YOUR NATIONAL
The Magazine of the National Forest Foundation
Find Your Fourteener INCREASING THE PACE AND SCALE OF RESTORATION
Camping for All MAKING A LIFETIME OF MEMORIES
A New Treasured Landscape SUPPORTING THE SAWTOOTH NATIONAL FOREST
Summer | Fall 2020
Board of Directors Executive Committee Patricia Hayling Price, NFF Chair President, LiveWorkStrategize, LLC (NY) Lee Fromson, NFF Treasurer Executive Vice President, Products & Operations, Simms Fishing Products (MT) Timothy P. Schieffelin, NFF Secretary Founding Partner, Leeward Group (CT) Caroline Choi, Senior Vice President, Regulatory Affairs, Southern California Edison (CA) Robert Cole, Partner, Collins Cockrel & Cole, P.C. (CO) Rob Leary, CEO, The Olayan Group (FL) Bob Wheeler, President and CEO, Airstream Inc. (OH)
Board of Directors Michael Barkin, CFO, Vail Resorts Management Company (CO)
Donor Advised Funds and Pandemic What's the connection? The coronavirus outbreak has upended almost everything in our lives. Its ripple effect will not be fully understood for some time. Yet, we all are trying to stay the course, and that includes the National Forest Foundation where we are 100 percent committed to our work, even if it looks and feels different. We understand the anxiety that you may be feeling and that you might feel you have to scale down support of your favorite causes, including us. If you have a donor advised fund (DAF), now can be a good time to sustain or even increase your philanthropic support through this vehicle. You’ve already set aside your DAF funds to give and today our need is as great as ever. Please consider contacting your DAF administrator today and recommending a grant to the NFF. If your DAF is with Fidelity, Schwab, or BNY Mellon, it’s even easier; just go to nationalforests.org/DAF, and with a couple of clicks you can complete your gift. You may also want to call and let us know about your gift, so we can recognize your generosity. If you have questions, please call Ray Foote, NFF Executive Vice President, at 202-664-4585 or rfoote@nationalforests.org. The pandemic is stretching and stressing all of us in new ways. We will do all we can to stay laser focused on critical conservation projects across the public lands you love. Thank you for helping make it all possible.
Visit nationalforests.org to contribute today. Give confidently: the National Forest Foundation has earned the highest charity ratings available.
Mike Brown, Jr., Founder and Managing Partner, Bowery Capital (NY) Mary Kate Buckley, President, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (WY) Coleman Burke, President, Waterfront Properties (NY) Aimée Christensen, CEO, Christensen Global Strategies; Founding Executive Director, Sun Valley Institute (ID) Vicki Christiansen, Ex-Officio, Chief, USDA Forest Service (DC) James K. Hunt, Non-Executive Chairman, Tournament Capital Advisors, LLC, Hunt Companies, Inc. (WY) Allie Kline (CO) Andie MacDowell, Actress & Spokesperson (CA) Thomas McHenry, President & Dean, Vermont Law School (VT) Kevin Murphy, President, ExxonMobil Foundation; Manager, Corporate Citizenship and Community Investments, Exxon Mobil Corporation (TX) Jeff Paro (NJ) Randy Peterson, Principal, LRP Consultants, LLC (WI) Hugh Wiley, Head of Media Commerce, XO Group—The Knot Worldwide (NY)
welcome
letter
On the Ground and In the Heart, Even During Pandemic
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s we were preparing this issue of Your National Forests, so much of our country began experiencing the massive disruption of the coronavirus pandemic. We hope this issue finds you and yours safe and healthy. At the National Forest Foundation we are doing our best to stay focused on our own health while vigorously pursuing our mission. Thank you for your continued partnership with us even during these challenging times. Because I have always liked the popular series of books with titles like Calculus for Dummies or Music Theory for Dummies, let’s call this issue National Forests for Dummies, with a wink and nod. Our hope is that the articles inside introduce you to the richness and variety of your National Forests and Grasslands. What a constellation of places, ideas, and even contradictions are contained in this wondrous system of public lands! Planting trees or thinning forests? Prescribed burns or fire suppression? Park or Forest? You might be surprised to learn you can do some things on National Forests that you cannot typically do in a National Park, like walk your dog, cut down your own Christmas tree with a permit, hunt with the appropriate license, or gather prized and tasty morels for personal use. Of course, all of this depends on when it is safe and appropriate to return to these places.
While we do a great deal of on-the-ground work like stream restoration, tree planting, and trail improvement, we also do a lot of work to inspire human connections to our National Forests. By that, I mean we help Americans form a better understanding of the Forests, the centerpiece of our nation’s public lands. How? Through volunteer events, supporting local partners, telling forest stories and more. Please follow us on social media; I think you will be inspired, too. In these pages, travel with us to the high-elevation trails on Colorado’s Fourteeners where we are working with partners to ensure the integrity of trails for hikers who bag these summits. Come see how camping provides connections to National Forests. Mainly, we hope this issue will inspire you to become an active steward of your National Forests. Finally, we would love to hear from you; please share your experiences and images about what the Forests mean to you. Thanks for your support, and we send our best wishes during these challenging times.
