By Alicia Brewster As someone who grew up in the heart of the
Allegheny National Forest in Pennsylvania, I am all too familiar
with the daunting task of maintaining and conserving our forests
and national parks. Many suffer from a lack of resources and
manpower. However, one organization-the Student Conservation
Association (SCA)-has been working tirelessly since 1957 to make
sure our national treasures are with us for generations to come.
Elizabeth Cushman Titus Putnam developed the concept for SCA in
her senior thesis at Vassar College in 1955. "I read an article
by Bernard DeVoto in October 1953 in Harper's Magazine entitled
'Let's Close Our National Parks.' He argued that our parks were
being loved to death. They were overrun and undermanned, and in
order to protect the parks from people and people from the
parks, he suggested closing Yellowstone and other national
parks," Putnam explains. But she saw another solution, believing
that volunteers could help. "I wanted to explore a concept like
a modern-day