Student Conservation Association Community Crews are hard at work

For at least the past decade, Mount Rainier National Park has worked with the Student Conservation Association to bring a special group of young people to the park for 15-day conservation leadership experiences. These are SCA's "Community Crews," recruited from the urban communities of Seattle. Most have participated in SCA's school year programs, and their two weeks at Mount Rainier are a culminating experience that builds on many previous months of service and team-building.

The first Community Crew worked on
the Trail of the Shadows at Longmire.

Community Crew alumni often go on to do other types of environmental service: the North Cascades Climate Challenge, for instance, or longer summer internships with SCA. Some even graduate into the "green and gray," working as seasonal park rangers in the National Park Service. For all of them, Community Crew service is a foundational experience that makes a dramatic difference in their lives.

We're excited to be working, this year, with not only students from Seattle, but also youth from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, through SCA's "Base to Base Camp" program. This year's three Community Crews, each made up of 8 youth and two crew leaders, are about half-and-half students from Seattle and JBLM. The first crew, pictured here, was in the park from June 30 through July 14, working on trails near Longmire. The second crew arrived this past Sunday, and will be working on the east side of the park until August 4. A third crew will be back on the west side of the park from September 11 to 25.

The Community Crew programs are supported by grants from the Youth Partnerships Program of the National Park Service, and the America's Best Idea program of the National Park Foundation.

Mount Rainier National Park receives 2013 America’s Best Idea grant from the National Park Foundation

July 10, 2013: For Immediate Release

Alanna Sobel, National Park Foundation, asobel@nationalparks.org, (202) 354-6486
Kevin Bacher, Mount Rainier National Park, kevin_bacher@nps.gov, (360) 569-6567
Jay Satz, Student Conservation Association, jsatz@thesca.org, (206) 550-5977

Mount Rainier is one of 34 national parks across the country selected to receive a 2013 America’s Best Idea grantfrom the National Park Foundation, the official charity of America’s national parks. Inspired by the critically acclaimed Ken Burns documentary “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea,” the America’s Best Idea program funds park activities designed to connect diverse, underserved and under-engaged populations throughout the United States with their national parks in innovative and meaningful ways.

“One of the great things about our national parks is that every American can relate to these treasured places if given the chance to experience them,” said Jonathan B. Jarvis, Director of the National Park Service. “It’s our mission to engage visitors from all backgrounds in the diverse stories that we tell in our national parks. Thanks to the support of the National Park Foundation, we can propel that outreach, and engage new audiences that would otherwise never have the opportunity to experience a national park.”

“The America’s Best Idea program gives people – particularly youth – incredible opportunities to connect to ournational parks through unique and innovative ways,” said Neil Mulholland, President and CEO of the National Park Foundation. “From experiences that center on history, the environment and even adventure, we are able to capture the imagination of a new generation of park-goers in ways that benefit their lives and the future of the parks.”

At Mount Rainier, the America’s Best Idea grant supports a long standing and growing partnership between theNational Park Service and the Student Conservation Association (SCA). “SCA’s mission is to build the next generation of conservation stewards, by connecting them to our parks and forests through the action of conservation service,” said Jay A. Satz, SCA’s Regional Vice President.

“We are fortunate here at Mount Rainier to work with SCA’s Community Conservation Program, which engages high school students in Seattle during the school year, and then brings them to Mount Rainier to serve with 15-day trail crews during the summer,” said Kevin Bacher, Mount Rainier’s Volunteer Program Manager. “SCA’s outreach to members of military families at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, through a program called ‘Base to Base Camp,’ has resulted in almost half of this year’s crew members coming from JBLM. And we’ve worked with SCA For decades to provide interns who support park staff in critical roles, learning skills, doing important work, and serving the public. Through our partnership with SCA this summer, 37 young people will contribute more than 9,000 hours of conservation service at Mount Rainier while having an extraordinary national park experience.”

Funding from the National Park Foundation supports the crew leaders for three eight-person trail maintenance teams, each made up of Community Program members from Seattle and Base-to-Base Camp youth from JBLM. The first crew is in the field now, and the second and third will be in the park later this month and next. Additional funding for the program comes from the National Park Service’s Youth Partnerships Program and Washington’sNational Park Fund.