Thank you!
Mary Mitsos President
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inside this edition Welcome Letter
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Where in the Woods
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Forests by the Numbers
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Forest Foods
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Forest News
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Photos: Mike Renner, James Edward Mills, Kellon Spencer Photography
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On the Ground and In the Heart
features
How Well Do You Know Our National Forests?
Soak Up the Sunshine
Next Level S’mores
Transit to Trails How to Recreate Safely During Wildfire Season
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Featured Forest
Restoring Idaho’s Forest of Superlatives
Field Reports
Restoring Monument Peak Lookout Building a New Trail System in Central Utah
18 Unforgettable Experiences
Kids and Nature
Match the Leaf Shape to the Tree
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Tree Spotlight
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People of Public Lands
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People of Public Lands
Camping for All
Western Red-cedar
Adventure Mom Melody Forsyth
Storyteller and Photographer Leslie Kehmeier
32 Where in the Woods Answer
Did You Know the Forest?
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on the cover
Featured Project Mountain Rehab
A volunteer helps restore the Devil's Playground Trail on the Pike National Forest. Photographer: Kellon Spencer Photography.
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Your National Forests
where in the woods This National Forest features a variety of rare ecological features such as dry sand prairie remnants, coastal marshlands, dunes, oak savannahs, fens, bogs and marshes. See page 32 for answer. Photo: Chelsea Badura
National Forest Foundation Building 27, Suite 3 Fort Missoula Road Missoula, Montana 59804 406.542.2805
®2020 National Forest Foundation.
No unauthorized reproduction of this material is allowed. Your National Forests magazine is printed on recycled paper with 30% post-consumer content. This magazine’s use of FSC certified paper ensures the highest environmental and social standards have been followed in the wood sourcing, paper manufacturing and print production of this magazine. To learn more log on to www.fsc.org.
Your National Forests
The Magazine of the National Forest Foundation Editors Emily Stifler Wolfe, Hannah Featherman Contributors Anita Chu, James Edward Mills, Hannah Featherman, Lance Garland, Krista Langlois, Adam Liljeblad, Mary Mitsos, Cassidy Randall, Casey Schreiner Graphic Artist Marci Mansfield, MansfieldCommunications.myportfolio.com
National Forest Foundation
President Mary Mitsos Executive Vice President Ray A. Foote Vice President, Field Programs Marcus Selig Shereé Bombard Director, Administration Zoe Bommarito Communications Associate Mark Brehl Arizona Program Forestry Supervisor Colleen Coleman Director, Marketing and Communications Darla Cotton Executive Assistant Mindy Crowell Reforestation Partnerships Manager Rebecca Davidson Director, Southern Rockies Program Sarah Di Vittorio California Program Manager Karen DiBari Director, Conservation Connect Hannah Featherman Communications Manager Dania Gutierrez California Program Manager – Southern California Robin Hill Controller Britt Holewinski Tree Planting Associate Ben Irey Conservation Connect Program Manager Joe Lavorini Gunnison County Stewardship Coordinator Adam Liljeblad Director, Conservation Awards Hunter Maggs Accountant Jessica McCutcheon Digital Marketing Manager Matt Millar California Program Manager – Tahoe Kerry Morse Conservation Programs Officer Luba Mullen Associate Director, Development Katie Neher Development Database Associate Emily Olsen Colorado Program Manager Marlee Ostheimer Conservation Partnerships Manager Monica Perez-Watkins Tree Planting Coordinator Spencer Plumb Conservation Finance Manager Evan Ritzinger California Program Coordinator – Tahoe Brian Robey California Program Associate – Southern California Trevor Seck California Program Coordinator - Tahoe Patrick Shannon Director, Pacific Northwest Program Katrina Angelina Shull Event Planner and Coordinator Dani Southard Northern Rockies Program Manager Mark Shelley Director, Eastern Field Program Wes Swaffar Director, Reforestation and Partnerships Briana Tiffany California Program Associate – Tahoe Dayle Wallien Director, Conservation Partnerships Leah Zamesnik Partnership Coordinator
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forests by the numbers
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16:05 15:29
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Hours of daylight Dark Sky designation
ummertime on our National Forests and Grasslands means long days—early morning sunrises and late evening sunsets.
Even here, our National Forests offer surprises. On the longest day of the year, the summer solstice, Alaska’s Tongass National Forest has six hours more sunlight than Puerto Rico’s El Yunque National Forest. Regardless of how much daylight there is in your backyard forest, there are endless opportunities to fill the day with unforgettable experiences.
