About Us
The Southwest Conservation Corps (SCC), founded as a non-profit agency in 1998, provides young women and men with structured, safe and challenging work and educational opportunities through employment projects that promote personal growth, the development of social skills, and an ethic of natural resource stewardship. The SCC program model, built upon the legacy of the Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930s, incorporates guiding principles of experiential learning, respect, openness and willingness, commitment, responsibility, pride, excellence, health and safety, and fun.
SCC offers programs year-round throughout the Southwest from offices in Durango, CO, Salida, CO, Acoma, NM and Tucson, AZ. Most of SCC’s Colorado and New Mexico-based programs operate from March – October while most of the Arizona-based programs operate from September through April. SCC operates a continuum of programs from community-based initiatives for younger teens to residential camping crews for high school and college aged individuals to leadership programs for college graduates.
SCC service projects take place throughout a five state region: Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas and Utah. On many projects corpsmembers work, learn and commonly camp in teams with up to six crewmembers and 2 crew leaders. Projects include fuels reduction, erosion control, tree planting, trail building, fencing and exotic plant removal.
Corpsmembers earn a competitive living allowance while learning valuable work and life skills. Innately, through the program structure, SCC places a strong focus on leadership development and environmental stewardship. SCC’s strengths lie not only in its service project accomplishments, but also in its ability to provide a viable work force to the region while offering exceptional educational and engaging opportunities to participants.
- Youth Crew
This is an entry level program of individuals that range in age from 14-18 years old. Individuals in the youth programs may work in local communities, urban settings or camp in locations that do not require backpacking. Crews complete tasks such as fencing, trail structures, planting, noxious weed removal, trail construction or habitat restoration.
Conservation Crew
These crews, with participants ranging in age from 16-25, camp, work and learn while completing a variety of conservation projects. These projects occur in frontcountry and backcountry locations. Crews camp for up to 11 days at a time and remote crews may backpack up to 15 miles. Project work is focused mostly on trail maintenance and construction but crews work on a variety of other projects depending on location. This is the most common type of crew and the greatest percentage of participants work in our conservation crew programs.
Technical Crew
This is a program for individuals over the age of 18 who have had previous experience. Technical crews work on a variety of conservation projects and camp locations remote and non-remote locations. Members on these crews are generally interested in continuing in the field of land management and/or conservation work. These crews operate for a minimum of 5 months and crewmembers receive a variety of trainings.
- Conservation Leader Development Program (CLDP Crew)
CLDP crews are comprised of members, ages 21 and over, with strong leadership skills and an interest in the environment and who preferably have past conservation experience. Members first work together as a crew, gaining leadership skills and technical conservation experience. They then move into an assistant leadership position, working along with an experienced leader, to gain additional knowledge and hands-on leadership experience. These crews receive technical, medical and educational trainings.
Sawyer Crew
These crews are focused towards individuals interested in a careers in Wildland Firefighting or Forestry. All participants must be 18 years of age and spend a large amount of time completing thinning and fuels reduction projects. They receive S212 Wildland Powersaw Training and S130/190 Intro to Wildland Firefighting classes. These crews may camp near or commute to projects depending on location.
This program hires all Veterans and focuses on the transition from service in the military to service to public lands and local communities. Education and training will concentrate on the gaining conservation skills and career development services for veterans interested in pursuing further employment opportunities with land management. Crews work on trail and saw projects throughout the Southwest, camping in remote and non-remote locations.
- Individual Placements
This program hires college graduates to complete individual projects with partner agencies throughout the Southwestern U.S. These placements are focused on providing highly qualified individuals to work with land management agencies, community watershed groups and other partners who working in the conservation field. A portion of these placements are completed in partnership with the Western Hardrock Watershed Team.
