This past summer I took an amazing trip to Alaska and in return for some volunteer conservation work, I got a chance to experience, learn about and fly fish Lake Clark Alaska. The Student Conservation Association is a great organization that aims to build awareness and appreciation for our countries natural beauty and natural resources through a variety of youth orientated conservation disciplines from archeology to zoology and much more. The Student Conservation Association is celebrating its 50 year anniversary and as it did in 1957, it continues to organize volunteer based trail crews across the country and throughout our many national parks. This past summer I spent an entire month in Lake Clark, Alaska. In exchange for some work I learned valuable backcountry skills and got to fly fish in some of the most pristine waters I have ever seen. The water was teeming with Artic Grayling, Dolly Varden, and Lake Trout. As a three time alumni of The Student Conservation Association, I can vouch for it’s ability to truly change peoples lives. Check out the SCA website to see more student conservation trips. The world is calling, answer it!
I can’t think of a better way to see the outdoors and get opportunities to fly fish in b some great fishing spots. An altruistic endeavor that gives you skills in the outdoors and great places to fish, you can’t beat that!
orion .. nice stuff! what a killer way to get to experience alaska or any region of the world .. while doing your part in helping to preserve precious natural resources. i am a big advocate of any type of program that aims to educate and promote common sense conservation principles in an effort to open peoples minds to the fact that our natural resources are very precious, in the sense that once there gone .. there gone. and, the world is a mere 26,000 miles in circumfrance … with our modern day technologies in all industries, it would be very easy to ruin our our natural resources in short time .. in my opinion, it is important to find the balance between the our real need for both expansion and preservation. A very difficult balance to find and one that requires an ability to understand both the need for development and the equally important need for preservation; and find a way to somehow satisfy both agendas through common understanding and building solutions that enable both agendas to work for and with each other. balance is the key, in my opinion. thank you for doing your part to ensure that world sees conservation and preservation as not just a “hip thing to do”, but as a very real need.
Hey great story, sounds like an awsome experience. My name is Sam. I’m new to Flies and Fins. (Crazy site BTW Jeremy I check in every day). I have been watching videos on F&F for about two years but recently created an account. I decided to relpy to this post because you mentioned the SCA orion. I’m currently a 3rd year Environmental Studies major at Colby-Sawyer College. This summer I’m fairly certain that I will be doing an internship In Baxter State Park through the SCA. The SCA is an awsome organization from what I have learned about them. Like you, I will also be able to do some fishing during my internship. I think that I will be stationed in the park so I will be living in a tent the whole summer. Fly Fishing, hiking and living in Baxter doesn’t seem like a bad idea to me. Let me know if anyone would like to fish up there with me this summer I would love to meet some people from the site. Baxter might be my favorite place to fly fish out of all the Maine brook trout water I have seen. Again, I love the site. Peace. >~—
Sam … glad you like the site and the videos. I got a great idea .. When you are in Maine this year in Baxter State park, let me know a time that you will have time do some fly fishing together and show me some of the stuff you are working on with the SCA organization. I would love to do a fly fishing video together where we catch some native Maine Brook Trout and also highlight some of the great things you are doing to protect and conserve the natural wonders of Maine that I love so much. Sound good? If so, simply call my cell phone or pm me when you know exactly when you will be in Baxter State Park and when you might have a day to fish and show me around. Thanks, look forward to meeting you and fly fishing together and getting a chance to see and show others on fliesandfins.com some of the stuff you are doing through the SCA. Till’ Then. See Ya.
Sounds awsome Jeremy. I should be up there from May until August with breaks here and there. Baxter has a huge hatch in May on all the ponds and the Salmon are in the rivers all through the summer so we have alot of time to work with. When i’m not doing school i’m fishing so we should meet up before than sometime. I may be doing my freshman trip to the Salmon River next month. I have been doing my research. Watching your steelhead videos has got me pumped to try out that whole scene. Take it easy, happy new year. Peace.
orion, what an excellent way to see the nations natural resources and no better place to do it. I did a three year stint with Americorps and it too was certainly an eye opener, you get to meet like-minded people who share a common passion. Much like this Web site. Nice grayling…keep us posted on your next adventure.
Hey orion! great post. Being a young adult….i believe that as you said…the world is calling, and that we do need to answer it. I am quickly starting to realise that if we don’t do somthing to protect our fisheries…than these great places in our world will possibly not be around for me when i get older, let alone be around for my kids. Thanks for the help!