If you’d like to get away from the light, stay at Cosmic Campground, a Dark Sky Sanctuary, on New Mexico’s Gila National Forest or visit the Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve within the Sawtooth National Forest. Both places received their designations by the International Dark-Sky Association for their exceptional or distinguished quality of starry nights.
Hours of daylight across National Forests on summer solstice, Saturday, June 20: Chugach National Forest, Anchorage, Alaska Sunrise – 4:20 a.m. Sunset – 11:42 p.m. Length of day – 19:21 hours
White Mountain National Forest, Conway, New Hampshire Sunrise – 5:01 a.m. Sunset – 8:30 p.m Length of day – 15:29 hours
White River National Forest, Vail, Colorado Sunrise – 5:41 a.m. Sunset – 8:32 p.m Length of day – 14:51 hours
El Yunque National Forest, San Juan, Puerto Rico Sunrise – 5:49 a.m. Sunset – 7:03 p.m Length of day – 13:14 hours
Cleveland National Forest, Escondido, California Sunrise – 5:39 a.m. Sunset – 8:00 p.m Length of day – 14:20 hours
Idaho Panhandle National Forests, Sandpoint, Idaho Sunrise – 4:45 a.m. Sunset – 8:50 p.m Length of day – 16:05 hours
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Your National Forests
forest foods
Photos: iStock
By Anita Chu
Take Your S’mores to the Next Level
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here’s no camping treat more classic than s’mores. But how about going well beyond the traditional graham cracker-marshmallow-chocolate combo? For a spring twist, I’m trading gingersnaps for graham crackers, and layering in marshmallow and lemon curd.
When we asked NFF’s social media following how to jazz up a campfire dessert, they sent in some mouthwatering suggestions. Here are a few of our favorites: For a fancy take on PB&J, layer the marshmallow and chocolate with peanut butter and raspberry jam. Or try using a chocolate peanut butter cup in place of the chocolate. —Zoe Bommarito Go tropical: Use toasted coconut marshmallows, or sprinkle toasted coconut over the warm marshmallow, then top with chocolate and some caramel sauce. —Nature Tech Family For a bit of teatime in the woods, use shortbread cookies instead of graham crackers. Top the marshmallow and chocolate with caramel sauce and a sprinkle of sea salt. —Elna Thomas Anita Chu is the creator of Dessert First, an award-winning blog dedicated to all things sweet. She is a lifelong resident of the San Francisco Bay Area and is always trying out the latest restaurants and sweet spots in town. Find her at dessertfirstgirl.com.
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forest news Transit to Trails—A New Shuttle Would Make Public Lands More Accessible
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By Casey Schreiner
magine you live in a park-poor neighborhood in Los Angeles, one of the nation’s densest urban areas. You step out your front door, and within the hour, you’re whisked to the edge of a National Forest.
Here, you find 970 square miles of open space where you can hike through a historic wilderness resort, enjoy the shade of 100-foot-tall sycamore trees, and bask in the mist of two waterfalls. All this, without ever touching a private automobile. The Transit to Trails pilot program did just that, linking the Los Angeles Metro L Line in Arcadia to the Chantry Flat Picnic Area in the San Gabriel Mountains. An initial 2016 pilot transported more than 900 people over four weekends to the picnic area, and the program returned for National
Public Lands Day in 2019, bringing 247 riders to the Angeles National Forest on a rare rainy September day. A joint project between the U.S. Forest Service, the National Forest Foundation, the City of Arcadia, the Wilderness Society and Nature For All, the Chantry Flat Shuttle is aimed at making public lands accessible to more Southern Californians. It also reduces the number of cars in and around the Angeles National Forest and San Gabriel Mountains National Monument. The outreach seems to be working: In 2019, almost half of the
participants were first-time visitors to the area. Dania Gutierrez, the NFF’s program manager in Southern California, said the partners are “committed to identifying ways to make this a permanent solution for Los Angeles County.” The goal is to create a system of shuttles that would transport visitors to popular recreation areas throughout the San Gabriel Mountains, but for now they’re focused on making the Chantry Flat Shuttle a fixture in the landscape.
Photo: NFF
Casey Schreiner is a writer and author in Los Angeles, California. He runs the website Modern Hiker and has written two books about the outdoors in Southern California, “Day Hiking Los Angeles” and “Discovering Griffith Park.” He is on the board of Nature For All.
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Your National Forests
forest news How to Recreate Safely During Wildfire Season
By Lance Garland
Photo: iStock
What are fire restrictions? Fire restrictions help reduce fire risk and prevent wildfires during high or extreme fire danger. They often change quickly due to variable weather conditions. Activities like building a campfire, grilling, smoking, or operating a chainsaw may be prohibited during an alert.
