Posts in category “Conservation”

Mother Nature did plenty of favors for those in Central Oregon for Earth Day weekend, blessing us with blue skies and warm afternoons. In celebration, a group of Sisters High School biology students gave back to Mother Nature too, planting about 400 trees near Whychus Creek. The students volunteered as part of the National Forest Foundation’s (NFF) and U.S. Forest Service’s Tale of Two Rivers conservation campaign to restore the Metolius River and Whychus Creek.  “We really... (Read more…)

On a recent spring morning, more than 100 volunteers from the Alcoa Fastening Systems Carson Operations arrived at Vogel Flat Picnic Area on the Angeles National Forest for a Friends of the Forest day. Alcoa adopted the picnic area last fall and employees were eager to continue their work. Damaged in the 2009 Station Fire and subsequent debris flows, the picnic area required a variety of improvements and repairs. Despite the presence of half a dozen or so large and... (Read more…)

Quilt for Two Rivers celebrates the outdoors in a classic American art form To date, the Tale of Two Rivers conservation campaign has generated an original microbrew, an annual cycling event, a plein air paint-a-thon and a movie screening.  Now up: a modern quilting bee. A collaboration between the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show, the National Forest Foundation and the U.S. Forest Service, Quilt for Two Rivers brings together 20 leading... (Read more…)

Have you ever stood in a field of grasses towering over your head? Have you felt small in a wide open sea of grass? Soon the majestic prairie will once again provide a sense of awe for residents and visitors alike. Less than an hour from Chicago, Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie offers visitors a chance to experience Illinois, and much of the Midwest, how it once was: tallgrass prairie. From Army to Prairie Beginning in 1940, the open space of Midewin became the... (Read more…)

Posted by Sharon Alton, GAIA Consulting Group, www.thegaiagroup.net , on behalf of  SunRiver Resort. Sunriver Resort  is surrounded by the Deschutes National Forest , a year round destination for skiing, hiking, fishing, biking, and enjoying the spectacular scenery. With this expanded backyard, Sunriver’s guests directly rely on the natural resources surrounding the resort each time they visit. The Forest Stewardship Fund provides a way for guests to give back... (Read more…)

Vance Russell, the NFF Director of the California Program recently gave introductory remarks before a screening of the 2011 documentary film Green Fire at the University of California-Davis. The father of the National Wilderness System, wildlife management and ecological restoration, Aldo Leopold and his ideas still apply today in landscapes across the country. Below are Vance’s remarks before the film. I have a quote above my desk by Aldo Leopold that is relatively unknown:... (Read more…)

Trout Unlimited , the National Forest Foundation and the Deschutes National Forest have partnered to tackle improvements to the 15.3 mile trail along the Metolius River from the headwaters to Candle Creek below the lowest bridge. The project includes replacement of existing trail structures (bridges and rock structures), protection of erodible sites along the river by placing rock or wood to dissipate erosion and provide hardened sites for foot traffic, and planting native plants on... (Read more…)

By Wayne Shewmake, President, Arkansas Wildlife Federation Arkansas Wildlife Federation (AFW), along with National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF), Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF), Arkansas Tech Fisheries & Wildlife Society, U.S. Forest Service Ozark—St. Francis National Forest, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC), National Wildlife Federation, and the National Forest Foundation (NFF), recently held a work weekend at the Bearcat Hollow Project in the Ozark National Forest,... (Read more…)

Over the summer of 2011 the Appalachian Mountain Club 's Professional Trail Crew worked on the Falling Waters Trail in Franconia Notch thanks to a Matching Awards Program Grant from the National Forest Foundation. They spent 9 weeks installing structures to mitigate serious erosion and provide trail definition and enhanced safety for hikers on the very popular trail. The Falling Waters Trail is located in the scenic Franconia Notch leading from the Parkway, I-93, to the... (Read more…)

To celebrate National Public Lands Day , the National Forest Foundation teamed up with REI to bring the Forest Service and community together to help restore Big Tujunga Creek at Angeles National Forest. Volunteers from all across Southern California, including several employees from Northrop Grumman, convened at the Wildwood Picnic Area to start the Friends of the Forest day. Forest Service employees from the Los Angeles River Ranger District described the site and... (Read more…)