caught littering! – and passed other laws to reduce pollution and protect natural resources.

This is what led me to SCA. I learned about the organization two years ago and immediately knew I wanted to be a part of it. As a surfer, I am in nature all day, every day and I see the damage that we are doing to the Earth. I wanted to help make this world a healthier place.

So I contacted some people at SCA to see if we could team up and they were really into the idea. I’ve become sort of a spokesperson for them, participating in their park clean-ups (which was a blast, by the way) and recording a water conservation spot for SCA partner American Water in New York!

Working with SCA has been incredible for me for so many reasons. I have learned a lot about the environment that I never would have if I didn’t get involved with them. And I’ve had the opportunity to tell more people about SCA and get them involved as well!

Depending upon where I am in the world, sometimes after it rains, you can’t go into the water because it’s so polluted from runoff. It’s insane to treat our planet this way! SCA is devoted to making a change and that’s why I’m a part of it!  I look forward to sharing more of my experiences with you and writing about how we can make a change together!

Thanks for reading,
Lakey P. xoxo

We are please to announce the winners of the I Heart Snow 2012 Photo Contest! Thank you all for your great entries this year, we had a great team viewing them all.

First Place - Hold On!

First place winner: Chad Slater
The expressions are worth a thousand words!

Runner Up - Friends

Runner up: Tanja Popovic

Runner Up - Snow Eagle

Runner Up: Richard Nemish
American Bald Eagle captured in Flight in Minocqua WI Winter

View all of the photo contest entries.

Reposted from the Sierra Club Blog

What's in your future? Whether you decide to spend the summer traveling, learning green job skills, or cultivating sustainable habits, the choices you make today could change the course of your life. This week, we've got tips to help you pave a path to a greener future.

Tip # 4: Take Refuge in Conservation

If you'd love to spend your summer protecting wildlife, restoring habitat, or building trails, just look for the nearest wildlife refuge. This year, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will hire 2,300 youth for summer jobs in 556 national wildlife refuges. You can find even more opportunities through the Student Conservation Association.

--photo courtesy of US Fish and Wildlife Service