If there ever was a model of the value of service in our national parks, it is Megan Cantrell. She first signed up with the Student Conservation Association during the summer of her junior year in high school.

After those hot, grueling months fixing eroded trails in Yellowstone National Park she was hooked, giving several more summers to fix trails, build bridges, put out fires (!), and address other needs in national parks and forests from California to Florida. She even led her own crew of young park enthusiasts to repair trails in Cumberland Gap National Historical Park.

“I never felt so lucky to be a part of something greater than me. I was in some of the most beautiful places America has to offer… I have been in many national parks that differ in size and purpose and each one needs attention, each park needs help. I feel honored to have had the opportunities to help, no matter how big or small my projects were,” Megan told me on a recent hike in Rock Creek Park in Washington, D.C.

The pending Public Lands Service Corps bill (H.R. 1612) will ensure other Americans have opportunities to contribute to the preservation of our national heritage, while also earning a wage and getting leadership training. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Arizona, builds upon the recently-passed Serve America legislation and the existing Public Land Corps Act of 1993 to create thousands of new, long-term service positions for young people and older Americans in national parks, national forests, and other public lands.

“We want to be able to put folks’ goodwill into good use,” First Lady Michelle Obama said recently about service. “We need to make sure that every hour of time that they commit is spent doing something that’s actually going to make a difference, that every dollar contributed is actually going to go to moving some real solutions forward.”

In the national parks, which have a backlog of maintenance projects that exceeds $8 billion, new Service Corps members could rehabilitate campgrounds, restore historic structures, eradicate invasive species, help conduct science and research projects, reach out to local communities, and help to educate national park visitors.

“This well-designed effort to provide full-time service opportunities in our national parks can help to address the deteriorating condition of many parks, while also providing unique job training opportunities for many Americans,” said NPCA Senior Vice President for Government Affairs Craig Obey in a recent press release.

The National Parks Conservation Association is encouraging the public to share their personal stories of service in the national parks with Congress, with the goal of seeing Rep. Grijalva’s bill passed by the full House, and companion legislation introduced and passed by the Senate this summer.

“During my time in Yosemite, we climbed up Half Dome. Sitting so high up and looking out into what I can only describe as breathtaking, I realized that I want to protect this. I want people to continue to experience the wonderful feelings that I had sitting atop Half Dome,” Ms. Cantrell said.

Editor's note: Andrea Keller Helsel is senior director of media relations for the NPCA.