Resources
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n January, while researching hikes for a trip to Australia with a group of friends, my news feed filled with headlines from the wildfires devastating much of the continent. I thought about canceling the trip, but as a professional firefighter and avid outdoorsman, I knew I could find somewhere safe to go. So, I planned as I would for a trip near my home in Seattle: by researching geography and local conditions, considering alternatives, and using the government’s wildfire map to track fires in real time. This information in hand, we found places untouched by the ongoing fires, where the air was clean and we were safe. I have had similar experiences in Washington State. When there are risk advisories in my closest National Forest, the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie, I’ll visit the rainforests in the Olympic National Forest, which are less prone to fire.
My top three tips for safe outdoor fun when fire is in play 1. Prepare. You can find up-to-date information about U.S. fire location and size on the website Inciweb. Ranger stations also have great resources including maps and reports on trail, campground, and boating area closures. Be sure to ask about any active alerts, and check the weather before you head out; wind can cause wildfires to spread quickly, or bring smoke from distant fires, creating an air-quality health hazard. 2. Be Savvy. Mountaineers have a saying: “It’s better to turn around and climb another day.” Never be afraid to change your plans and find a different place to play outside, or go read a book at the lakeshore. 3. Be flexible. Is your favorite trailhead or reservoir closed? Maybe it’s time to check out that state or municipal park you’ve driven by, or road trip to another National Forest. With a bit of flexibility, you can still enjoy time outside during wildfire season.
• Information on fire location and size inciweb.nwcg.gov
• Traffic and trail conditions fs.usda.gov
• Weather forecasts and alerts noaa.gov
• Air quality rankings and forecasts airnow.gov
While Lance Garland fights fire in Seattle, climbs the mountains of the Pacific Northwest, and sails the Salish Sea, he writes. His work has appeared in Outside, Mountaineer, Orion and Earthly Love. His ongoing adventure series, ITINERANT, was a finalist for the 2019 International Book Awards. Find more at lancegarland.com.
C O R P O R AT E P A R T N E R Celebrating five years of partnership with the NFF, Southwest Airlines provides not only vital unrestricted support, but also travel support for NFF staff and partners to ensure we can cover the country in our mission. We salute Southwest for their sustained and strong commitment to our forests!
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field
reports
Restoring Montana’s Monument Peak Lookout
Photos: Jameson Clifton/Filson
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By Hannah Featherman
he U.S. Forest Service is the proud owner of hundreds of fire lookout towers. And while some lookout towers continue to provide wildfire monitoring, many are overnight and weekend destinations for adventurers looking for a unique experience on our National Forests. Because thousands of visitors enjoy these historic lookout towers, it’s not surprising that they need some help to stand on a mountaintop for another 75 plus years. In 2019, the NFF partnered with Filson to restore Montana’s Monument Peak Lookout Tower on the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest. This successful project combined Forest Service staff work, Filson employee volunteerism, and contract work by Montana-based CB Roofing funded by Filson. The new roof made from Washington cedar helped preserve the tower’s historical look and significance. Filson employee volunteers also refreshed the exterior paint, provided a necessary deep clean of the interior and improved the exterior of the adjacent outhouse. “The much-needed investment in the Monument Peak Lookout will provide a better experience for the public and maintain its historical significance for future generations,”
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Your National Forests
said Dani Southard, NFF manager of the Northern Rockies. Visitors to the Little Belt Mountains in Central Montana will be able to enjoy not only the historic structure but the incredible views of the forest for many years to come. Visit recreation.gov to book a stay at the Monument Peak Lookout Tower.
field Building a New Trail System and Destination in Central Utah
reports
By Adam Liljeblad
Photos: Chris Davis Photography
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n central Utah’s Fishlake National Forest, the arid landscape transitions from repeating parallel mountains and valleys to the extreme relief of the Colorado Plateau.
Just outside the city of Richfield, the Pahvant Mountain Bike Trail system is beginning to take shape. It will be the newest non-motorized trail in the region and a welcome addition to the area’s extensive multi-use trail system. Often seen as a drive-by community for visitors to the state and region, Richfield is hoping adventure-seekers might take the time to stop in the area for this new trail system. Thanks to the committed work of a full time stewardship crew and a network of volunteers, Richfield Trail Committee completed their inaugural season last summer building the first 18-mile phase of an 80+ mile trail system planned for the entire project. In a landscape hued with reds, yellows, greens, and browns, the volunteers and stewardship crews worked their way across the rolling desert. Mini excavators and dozers graded turns, created trail features, and placed rock retaining structures, while the crews and volunteers followed to complete the final tread construction. In sections of trail too arduous for the heavy equipment to traverse, community members were greeted by the strenuous and rewarding task of digging the trail tread by hand.
