Conservation Education Task Force

"Vision-to-Action Strategy"

APPENDIX I

November 1997


Conservation Education Task Force Team Members

Directors/Assistant Directors:
Bob Breazeale, Cooperative Forestry
Tom Darden, Wildlife, Fisheries & Rare Plants
Harv Forsgren, Wildlife, Fisheries & Rare Plants
Denver James, Office of Communication
Lyle Laverty, Recreation, Heritage & Wilderness Resources
Ann Loose, Cooperative Forestry
Steve McDonald, Cooperative Forestry
Ruth McWilliams, Cooperative Forestry

Core Team Members:
Kimberly Anderson, National Coordinator, NatureWatch
Richard Calnan, Team Leader, Interpretive Services
Beverly Carroll, Office of Communication
Ernest Del Rio, District Ranger, Prescott National Forest
Pamela Godsey, Program Manager, Natural Resource Conseration Education
Denver James, Office of Communication
Barbara McDonald, National Coordinator, Urban Tree House
Gene Zimmerman, Forest Supervisor, San Bernardino National Forest

Listening Sessions Coordinators:
R-1 Gloria Weisgerber R-6 John Osaki
R-2 Randy Wilkerson R-6 Anne Heisler
R-3 Jean Szymanski R-8 Ginger Brown
R-3 Angela Cook R-9 Jean Claassen
R-4 Karen Schultz R-10 Neil Hagadorn
R-4 Shirley Medlyn IITF Robin Morgan
R-5 Trinidad Juarez NA Theresa Heyer
R-5 Von Helmuth

Consultants: National Forest Foundation:
Jane Leche, R-2 Emilie Cornu Thenard
Dick McCaffery, McCaffery Assoc. Katherine Reis

Technical Support
Margaret Hanson
Dave Steinke


APPENDIX II

Forest Service Programs Providing Conservation Education

I. Natural Resource Conservation Education
Woodsy Owl Children's Forest
Branching out to the Youth of America Boys Scouts/Girls Scouts
Envirothon Trail Boss
Commencement 2000 School Curricula
Project Learning Tree Urban Tree House
.
II. Conservation Education about Fish, Animals and Plants
NatureWatch International Migratory Bird Day/ Partners in Flight
Eyes on Wildlife Celebrating Wildflowers
Fish Watch Noxious Weed Awareness
National Fishing Week Animal Inn
Kids Fishing Derby Warm Buddies and Pals
Pathway to Fishing
.
III. Our Natural Heritage Resources
Interpretive Services ZiNj Education Project
Passport in Time Ske-cology
Windows on the Past Wilderness & Land Ethic Curriculum
Leave No Trace & Wilderness Box Teaching Aids
Tread Lightly
.
IV. Cooperative Forestry Programs
Urban & Community Forestry Program Urban Resource Partnerships
Greenlink Treetures
Wonderful Outdoor World
.
V. Education and Outreach for People Helping People
Youth Conservation Corps Youth Forest Camps
.
VI. Smokey Bear
Smokey Bear Junior Forest Ranger

Definitions

I. Nautral Resource Conservation Education:
Woodsy Owl: Through the character of Woodsy Owl, the Forest Service builds public knowledge about our environment and its proper use. Woodsy's message emphasizes caring for the land and pollution.

Branching Out to the Youth of America: teams of college students of diverse ethnic backgrounds and areas of study work with urban children who learn about environment and conservation. Students are exposed to a variety of career options while learning about their environment.

Envirothon: a multi disciplinary, environmental problem solving program culminating in an annual series of competitions. Individual states design and administer competitions and training for schools throughout their state. A winning team from each state then advances to the National Envirothon, challenging students to learn not only about the needs of their region and issues of local concern, but broadens their sense of community.

Commencement 2000: Kindergarten through college program to introduce minority students to the world of natural resources and to encourage them to seek a career in that field.

Project Learning Tree (PLT): a teacher training program and conservation education curriculum, helps students from preschool through high-school develop environmental awareness and the ability to make informed decisions about natural resources and management.

School Curricula:The Forest Service has developed the widely acclaimed Investigating Your Environment, Ecosystem Matters and other curriculum guides at the local level.

Urban Tree House: a cooperative, community-based environmental research and education program. The treehouse is a simple platform shaped in the form of the United States and placed in a community green space. Its goal is to reach inner-city youth and adults to learn about natural resources and environmental concepts.

Children's Forest:effort on San Bernardino National Forest to guiding children in discovering and understanding forest ecosystems and their management. Youth learn appreciation and stewardship and develop a connection with the land.

Boys Scouts/Girls Scouts: formal partnerships with these two critical youth leadership organizations allows the Forest Service to work with millions of youths in natural settings.

Trail Boss: provides leaders of youth and outdoor oriented organizations with training and experience that allows them to successfully accomplish conservation project work on Federal, State and local lands and waters.

II. Conservation Education About Fish, Animals and Plants
NatureWatch: puts people in touch with the plants, animals, fish, and birds of their National Forests through viewing sites, interpretive walks, festivals and more. NatureWatch is an effortless means to education and a way for people who feel strongly about biodiversity to become partners in habitat conservation.

Eyes on Wildlife: facilitates habitat management and improvements for wildlife viewing on National Forests and Grasslands. Provides enhanced opportunities for all people to experience wildlife; promote learning about forest animals and plants and their habitat requirements; develop a broad public support of conservation that maintains healthy ecosystems for all plants and animal species.

