MINNESOTA—Fifteen young adults with the Student Conservation Association spent their summer on the Superior National Forest, working hard on a variety of projects while gaining important job skills and educational credit. A select few stayed on for 16 weeks to gain merit promotional status for future hiring.

Student Conservation Association connects young people with an interest in natural resources to internships and seasonal employment at natural parks, state and federal forests and grasslands, and community green spaces. The association looks for detail-orientated, organized team players who are willing to travel to a new place, usually live in communal housing and can commit to the duration of the program. In exchange, students gain valuable job skills in natural resource management and conservation stewardship.

“These interns worked hard and brought a lot of smiles to our crew over the summer,” said Jon Benson, Superior National Forest’s Recreation and Wilderness program manager. “The partnership with SCA gives us a chance to connect with a broader group of people and really helps to add some fun personalities to our team.”

Student Conservation Association applicants apply for various positions and locations across the county. Generally, students are placed in their areas of interest. Students on the Superior worked in visitor services, naturalists and interpretative services, wilderness, developed recreation and archaeology. Interns assisted in National Forest visitor information and reservation services, led Forest naturalist programs on wildlife and history, conducted recreation and wilderness campground maintenance and rehabilitation, and more.

“Partnering with SCA allowed us to expand and improve the services that we provide. More importantly, we were able to expose the participants to potential careers in land management,” said Cathy Quinn, assistant manager for Wilderness and Recreation. “The SCA crews came with diverse skill sets and backgrounds that enhanced our existing workforce. Plus, we got to work with a great group of people from all over the country. It is a win-win scenario!”

Abby Graefe, partnership manager for the Student Conservation Association, spent time on the Superior and visited with student interns. “I only get to see where the interns live and work a few times a year. Being out in the field is a good reminder of the mission and why we all do what we do,” Graefe said.

The Superior National Forest currently has the largest Student Conservation Association program in the Eastern Region. During her visit, Superior staff and Graefe began planning for future opportunities on the forest. Talks included the potential to involve interns in basic firefighter training. This could open a whole new set of doors for SCA interns and provide much needed support to prescribed burning and fire suppression efforts.

Below, read some of the reflections SCA students shared about their experiences participating in this program.

“I’d say that working for the Superior National Forest through the Student Conservation Association was one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve ever had. The work was hard, but at the same time incredibly rewarding, fun, and when it was done, I felt a sense of pride and accomplishment. I truly learned so much during my time there. Not only that, but what made my experience even more special was the team that I worked with. They were a really fun team to work with and they taught me so much. I hope to come back one day to the Superior National Forest and work with them again.” — Taylor Hardey, intern in Developed Recreation.  

“So far, this summer working for the Forest Service has been one of the best experiences I've had. With no prior knowledge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, I was terrified of what I committed to, but in the end, I think I made one of the best decisions of my life. This experience has allowed me to step so far out of my comfort zone and see parts of the country I’ve never heard of before. My coworkers were so helpful and informative throughout my first weeks and helped me get involved into the Forest Service as well as meeting the employees.” — Zachary Noah Zielger, Visitor Information Services intern. 

“This summer I have been working with the Wilderness Crew in the Gunflint District. I have been doing campsite maintenance, clearing portages, felling and bucking trees, digging latrines and various other jobs. After college I would like to get a job with the Forest Service. I think it is a great organization that offers many different career opportunities.” — Lane Trebesch, Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness intern.