“We are pleased to work with SCA’s Community Crews again this year, and especially pleased to welcome members of our military families at Joint Base Lewis-McChord,” said Randy King, Superintendent of Mount RainierNational Park. “These grants allow us to reach out to the conservation leaders of tomorrow and offer them a great experience in their national parks, as well as stepping stones toward possible future careers. We look forward to working with these young men and women for many years to come.”

For a full listing of participating parks and program descriptions, please visit the National Park Foundation website.

The National Park Foundation wishes to thank L.L. Bean, the Anschutz Family Foundation, and The Ahmanson Foundation for their generous support of the America’s Best Idea program.

About the National Park Service

More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 401 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov and www.nps.gov/mora.

About the National Park Foundation

The National Park Foundation, the official charity of America’s national parks, raises private funds that directly aid, support and enrich America’s more than 400 national parks and their programs. Chartered by Congress as the nonprofit partner of the National Park Service, the National Park Foundation plays a critical role in conservation and preservation efforts, establishing national parks as powerful learning environments, and giving all audiences an equal and abundant opportunity to experience, enjoy and support America’s treasured places. For more information on the National Park Foundation or how you can support and protect America’s national parks, please visitwww.nationalparks.org. Follow them on Facebook at facebook.com/nationalpark and on Twitter attwitter.com/goparks.

About the Student Conservation Association
The Student Conservation Association (SCA) is a nationwide conservation force of college and high school volunteers who protect and restore America’s parks, forests, and other public lands. For more than 50 years, SCA’s active, hands-on approach to conservation has helped to develop a new generation of conservation leaders, inspire lifelong stewardship, and save our planet. For more information, visit www.thesca.org.

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Base to Base Camp at Mount Rainier: SCA Program to help Military Families enjoy outdoor recreation and help conservation efforts

In partnership with the National Park Service, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, the Sierra Club and the Office of Congressman Norm Dicks, the Student Conservation Association (SCA) is leading a demonstration project to create a conservation service and outdoor recreation opportunity for the dependents of active service military families.

This summer, SCA will be fielding a conservation crew of eight teenagers from military families serving from Joint Base Lewis/McChord (JBLM) into Mount Rainier National Park, Washington. The crew members will be accomplishing critical trail-building and habitat restoration projects for this iconic national park that has enjoyed a partnership with SCA for over 40 years. The crew will camp and work for 15 days at Mount Rainier in both backcountry and front country settings August 6-20, 2012. Tangible outcomes will include trail(s) built, restored or maintained and habitat areas restored.

The program will offer hands-on, practical work skills, environmental knowledge, personal growth, awareness of career opportunities, as well as connectivity to the dedicated professionals of the National Park Service.

SCA will recruit a crew composed of eight high school students between the ages of 15-19 from military families stationed at JBLM. SCA is working with the Child, Youth and School Services program (CYSS) of the Morale, Welfare and Recreation office at JBLM in implementing the program. CYSS expertise and familiarity with participating students (and families) will be critical to the program’s success. SCA sees this first-year demonstration program as replicable and scalable, with strong possibilities for providing a pathway for the members to other SCA opportunities.

There is also a great opportunity for expansion to other military bases where both parents and children are feeling the strains of the sacrifices they are making in service to their country. SCA will plan for multiple crews to place and serve military families, including reaching out to Yakima Training Center (under JBLM administration) and the Yakima Nation. SCA is evaluating opportunities to increase our reach to Naval Base Kitsap and other installations.

SCA and JBLM are exploring the possibilities of facilitating on base SCA programs to help the Morale, Welfare, and Recreation program staff connect with the forestry program already well-established on base. SCA sees great opportunity for developing youth members to become mentors on base and share in conservation activities with younger children. As members matriculate into the program, SCA will provide tuition free opportunities for “Base to Base Camp” members to serve in SCA programs throughout the country.

Almost 2 million children in the U.S. have parents that are military service members. The need to educate and serve these children is a national concern; SCA is proud to provide leadership, support, and opportunities for these young Americans and their families.