Boy Scouts from Richfield took on components of the Pahvant Phase 1 build as individual Eagle Scout projects. For these projects, each Scout was responsible for coordinating their own trail stewardship event with volunteers and seeing it through to completion, developing their leadership skills and sense of stewardship. As the trail system grows towards completion, the trails will become a draw to local riders as well as those traveling long distances along the I-70 and I-15 corridors. This important work on the Fishlake National Forest in Utah would not be possible without the generous support of REI and REI Co-Op Mastercard Cardholders.
Adam Liljeblad is the NFF’s Director of Conservation Awards. Reach him at aliljeblad@nationalforests.org.
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kids and nature
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This leaf is roughly shaped like a heart and the tree has one of the most widespread distributions across North America.
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This leaf’s rounded and simple shape is found on a tree with many culinary and native medicinal uses.
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Illustrations: Vectorstock
s the seasons change, one of the most magical transformations happens with trees across the country. Test your forest knowledge and see if you can match the leaf shape with the species!
Your National Forests
The rounded corners of this fun leaf shape are on a tree that is found throughout the eastern United States.
This leaf has small teeth around the edge and is part of a slow-growing tree native to the eastern United States.
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kids and nature
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This tree’s leaf looks like a fan and is native to China.
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ANSWERS: 1. Aspen, 2. White Oak, 3. American Beech, 4. Sassafras, 5. Ginkgo, 6. Sugar Maple, 7. Japanese Maple
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This wispy and pointy leaf is found on a tree native to Asia.
This leaf’s pointy ends and array of colors is one of the most iconic leaves of fall.
C O R P O R AT E P A R T N E R We are proud to recognized Subaru as a new major tree planting partner. Subaru is helping reforest National Forests in California with the planting of 500,000 trees, all while sharing this critical conservation work through the media to inspire Americans to care for their public lands. Thank you, Subaru!
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tree spotlight Photo: iStock
The Tree of Life: W E S T E R N
R E D - C E DA R
By Krista Langlois
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Your National Forests
tree spotlight
Photos: 123RF, iStock
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t’s hard to think of western red-cedar and think of only a tree. This is an evergreen that can grow as tall as a skyscraper, as wide as a bus and live for 1,500 years. Nearly synonymous with old-growth forests, its very name calls to mind an entire ecosystem—an emerald-hued, moss-draped, waterlogged place echoing with the whoos of owls and quorks of ravens. Western red-cedars also grow in younger forests, from northern California to southeast Alaska, and can be found as far inland as Montana. But they reach their full potential in the ancient temperate rainforests of the Northwest. Walking through such a forest—say in Alaska’s Tongass National Forest—you might smell a western red-cedar before you see it. The trees produce aromatic oils that deter moths and beetles, which is why people store clothes in cedar chests. They also produce antimicrobial compounds that Indigenous people traditionally harnessed to make infection-fighting medicines. Those same compounds help cedar wood resist fungi and rot, making it an excellent choice for building everything from cradles to caskets. Some Northwest cultures know the cedar as the Tree of Life. As you approach a cedar’s trunk, you’ll notice its fibrous bark, with strips practically hanging off. Indigenous people weave these strips into clothing, rope, mats and baskets. Because the trees are so gigantic, they can harvest both wood and bark without felling the tree. When you look up at a mature cedar, feathery foliage and swooping branches envelop you. Although you may not be able to see the whole tree from here, you can sense its size, sprawling past any pretense of symmetry as it grows older and craggier. The ground you’re standing on is made of centuries of dropped leaves and twigs. Beneath the topsoil, the older trees’ roots send out nutrients via an underground web that benefit younger trees. It’s a potent reminder of the reciprocity of a forest; of how one life can support so many others.
Krista Langlois is a freelance journalist based in Durango, Colorado. She writes about science, the outdoors, environmental issues and social justice for a number of print and online publications. Find more at kristaleelanglois.com, or follow her on Twitter @cestmoiLanglois.
Species in a Snapshot: Name: Thuja plicata in Latin; western red-cedar in English; Mother Cedar, Maker of Rich Women, Long Life Maker and Tree of Life in various Indigenous languages Height and circumference: Up to 200 feet tall and 19 feet in diameter, though commercial logging has made these old growth specimens less common Lifespan: 1,000-plus years Range: Coasts and mountains from northern California to southeast Alaska, and inland to Montana
Foliage: Small evergreen leaves that look braided or folded from a distance Seeds: Half-inch cones with tiny seeds; some 400,000 seeds equal just one pound Bark: Fibrous and deeply furrowed
Wood: Buoyant, rot-resistant, aromatic, straight-grained and easily split
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featured forest Photo: USFS
Restoring Idaho’s Forest of Superlatives How the NFF is working with Idahoans to safeguard the Sawtooth National Forest
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By Cassidy Randall
n Idaho’s Wood River Valley, kids grow up so close to the Sawtooth National Forest that its millionacre-plus landscape is like an extension of their backyards. From the famous mountain towns of Ketchum and Hailey, Bald Mountain defines this National Forest, the ski runs of Sun Valley Resort streaming from its flanks like ribbons. The entrance to the Sun Valley Community School has a perfect view of Baldy, as the locals know it. The mountain is the starring character out the window of science teacher Annie DeAngelo’s seventh-grade classroom. But lately this view has been changing as bark beetles ravage Baldy’s trees, imperiling the ecosystem and everything that a healthy Bald Mountain represents economically and culturally to these communities. Which is why, one day last October, half a dozen of Ms. DeAngelo’s students spilled from a vehicle stopped at the base of Baldy, wielding cameras to document it at this exact point in time from this exact location.
