SCA and ICU International Parks Program 2011 Interns at Seattle Mariners Baseball Game Now in its 8 th year, this program offers ICU students the opportunity to travel to national parks in the US, where they learn hands-on conservation biology and environmental education by working with U.S. conservation professionals.
2013 interns during program orientation & training in Seattle, Washington
The Student Conservation Association (SCA) is America s conservation corps. Our members protect and restore national parks, marine sanctuaries, cultural landmarks and community parks all over the US. Our goal is to help train the next generation of conservation leaders. We place over 4000 high school and college-age young people in conservation internships each year. SCA members learn valuable new skills and try out new careers while working with trained professionals. The range of internships includes everything related to the conservation of natural resources and educating the public about their importance. SCA interns can learn everything from archeology and botany to wildlife habitats and zoology. SCA Volunteers with Presidents Obama and Clinton, Washington DC, 2009
Liz Putnam circa 1960 SCA was founded in 1957 by Liz Titus Putnam. She was responding to a magazine article saying that the US national parks were being loved to death by too many visitors and that the Park Service did not have the funds to keep up with the work necessary to maintain the parks. Liz responded by organizing her friends and other college students and graduates to work as volunteers in the national parks, doing things the parks couldn t afford to do themselves. This was the beginning of the Student Conservation Association (SCA). Although SCA was founded by a woman, it was several years before women were allowed to work as volunteers in the parks. (Today, young women are more than 50% of SCA s volunteers.) Today there are over 4000 members a year working on projects all over the US, in all sorts of locations, including wilderness and inner cities. Liz Putnam in 2010
Since 1916, the American people have entrusted the National Park Service with the care of their national parks. With the help of volunteers and partners, the Park Service is proud to safeguard these natural and cultural treasures and to share their stories with 275 million visitors each year. The national park system includes nearly 400 locations! They range in size from single buildings to vast landscapes and ecosystems covering many thousands of hectares. The National Park Service (NPS) In its large national parks, the Park Service has the very difficult job of maintaining fragile wilderness habitats for plants and wildlife while providing for the education and safety of many thousands of visitors annually. To balance these conflicting goals, the Park Service hires some of the country s finest biologists and natural resource specialists. It also hires and trains highly competent interpreters to explain park resources to visitors. The training provided by the NPS to ICU students -- in both resource management and public speaking is superb.
Mapping trail locations with a GPS unit and measuring wheel, Olympic National Park, 2010
Installing a fish-monitoring net with park staff at Rock Creek Park, Washington DC, 2010
Identifying invasive plants in Yellowstone National Park, 2010
Providing a visitor orientation to Alcatraz Island, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, 2013
Cleaning archaeological artifacts, Manzanar National Historic Site, 2013
Intern and a young visitor, Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, 2013
Dressed up for the Fourth of July Parade in Skagway, Alaska, 2013
2014 Internship Locations: Golden Gate Mammoth Cave Katmai Alaska BLM Chugach Nidoto Nai Yoni San Juan Island Kaloko-Honokohau
Program Requirements: Very good to excellent English language skills A high level of physical fitness and willingness to do physical work An ability to adapt easily to new situations An outgoing personality A love of the outdoors
2014 SCA-ICU International Parks Program Schedule: February 3: Deadline for applications to the program. February 10 26: Interviews and assignments to national parks. March-May: Visa arrangements and program paperwork completed. June 27-30: Orientation in Seattle. July & August: Internships in national parks. August 28-30: Wrap-up session in Seattle & depart for Japan or independent travel in US.
2014 Program Costs $2090 Program Administration and Field Support. This includes selection of appropriate park locations, assistance with visa application, preprogram materials, three day orientation in Seattle, additional training and supervision in a national park, SCA uniform package, 24 hour emergency contact and program support, and end-of program evaluation in Seattle. Round-trip airfare from Tokyo to Seattle is NOT included. $50 - $1000 Round-trip air travel between Seattle and the national park where you will serve. $880 Living expenses. This cost will be returned to you as a stipend to cover your food and living expenses, at a rate of $110 per week for the 8 weeks of the program. (There is no charge for your housing in the national park.) $3020 - $3970 Total cost of the program (depending on travel expenses)
Comments from 2013 International Parks Program participants: Golden Gate National Recreation Area: I learned how hard it is to work in another language but also learned that it is fun to work at a job where I can connect with people. Manzanar National Historic Site: It changed how I feel about natural environment. I became more conscious about preserving sites and thought that I should be careful about what I dispose... I became more conscious about NPS and how they preserve nature. Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park: I made up my mind to become more eco-friendly than before. During the internship, I saw a lot of beautiful sceneries of nature, which impressed me greatly. Even after going back to Japan, I will keep some important philosophies such as "Leave No Trace" so that I can preserve nature for the future generation. Katmai National Park and Preserve: I learned anything is possible if I try. I became more curious about the relationship between people and natural environment. Seeing people and bears able to live together in Katmai National Park, I became interested in how people, animals, plants, and the entire environment can live sustainably.
SCA s Website: www.thesca.org ICU s International Parks Program Contact: Ken Enochs Enochs@icu.ac.jp SCA s International Parks Program Coordinator: Emily Poore EPoore@theSCA.org This program is made possible through the support of International Christian University and the National Park Service.
Intern, Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, Alaska, 2013