Off the Grid, On the Front Lines: Meet the SCA Crews Protecting Idaho’s Wild Side For nearly two decades, members of the SCA’s Idaho Corps have worked alongside federal and state agencies in the Gem State to deliver essential land management services while serving from the Salmon-Challis AmeriCorps Forest Training Center. The Idaho Corps is …
HAMMOND, Ind. – The Student Conservation Association (SCA) today announced receiving much-needed support from two foundations that helped to restore lost federal funds and enabled the Urban Forestry Crew to complete their tree watering and planting season, which typically lasts until early November. The first award came from the Legacy Foundation’s Lake County Resilience Fund, …
Standing For Conservation A lifelong relationship with the land, forests, and ocean led Dr. Jody Thomas to become a dedicated champion of the Student Conservation Association for over 32 years. Drawn to the beauty of the northeast, Dr. Thomas spent her career practicing family medicine in New Hampshire. Having grown up on a rural Ohio …
From The Corps To A Career Sara Wettekin grew up playing on the beaches of Pennsylvania’s famed Presque Isle State Park and swimming in Lake Erie. Following her love of the outdoors, she majored in Environmental Geology in college. After graduating, she worked as a water quality specialist for an industrial company. Unfulfilled, a friend …
A Conservation Milestone This year marks a decade of impact through the Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps in partnership with the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR). With the largest program year in the Corps’ history, 207 participants served on 11 young adult and 18 summer youth crews, including an American Sign Language crew. “It …
Decades of Partnership In honor of the National Park Service’s 109th birthday on Aug. 25, we are highlighting our long-standing partnership of making an impact at parks across the country. The Park Service reported a record 331.9 million recreation visits in 2024, an increase of 6.36 million visits, or 2%, from 2023. That’s almost equal …
ARLINGTON, Va. – The Student Conservation Association (SCA) is celebrating a decade of impact through the Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps in partnership with the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR). This year was the largest program year in the Corps’ history, with 207 participants serving on 11 young adult crews and 18 summer youth …
New To Nature Julia Taboga has always considered herself an indoors person. “I do orchestra and a lot of art stuff,” said the senior in high school. “I was never really a nature person.” That all changed at the start of her sophomore year of high school when her guidance counselor told her about a …
Life In The Forest SCA alum Chris Hensley dedicated his entire career to forest conservation. After completing two back-to-back programs with the SCA, he immediately took a job with a federal trail crew in Big Sur, California, and never looked back. Today, he’s a wildland firefighter in southwest Colorado. “Where I live, I’m surrounded by …
ARLINGTON, Va. – The Student Conservation Association (SCA) today announced the appointments of three new board members and leadership positions. These appointments will help support the nonprofit’s mission to build the next generation of conservation leaders. “We are excited to announce our new board member appointments and board leadership. Their wealth of experience and unwavering …
ARLINGTON, VA. – The Student Conservation Association (SCA), the largest provider of hands-on environmental conservation programs for youth and young adults, is pleased to announce the appointment of Kelly Runzel as Vice President of Philanthropy, effective Dec. 20, 2024. “We are thrilled to welcome Kelly Runzel as our new Vice President of Philanthropy. Kelly’s extensive …
Urban Green Crew Tackles Erosion At Acadia National Park The SCA’s 2024 Urban Green Acadian Exploration Crew from New York City completed a special mission. The crew made the trek from the Big Apple to Acadia National Park in Maine to help preserve local plant life and combat erosion caused by decades of trampling by …
ARLINGTON, Va. – The Student Conservation Association (SCA), the largest provider of hands-on environmental conservation programs for youth and young adults, is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Usha Chaudhary as Chief Operating Officer (COO), effective Dec. 13, 2023.
ARLINGTON, VA. – The Student Conservation Association (SCA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Zachary Bolick as Vice President of Partnerships. “We are excited to name Zachary Bolick our new Vice President of Partnerships. His background managing critical relationships with our network of partners, coupled with being a three-time SCA program participant, makes him …
Remarkable Restoration As one of the most industrialized parts of the country, Northwest Indiana is no stranger to environmental concerns ranging from poor air quality to contaminated waterways. To help preserve and protect the region, the SCA fielded its first community conservation program there in 2016. Since then, more than 10,000 trees have been planted …
Taking The Leap When Anna Tripp graduated from Jacksonville University in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in marine science and a minor in photography, the nation was in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic. Struggling to find a full-time job after an unpaid internship at Mote Marine Laboratory, her college professor pointed her to the …
At Work For The Planet The SCA fielded its first conservation program in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1977. Since then, hundreds of Bay Area youth have participated in SCA programs. Now under the banner of Urban Green, program participants support urban forestry initiatives in equity-priority communities, maintain trails to improve access to green …
Continuing Liz Putnam’s Trailblazing Work At Olympic National Park As the sun rises over the Bogachiel Rain Forest Trail at Olympic National Park in Washington, the sound of sleeping bags and tent zippers unfurling joins the melodies of songbirds, the rustling of wind, and the ever-present pitter-patter of raindrops. The SCA’s Olympic National Park Backcountry …
ARLINGTON, Va. – The Student Conservation Association (SCA), the largest provider of hands-on environmental conservation programs for youth and young adults, is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Usha Chaudhary as Chief Operating Officer (COO), effective Dec. 13, 2023.
Helena, Mont. – The Student Conservation Association (SCA) and Preserve Montana today announced the launch of the Preserve Montana Trades Corps. From June to August 2024, this eight-week pilot program will support a four-person crew dedicated to exposing young people to the historic preservation trades. The corps will experience a diverse array of preservation trades …
ARLINGTON, Va. – The Student Conservation Association (SCA) today announced that Comic Relief US awarded the organization a two-year grant of $315,000 from its Red Nose Day campaign to help continue expanding green conservation jobs and environmental education for youth in Atlanta and Houston. The Red Nose Day Campaign is dedicated to raising life-changing funds …
ARLINGTON, Va. – The Student Conservation Association (SCA) today announced the appointments of four new board members who will help support the nonprofit’s work of changing lives through service to nature. “As we embark on a new chapter, we are thrilled to welcome to the board these knowledgeable and accomplished professionals who bring immense expertise …
ARLINGTON, Va. – The Student Conservation Association (SCA) today announced that the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) will award the organization $12 million over the next five years to launch a Wildland Fire Academy Program.
ARLINGTON, Va. — The SCA is excited to announce that the KeyBank Foundation will award the organization $300,000 over two years to help provide green conservation jobs for high school students in Cleveland and Pittsburgh.
North Fork, Idaho – The Student Conservation Association (SCA), in partnership with the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics Hot Spot Program, will host clean-up service events open to the public on June 1-3 at Goldbug Hot Springs in the Salmon-Challis National Forest near Salmon, Idaho.
ARLINGTON, Va. – The Student Conservation Association (SCA) today announced that its Board of Directors unanimously selected Lidia Soto-Harmon as the organization’s next president and chief executive officer.
ARLINGTON, Va. – The Student Conservation Association (SCA) today announced the appointments of four new board members and a new board chair who will each help support the nonprofit’s work of changing lives through service to nature.
With National Invasive Species Awareness Week (Feb. 20-26) just around the corner, we wanted to call attention to the hard work our members are doing to combat these invaders.
Join our community of supporters who care deeply about preserving America’s parks, public lands, and urban green spaces.
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