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Your National Forests
White Cloud Mountains, Sawtooth National Forest.
These students are a foundational part of a broader citizen-led effort to restore Bald Mountain’s forest health. The National Forest Foundation is helping to convene and fund this restoration effort through its Treasured Landscapes, Unforgettable Experiences program; since 2011, the program has worked around the U.S. to restore and benefit specific sites while helping locals get involved with stewardship. The NFF has a goal to invest in $1.6 million worth of projects at this site on the Sawtooth in the next five years. Theodore Roosevelt, the godfather of conservation in the U.S., created the Sawtooth Forest Reserve in 1905, which later became the Sawtooth National Forest. Spearheaded by Senator Frank Church, Congress in 1972 designated a section on the northern end near Stanley as a National Recreation Area and the Sawtooth Wilderness to protect and preserve the area for its natural beauty and its recreational and ecological value. Idahoans favored the NRA status over a National Park designation to preserve the ranching, hunting and fishing so important to the region’s heritage. In 2015, Congress added the Hemingway–Boulders and Cecil D. Andrus White Clouds Wilderness areas to the NRA, protecting 158,700 new acres and making just over half of the Sawtooth NRA designated wilderness. Hundreds of thousands of people visit annually to hike the region’s 1,000 miles of trails, and to hunt, fish, raft, horseback ride, mountain bike, camp and ski. During the summer, the tiny town of Stanley, which sits on the northern end of the forest, swells from a sleepy winter population of 65 to support tens of thousands of visitors. On its southern end, Sun Valley Resort has been the beating heart of Ketchum and Hailey since the resort was built in 1936. The nation’s first ski area with chairlifts, it has become a year-round destination for celebrities, Olympic athletes and recreational enthusiasts.
featured forest Sun Valley’s storied history defines much of the identity of its surrounding towns, along with providing their economic foundation. The winter of 2018/19 saw more than 400,000 skier days and 110,000 room nights sold in local hotels. Ongoing forest health is not only a priority ecologically, but also for the wellbeing of those who call the Sawtooth region home. Through the Treasured Landscapes program, the NFF plans to support these priorities. In addition to the Bald Mountain project, the NFF will work with local partners and the community to improve aquatic ecosystems on the Big Wood and Salmon rivers, relocating trailheads, reclaiming unauthorized routes, improving dispersed campsites, and restoring riparian areas. Investments in ecologically sustainable recreation will focus on maintenance needs and aging infrastructure. And the project will increase the pace and scale of forest health restoration through
tree planting efforts, invasive species removal, and native habitat restoration. Back in DeAngelo’s classroom, students are learning how a century-long federal policy of fire suppression on public lands (well-intentioned but misjudged) allowed species that fire usually controls, like mistletoe, bark beetles and Douglas-fir tussock moth, to take a fatal toll on trees. It also created an enormous tinderbox out of 100 years of unburned fuel across forest floors. In 2007, the Castle Rock Fire raged right to the edge of Sun Valley Ski Resort, so close that firefighters used the snow-making cannons on the resort to hose down the hillsides. In 2013, the Beaver Creek Fire consumed the forest along Baldy’s other perimeter. The result was an island of green on Bald Mountain surrounded by significantly burned forest, which led to an exponential increase in bark beetle infestation and a tenacious residence of dwarf mistletoe,
Photos: Lynn Campion
Bark beetles ravage Baldy’s trees, imperiling the ecosystem and everything that a healthy Bald Mountain represents economically and culturally.
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featured forests which weakens the ability of trees to withstand the beetles. In short, the forest on Bald Mountain is dying. “If the forest disappears or that iconic viewshed changes, town stands to really change for the worse,” DeAngelo said. “It’s the backbone of the economy here. But more than that, it’s a real gathering place where so many different people from so many parts of our community can be outside together, whether it’s skiing, hiking, biking, or just sitting to take it in.” Over the next five years, the NFF will work with local schools on the viewshed monitoring program that DeAngelo’s seventh graders designed and began implementing last October. Students will also plant trees and help the citizen-led Bald Mountain workgroup with whitebark pine assessments and beetle deterrence on Baldy’s remaining trees.
