Student Conservation Association
| Founded | 1957 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Elizabeth C. Titus Putnam |
| Focus | Conservation service |
| Location | |
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Area served
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USA |
| Website | http://www.thesca.org |
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 the environment and communities by engaging young people in hands-on service to the land through service opportunities, outdoor skills, and leadership training.
In 1955, Elizabeth Titus Putnam of Vassar College 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 incorporated as 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.
Every summer, over 600 young people aged 15+ are placed into crews of 6 or 8 in national parks, 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.
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