Eco-Watch DialoguesUS Forest Service Natural Resource AgendaOn March 2, 1998 U.S. Forest Serivce Chief Mike Dombeck unveiled a Natural Resource Agenda for the 21st Century. His message was about leadership, and he made it clear that he expected Forest Service managers to lead in moving the Agenda from rhetoric to action: "This agenda will help us more effectively engage in one of the noblest, most important callings of our generation ... bringing people together and helping them find ways to live within the limits of the land." "We have two very basic choices. We can sit back on our heels and react to the newest litigation or the latest court order. Or, we can lead by example! The answer is clear...we must lead." The agenda's four emphasis areas are watershed restoration and maintenance, sustainable forest ecosystem management, forest roads, and recreation. A beginning point for this dialogue would be to go back and read Chief Dombecks speech, titled A Gradual Unfolding of a National Purpose: A Natural Resource Agenda for the 21st Century. Let's begin a converstation about the Natural Resource Agenda and how it relates to the Forest Service. Jack Ward Thomas once said, in essence, "I love the Forest Service--for what it is, for what it has been, and especially for what it may become." We hope this forum will help us all better understand where the agency is going, and to help influence that direction in some way. We initiate this conversation to help us all learn more--from each other--about the finer points of collaborative stewardship. Please help us in developing relevent inquiry questions to begin this dialogue. Thanks. Inquiry Questions:
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