We’re celebrating the intersection of Black History Month and the 10th International Day of Women and Girls in Science on Feb. 11 by highlighting the work of SCA crews that connect young Black women with the outdoors while building conservation career-readiness skills.
The Atlanta Black Women’s Crew, Atlanta High School program and Chicago Women’s Young Adult Crews provide young adults with the skills and experience necessary to care for the natural environment. Program participants gain environmental stewardship skills while contributing innovative solutions to environmental problems and expanding awareness of career paths in the environmental sciences.
2024 Atlanta Black Women’s Crew member Lauryn Oliver holds a box turtle on Arabia Mountain. (Photo Credit: Student Conservation Association.)
This summer, the 2024 Atlanta Black Women’s Crew worked at the Outdoor Activity Center, an urban nature preserve on the woodland edge of an old-growth forest stewarded by the West Atlanta Watershed Alliance (WAWA). The crew assisted in restoring the forest by learning to identify and remove invasive species, including the prevalent English ivy, thorny olive and lilyturf.
They also supported groundskeeping in the recreation area by repairing trail kiosks, sawing down fallen tree limbs and mulching fruit trees at the historic Atlanta Black Crackers Practice Field, one of the only remaining vestiges of baseball’s Negro League in Atlanta.
Crew member Lauryn Oliver’s commitment to a career in wildlife conservation was bolstered by her time with the SCA.
“[This experience] reaffirmed that I can work outdoors,” Oliver said.
Anamarie Ngala-Bey, environmental programs manager at WAWA, guided and inspired the crew throughout the summer.
“As a Black-led organization that understands the value of re-connecting our community to nature, WAWA enjoyed providing the African American Women’s Crew with culturally relevant and skill-competent experiences in the old-growth forest,” she said.
Members of the 2024 Atlanta UPS Summer Crew at work for the planet on Arabia Mountain. (Photo Credit: Student Conservation Association.)
To the east of the city, the Atlanta High School Summer Program Black Affinity Crew spent their summer learning how to identify native and invasive plant species, clearing overgrown vegetation from park trails, and picking up trash at the Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve.
The Preserve is located in the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area, home to the Flat Rock Archives, which preserves and promotes the history of Flat Rock, one of Georgia’s oldest Black communities. Founded following the Civil War by local Black leaders in rural Georgia, this tight-knit community survived the Jim Crow era and the Great Migration and remains today.
The crew also visited The Legacy Museum in Montgomery, Alabama, to learn how the history of native ecosystems intertwines with Black History through interactive media, first-person narratives, world-class art and data-rich exhibits.
“This experience has enriched my understanding of the natural world and deepened my appreciation for the intricate balance of nature and the strength of human connections,” said crew member Ania Andrews, 16.
The 2024 Chicago All-Women Crew on a trip to Steel Worker’s Park. Pictured left to right: Erin-Eileen Anderson, Kiara Ellington-Taylor, Nora Price and Abbey Haynes. (Photo Credit: Student Conservation Association.)
In Chicago, the SCA Women’s Crew partnered with the Chicago Park District to help fill the gaps in its restoration workforce and support the maintenance of its wetlands at Big Marsh Bike Park, Hegewisch Marsh and Indian Ridge Marsh. The crew used hand tools and herbicides to combat invasive species and planted native ferns, grasses and flowers to support the health of the wetland ecosystems.
Crew member Erin-Eileen Anderson came away with a new appreciation for the interconnectedness that grounds the SCA’s team-based approach to conservation.
“We need each other to serve as mirrors to remind us what our commitment is. This season’s work has given me the permission to reflect on what my role has been, what it is [now] and the endless possibilities of what it could be,” Anderson said.
Great Egret perched on a bridge at Big Marsh. (Photo Credit: Urban Green Chicago Field Leader Kiara Ellington-Taylor.)
Through the work of these SCA Urban Green crews and many others across the country, young Black women are connecting with nature and each other while engaging in hands-on projects in environmental science and conservation.
Join us on the trail! By becoming an SCA Trail Builder, you can help advance innovative climate solutions and a representative environmental science workforce.