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Your National Forests
After all... it only makes sense that the youth growing up here should have a hand in stewarding the forest's future. Cassidy Randall spends as much time as possible outside in the places she writes about, tracking down the most compelling stories on adventure, travel, the environment and intersections between. Find her at cassidyrandall.com
featured forests Photo: Mike Renner. Baron Lakes, Idaho.
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Summer | Fall 2020
By Ja mes
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Your National Forests
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unforgettable
experiences
Photo: James Edward Mills
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National Forests offer accessible, affordable outdoor recreation
ick Brooks never misses a chance take his 12-yearold son Preston on day hikes and camping trips in the Chattahoochee National Forest near their home in Decatur, Georgia. “I remember for his fourth birthday, I asked him what kind of party he wanted to have,” said Brooks, a public-school teacher and Boy Scout leader who grew up spending time outside with his own father. “I expected him to say something like Blue’s Clues or Spiderman … but he said, ‘I want to go backpacking just like you, Dad.’ I just about lost it. He was 4!” Only a few hours’ drive from their home near the city of Atlanta, the Chattahoochee is a 750,000-acre expanse of pine and hardwood forest, free-flowing freshwater and scenic beauty in the North Georgia Mountains. As a toddler, Preston watched Brooks sort and pack his hiking gear before heading out into these wilds, and listened with excitement to the stories his dad told when he returned. So, for his fourth birthday, they took their first backpacking trip together to Raven Cliff Falls. “It was really cool hiking to the waterfall and camping along the creek at night,” Brooks said. “That night we made a spaghetti dinner. The next
Nick Brooks and his son Preston.
morning, we had our oatmeal, and we cleaned it up like nobody had been there, and hiked out.” The ease and accessibility of camping in a National Forest can hardly be understated. Over 193 million acres of public forests and grasslands across the country are open for recreational use for a nominal fee or free. The U.S. Forest Service maintains more than 158,000 miles of paved and dirt hiking trails at sites from coast to coast, many accessed from well-established roads. Seven out of 10 Americans live within a two-hour drive of a National Forest. Raven Cliff Falls, where the Brooks camped, is a moderate 2.5-mile hike from the Richard Russell Scenic Highway. But nestled as it is in the heart of a designated wilderness area, some visitors might not realize
It was really cool hiking to the waterfall and camping along the creek at night.
it’s even there. The campsites are free, and there’s a $5 charge to park at the trailhead. A wide variety of accessible camping options makes National Forests an ideal place to begin establishing a positive relationship with the natural world. For families and communities with limited experience outside, these campsites and hiking trails make it possible to have a low-impact wilderness experience that’s close to home. “Roadside highway camping can be a gateway to some pretty unique stuff,” said Ricardo Martinez, a New Mexico-based outreach specialist for the U.S. Forest Service Office of Civil Rights, referring to a style of camping where people set up camp near their vehicles, and then explore from there. “[It’s] not a bad way to set up a launch site as an access point for people who don’t exactly do this as a way of life.” A first-generation American citizen, Angel Peña regularly camps overnight in the Gila National Forest with his 11-year-old daughter Gabriella.
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experiences Photos: Angel Peña
I didn’t grow up with access to the outdoors,” Peña said. “So, I’m just making it up as I go along. Not far from their home in Las Cruces, New Mexico, they are learning the art of hunting on public land. “I didn’t grow up with access to the outdoors,” Peña said. “So, I’m just making it up as I go along.” Over the last few years they’ve become proficient hunters. Though Gabriella hates getting up early, she rallies in the morning to stalk wild turkey and mule deer—as long as her dad provides hot cocoa and cinnamon rolls. “Once she’s out there, she complains a whole bunch,” Peña said, “but as soon as she hears the turkey gobble, the 28-degree weather, her hunger, hiking too far and her complaining all just disappear.”
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Hunting in-season on public land requires annual license fees and the cost of gear, but otherwise, wilderness areas like the Gila and other National Forests are free of charge and open to everyone. These experiences in the outdoors help forge an enduring bond of stewardship with the natural world that can last for generations, passed down from one to the next. “When I’m out there, it’s not really about the harvest,” Peña said. “It’s me and her figuring it out at the exact same time together. That’s super exciting. When we’re out there, cold and wet and hungry, it’s OK to just dive into this adventure.”
The U.S. Forest Service is working to make public land more accessible to a broader cross-section of the American people. At his office in New Mexico, Martinez said there is a growing push to publish informational brochures and signage in Spanish and other languages to remove cultural barriers that limit access.
Angel Peña and his daughter Gabriella.
