From the dense forests of the Pacific Northwest to the urban jungle of Washington, DC this episode of The Visionaries, featuring The Student Conservation Association (SCA), will give you hope for the future of our planet. The Charlestown, New Hampshire-based organization was founded by Liz Titus Putnam in 1954 in an attempt to help preserve one of America's most precious natural resources: our national parks. The Visionaries explores the history of this innovative organization, and documents the work they are doing around the country. The show begins as The Visionaries joins a dynamic group of young adults on a trip to the North Cascade mountains of Washington State. We watch from the moment these eight teens take their first, tenuous steps into the back country, until they finally emerge from the wilderness five weeks later. Along the way they battle blisters, sore muscles and the frustration of first failures. But they also experience the exhilaration of taking part in something that will last for generations to come. We also travel to Washington, DC where the SCA's Conservation Career Development Program (CCDP) reaches out to young men and women of color from America's largest cities. Recognizing a lack of minority professionals in conservation work, the SCA has made a commitment to train young people for a role in the future preservation of the planet. By building a sense of responsibility and respect for the Earth, we watch as the Student Conservation Association makes incredible changes in the young people of our country and the planet we live on.