Fish Watch: an aquatic and fisheries focused educational program established to elevate awareness of the importance of fish and clean water; encourage an interest and excitement for fish viewing; provide fish viewing opportunities; provide opportunities for volunteers and partnerships to play a role in the conservation of our aquatic resources.

National Fishing Week and Kids Fishing Derby: Educate children and adults about streams and lakes and plants and animals dependent upon them for survival. Instill in forest managers and the public a sense of shared ownership and responsibility for management of public lands and associated aquatic resources.

Pathway to Fishing: educational learning stations that teach children about the various aspects of fishing - habitat, fish biology, catch and release, casting, regulations and technique.

International Migratory Bird Day / Partners in Flight: seeks to maintain, restore and enhance populations of neotropical migratory birds by promoting conservation before species become imperiled. It is a comprehensive, habitat based conservation program focusing on North American breeding grounds, the neotropical wintering grounds, and the migration routes connecting the two.

Celebrating Wildflowers: season-long festival highlighting wildflower education, interpretation, and restoration activities on over 640 million acres of public lands.

Noxious Weeds Awareness: Support exclusion, prevention, containment and eradication of invasive, exotic and noxious weeds and mitigate their current negative impact our natural resources through Weed Awareness Week, weed posse, classes, local nursery partnerships.

Animal Inn: national public education campaign to build awareness that dead, dying and hollow trees provide valuable wildlife and fish habitat for a diverse healthy forest. The program help motivate woodcutters and recreationists to save certain trees with broken tops, truck holes, visible nests or special markings.

Warm Buddies and Pals: cooperative effort between the Forest Service and children clothing manufacturers.

III. Our Natural Heritage Resources
Interpretive Services: Provides education and provokes thought in the minds of National Forests visitors about the importance of our natural and cultural resources.

Passport in Time / Windows on the Past: volunteer programs inviting the public to participate with Forest Service heritage professionals on a variety of historic preservation projects. This program broadens public awareness of archaeological and historical resources of the nation through hands-on education.

Leave No Trace: is a minimum impact education system to educate federal land managers and the general public through training, publications, videos and electronic web, instilling land stewardship ethic that recognizes individual responsibility.

Tread Lightly: dedicated to increasing awareness on how to enjoy public and private lands while minimizing impacts. It emphasizes responsible use of off-highway vehicles, other forms of back country travel, and low impact principles applicable to outdoor recreation activities.

ZiNj education project: fosters public awareness, appreciation, understanding and involvement with the irreplaceable and delicate heritage resources found on public lands. ZiNj includes the publication of a magazine which is distributed to the public nation-wide.

Ske-cology: Through downhill ski instructors at member resorts children learn about the principles of conservation education while learning how to ski.

Wilderness and Land Ethic Curriculum and Wilderness Box Teaching Aids: Provide classroom teacher, land managers and outdoor educators with interactive lesson plans and teaching aids to promote awareness and appreciation of the many values of Wilderness and other wild lands.

IV. Cooperative Forestry Programs
Urban & Community Forestry: comprehensive management of forests and related natural resources in populated areas, from the inner city to the developing urban fringe to small communities. This includes an integration of natural, social and economic systems as they affect and are affected by human activity.

Greenlink: project in Los Angeles that trains residents in tree planting, tree care, agroforestry and environmental management. The Greenlink project has helped develop partnerships to illustrate how urban forestry can help address community economic, social and environmental needs. Greenlink also demonstrates community recycling and reutilization of salvaged urban trees. it has urban young people learning from resource professionals to become conservation educators.

Wonderful Outdoor World: is a multi-organizational effort that introduces inner-city youth to camping and outdoor recreation through a safe controlled experience. WOW emphasizes the importance of understanding and respecting urban and wildland ecosystems.

Urban Resource Partnerships: Interagency public-private partnership meeting the needs of under served communities in urban areas. Education is a component of this program.

Treetures: compose a community of characters that are dedicated to tree planting. The goal is to teach children in their formative years the need for trees, how trees are used by both humans and animals and the importance of planting and caring for trees throughout the world.

V. Education and Outreach for People Helping People
Youth Conservation Corps (CCC) : helps to save natural resources by developing, preserving and maintaining public lands and waters, alleviates high unemployment among the nation's youth, and educates its participants in the understanding and appreciation of the natural environment.

Youth Forest Camps: provides disadvantaged youth with a meaningful experience and an opportunity to learn about the environment while completing National Forest projects.

VI. Smokey Bear
Smokey Bear: bring outdoor fire safety to the awareness of all ages.

Junior Forest Ranger: promote Forest Fire Prevention among elementary school aged youths.


APPENDIX III

Forest Service Town Hall Meeting Capsules Summaries

This was taken from the public input gathered in response to the question "What if we could just start over?" No program received as much public support as education.

April 6, 1994, Sacramento, California - "Forest Service has a responsibility in natural resource education."

April 13, 1994, Seattle, Washington - "Forest Service should educate the public regarding natural resource issues."

April 16, 1994, Asheville, North Carolina- "Forest Service should educate the public regarding natural resource issues and practices."

April 26, 1994, Phoenix, Arizona -" Forest Service needs to do better educational programs and public affairs."

April 30, 1994, Minneapolis/St Paul, Minnesota - "Forest Service needs to do a better job educating the public."

May 6, 1994, Burlington, Vermont - "Forest Service should play a vital role in education of natural resource issues and practices."

May 11, 1994, Washington, District of Columbia, "Forest Service should play a vital role in education of natural resource issues."


Task Force Report and Recommendations, "Vison-to Action Stragey"
Executive Summary | Conservation Education Homepage