Program Description: Based in the Berkshire Mountain Hilltown region of northwestern Massachusetts, the Student Conservation Association Massachusetts AmeriCorps program is a residential community of emerging leaders who devote 10 or 5 months to full-time conservation service. to serve the people and land of Massachusetts by mentoring local youth through in-school and after-school environmental ed
ucation programs, serving as interns in local conservation organizations and state programs, and completing significant natural resource conservation projects throughout the state. The program is a partnership between the Student Conservation Association (SCA), the Massachusetts Service Alliance (MSA), the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) and the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS – AmeriCorps). SCA is the nation’s largest and oldest provider of national and community conservation service opportunities, outdoor education and career training for youth. DCR is the Commonwealth agency responsible for the management of the state’s forests and parks and has always had a keen interest in the education of the public to conservation issues. During the summer conservation service season, SCA Massachusetts crews take on projects requested by state forests and parks, non profits, and local conservation groups to build bridges, construct rock stair cases, improve trail drainage and construct new trails throughout the state of Massachusetts. Members also work on interpretive trails or conservation research projects and volunteer recruitment. Each year the SCA Massachusetts corps members complete more than 50 projects exceeding 36,000 hours of direct service to the lands and people of Massachusetts
