Two nature conservation advocacy groups are offering opportunities to help manage portions of the great American outdoors. The positions range from volunteering to paid internships, and time periods can be as short as one week or as long as a whole season. Since our public lands are truly a valuable resource and provide thousands of people each year the opportunity to travel inexpensively, these are excellent occasions to give a little something back.
First up, the Student Conservation Association has opened up the application process for filling its summer program positions.
If you're over 18, you're eligible to take part in the SCA's 13-week summer internship program that operates on public lands in all 50 states. This is a paid position, no less, where you receive a weekly stipend and room and board as well as the possibility of earning college credit. Interns will have the chance to work in a wide field of study including wildlife and fisheries, forestry, geology and more.
Young adults 15-19 are also eligible to serve on volunteer conservation crews, teams of six to eight supervised members who live in base camps and tend to public spaces rebuilding trails, contributing to environmental research projects and the like. People in this group are paid with room and board and the satisfaction of a job well done.
Additionally, there are positions available in urban environments as well.
The SCA fills thousands of positions each year that contribute to the successful maintenance of lands the fall under the jurisdiction of several public agencies including the National Parks Service, the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service. The earlier you apply, the better your chances. For more information, go online to www.thesca.org or call 603/543-1700.
From January through November of each year the American Hiking Society sponsors a number of one- and two-week trips to help repair and rebuild national and state parks in the U.S. for a starting fee of $80 (plus a $25 membership fee). You'll have to get yourself there, but once you do, all your meals and a space to stake your tent are provided.
Instead of paying high dollar fees, you'll pay with sweat equity volunteering your days (usually from 8 am until 4pm) sprucing up parks and trails. Work assignments vary from location to location, and chores can include retreading trails, adding new signs, cutting down undergrowth, pulling weeds and even building bridges. Locations can vary as widely as the tasks, running from volcanic Haleakala National Park in Hawaii to the gentle Midwestern landscape of Jenny Wiley State Park in Kentucky and span the 50 states and as well as U.S. territories including Puerto Rico, Guam and the Virgin Islands.
Sometimes the society waives trip fees as well, which they've just done for an upcoming trip to the Pacific Crest Trail in the desert northeast of Los Angeles from March 9-15. Volunteers will spend their days sprucing up the trail, retreading paths, removing false side trails and rebuilding irrigation systems and rock walls. While the trip fees are waived, you are still required to pay the $25 membership fee, a small price indeed.
For additional info on upcoming trips or to register, go online to www.americanhiking.org. Once on the site, simply click "Volunteer Vacations" to be able to search for current projects by state and date. You can call the society at 800/972-8608, ext. 206, which will put you in touch with the knowledgeable Shirley Hearn.