The Summer Community Crews are six to seven week crews over the summer in which students complete trail maintenance and site restoration projects in public parks, learn about the local environment through field trips led by the Crew Leader, visit local parks, learn outdoor skills, and go on a recreational camping trip. At the Conservation Corps sites, members learn conservation skills. Corps are teams with members living and working with others who share a connection to the land and the people who live there. Corps members spend 3–10 months of their time devoted to critical environmental issues such as wildfire management and education, trail restoration and maintenance, environmental education, and invasive species eradication. All SCA programs strive to benefit both the environment and student members of the organization. While the SCA does a great deal of work in National Parks and other green spaces in the United States, a main component of the organization's mission is to deliver a sound environmental education to its students. This is accomplished by creating emotional ties between the students and the natural world through environmental engagement. Spending a month in the backcountry of Alaska or elsewhere will change a student's life and open his or her eyes to the complexities of environmental problems. The idea of SCA is that when a student becomes attached to the natural world, he or she will likely desire to preserve and protect it. SCA's 4,000 volunteers annually provide more than 2 million hours of conservation service – including trail construction, wildlife research, habitat restoration and GIS mapping – in parks, forests, refuges and urban green spaces in all 50 states. More than 20 million people directly benefit from SCA conservation services each year. SCA members annually serve more than 500 natural and cultural sites in all 50 states. Since 1957, SCA's 50,000+ members around the world have provided service valued at over half a billion dollars.  70% of SCA alumni remain active in conservation in their careers or communities. SCA members build or maintain more than 2,500 miles of trail per year, well over the equivalent of the Appalachian Trail.  12% of the National Park Service are SCA Alumni. SCA was founded before Peace Corps, City Year and AmeriCorps. SCA also preceded the EPA, Earth Day and Silent Spring. SCA has been recognized by The White House, the Department of the Interior, and the Garden Club of America, among many others. Additionally, the SCA along with Outward Bound and NOLS, sponsor the Wilderness Risk Management Conference.