The Student Conservation Association

The Student Conservation Association (SCA) was founded in 1957 by Liz Putnam while attending Vassar College. For her senior thesis, she modeled the SCA after the 1930s Civilian Conservation Corps and enlisted student volunteers to assist with the upkeep of U.S. national parks and public spaces. The SCA’s mission is to build the next generation of conservation leaders and inspire lifelong stewardship of the environment and communities by engaging young people through hands-on service projects. Program participants protect and restore national parks, marine sanctuaries, cultural landmarks and community green spaces across the country. After working with the SCA, they emerge with increased environmental awareness, social responsibility and leadership skills. Since its founding, the SCA has provided more than 100,000 young people with opportunities to protect the planet.

The Student Conservation Association is the largest provider of hands-on environmental conservation programs for youth and young adults. Locally, SCA manages the Alabama GulfCorps/AmeriCorps crew, providing conservation work skills training and professional development to program participants while supporting ongoing municipal, state, federal, and non profit agencies in their environmental projects.