VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY FOR VETERANS

AN OUTDOOR VOLUNTEER PROGRAM FOR VETERANS 

SCA's Veterans Fire Corps - Black Hills Team 1
Come on, these guys look pretty cool to work with, AND they're brothers and sistas in arms!

STUDENT CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION

Student Conservation Association, an organization I worked with for a few seasons back in the 90's, has continued to tempt me with job announcements and blog posts.  This morning I saw a link to the SCA's US Military Veterans Program.  I had to share this with all of you.

I have always loved the idea of getting returning vets to look at volunteering for the Department of Interior, and specifically, the SCA.  Nature heals so much.  Working with nature is challenging, but nature doesn't judge.


The SCA program website says:

The programs also address several issues currently facing Veterans

1. Helping with Veteran re-entry into civilian life
2. Developing highly qualified and well-trained conservation leaders
3. Assisting Veterans in securing employment by providing concrete skills and experience.

Veteran-specific programs for 2013

• Veterans Fire Corps – Black Hills National Forest, SD - Apply now!
• Veterans Historic Preservation Team - Apply now! 

Can I just say I'm  jealous of these guys?  Cause I am.

Here's an excerpt from one of the blog posts from the Black Hills National Forest, ND.  It explains more:

Submitted by kstein.corps on Sun, 06/10/2012 - 22:03 

• Progress Reports from the Field

We all met at Medicine Mountain Boy Scout Camp near Custer, SD on May 21st to begin our two weeks of training. The first week of training included SCA classes and making sure that all of our administration tasks were taken care of. We also all went through a Wilderness First Aid and CPR certification class. Each morning we began our day out with an outdoor activity to help make sure that we were all awake and ready for a day of classes.Our second week of training was much more fun, this was the beginning of Fire School, during which we all camped out in a fire camp like we would during a large wildfire incident. Several members of the surrounding Forest Service District Offices (Custer, Rapid City, Hill City, and Spearfish) came to the camp in order to teach us all we would need to know in order to fight forest fires or help with prescribed burns. Some of the classes were on weather and how it affects the way fire behaves. We also had a class just on fire behavior as well as fuels and how to read the forest for potential hazards. On our second to last day, we all participated in a prescribed burn field exercise. This school also included people with the State of South Dakota, the National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, the US Forest Service, as well as all of us on the three Veteran Fire Corps teams. Two of these teams will be staying in the Black Hills for the summer, while the third will be going to Arizona. 

Read more at the blog sites for each site.

Blogs by Veterans Fire Corps Teams – Summer 2012

• Black Hills National Forest, ND

• Kaibab National Forest, AZ

If you know a returning vet who is looking for a way to get back into the work force, pass this blog link or the SCA link along to them.