VERMONT—Liz Putnam, founder of the Student Conservation Association, is the first conservationist to receive the U.S. Presidential Citizens Medal. She is responsible for getting more than 90,000 volunteers on the ground in public lands to lend support where needed. Undoubtedly, she has changed the lives of many since founding SCA in 1957. Recently, at her home in Vermont, she continued to inspire even more.

After Martina Barnes, Manchester District ranger on the Green Mountain National Forest, mentioned in a local newspaper article her passion for public lands came from her time as an SCA volunteer, the SCA founder reached out to invite her for an afternoon chat. Naturally, Ranger Barnes brought along some current SCA interns who worked on the forest this summer, as well as a handful of forest staff who supported them. Putnam was happy to get to know the crew.

“The SCA program changed my life in an incredible way, and I am forever grateful,” said Barnes. “I never miss an opportunity to tell students that, and I certainly wasn’t going to miss an opportunity to tell Liz that.”

During their visit, Putnam spoke about the future of the organization, international projects, more partnerships and spreading the values of shared stewardship to more diverse audiences. She also told stories of the past, her inspiration for starting SCA, overcoming the challenges she faced in her career and how to grow from life lessons. It was an afternoon that certainly left an impression on everyone.

“One thing Liz Putnam talked about was moving on after mistakes,” said intern Julia Sonen. “While mistakes need to be acknowledged and damage mitigated, sitting on mistakes does not do anything. She said the best approach is to learn from them and move on. She talked about seeking out every opportunity and experience because you never know where they might lead and what skills you will gain.”

In turn, the SCA interns regaled Putnam and others with tales of working in the forest’s wilderness areas this summer, sharing stories of moose encounters, trail maintenance and working with all different subject matter experts.

“One of my favorite experiences this summer has to have been working with the air quality lichen specific team in Lye Brook Wilderness,” said Sonen. “It was a gorgeous day, the blueberries and snowberries were ripe, and the swamp was just dry enough to be walked over with some semblance of staying dry. Linda, the main lichenologist, found a huge variety of lichen—there was so much to learn.”

The mission of the Student Conservation Association is to build the next generation of conservation leaders and inspire lifelong stewardship of the environment and communities by engaging young people in hands-on service to the land.

At the USDA Forest Service, we rely on groups like SCA and work in partnership with them to carry out our mission.