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Photo: James Edward Mills
Camping on National Forests The Forest Service maintains 5,083 camping areas across the country. You can stay at developed campgrounds, which have basic facilities that usually include pit toilets, water and RV hook-ups. Dispersed camping is also allowed in most National Forests nationwide—whether roadside or in the backcountry. Fees only apply to developed campsites that require a reservation, or those assigned by camp hosts on the day of arrival on a first-come-first-served basis.
Leave No Trace
Judy Toppins, the public affairs officer at the Chattahoochee National Forest in Georgia, said her office is eager to provide positive outdoor experiences for every community her region serves.
“We know that there are huge physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual benefits to time spent in the outdoors, and every child, every adult deserves that experience,” Toppins said. “Every person has a right to it.”
For families with limited experience outside, these campsites make it possible to have a wilderness experience that’s close to home.
Regardless of where you camp or hike, it’s important to preserve these natural resources. Following the “leave no trace” principles is a good place to start: 1. Plan ahead and prepare 2. Travel and camp on durable surfaces 3. Dispose of waste properly 4. Leave what you find 5. Minimize campfire impacts 6. Respect wildlife 7. Be considerate of other visitors
Learn more at lnt.org.
James Edward Mills is a freelance journalist who specializes in stories about outdoor recreation, environmental conservation, acts of charitable giving and sustainable living. He authored the book “The Adventure Gap: Changing the Face of the Outdoors” and the co-wrote/co-produced the documentary film “An American Ascent.” Find him at joytripproject.com.
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Mountain Rehab
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By Krista Langlois
The Find Your Fourteener campaign is creating sustainable trails on Colorado’s highest—and most popular—peaks
wenty years ago, you could kick back with a beer in Breckenridge, Colorado, and watch brightly-colored hikers trudging up the slope of Quandary Peak, striving for the mountain’s 14,265-foot summit. When the trail got muddy or snowy, as it often did, hikers stepped onto drier terrain.
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Photo: Lloyd Atnearn, Colorado Fourteeners Initiative
Their footsteps killed the fragile plants that held the alpine tundra in place, increasing erosion and leaving corridors of dirt so wide they were visible from town, 10 miles away. People were inadvertently destroying the very landscape they’d come to see. “We were losing big swaths of the mountain,” said Loretta McEllhiney, who manages the Colorado Fourteeners Program for the U.S. Forest Service. “There was so much damage.” At the time, McEllhiney wasn’t yet in charge of managing Colorado’s fourteeners, as the state’s 54 peaks above 14,000 feet are called. She was a trail worker turned wilderness ranger who had moved to Colorado from Kansas and fallen for the high country. She loved the soaring views and the hidden nooks that pikas or ptarmigans called home. She loved how strong her body felt while swinging an ax. Most of all, she loved to get on her hands and knees and bury her nose in a patch of alpine forget-me-not, and then spend the rest of the day carrying the flowers’ heady scent on her skin. “I realized that this stark alpine landscape was anything but stark,” she said in a soft, measured voice. "It was teeming with wildlife.” McEllhiney wasn’t alone in her infatuation. So many people had begun climbing the fourteeners that the old
A section of the blown out high alpine trail on Quandary Peak prior to restoration efforts.
featured project Photo: NFF
An inch of topsoil can take 1,000 years to form at this elevation. Forest Service Colorado Fourteeners Program Manager Loretta McIllhiney points to severely eroded trail on Pikes Peak. Summer | Fall 2020
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featured project trails—haphazardly created by hikers seeking the fastest route to the top— could no longer contain them. So, with Forest Service approval and input from trail users, scientists and nonprofit partners, McEllhiney began designing and building trails that concentrated people’s impact and avoided sensitive habitat. Several conservation groups were undertaking similar efforts, but alone, none could keep pace with visitor numbers, which have grown at a rate of roughly six percent per year. In 2015, the nonprofit Colorado Fourteeners Initiative assessed 43 of the peaks, issuing a “report card” and sustainability grade for each, from A to F. It rated nearly three-quarters at a C or below, and found that the trails needed $24 million in rehabilitation.
Without the collaboration and community connections, it wouldn’t be possible to complete the construction and restoration work at the scale envisioned. The report galvanized the National Forest Foundation to take action. In 2017, the NFF launched the Find Your Fourteener campaign, aimed at improving ecological health and trail conditions on the 48 Colorado fourteeners that fall on National Forest land. “We brought outdoor groups and the Forest Service together to
increase the pace and scale of trail restoration,” said Emily Olsen, the NFF’s program manager for Colorado. To achieve that, the NFF identified bottlenecks that were slowing things down—a lack of manpower and money, for instance, or the fact that all trailbuilding gear was packed into the backcountry by one string of Forest Photo: NFF
Volunteers from Friends of the Dillion Ranger District move a log that will improve water drainage on the restored trail on Quandary Peak.
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featured project Photo: Kellon Spencer Photography
A trail crew member trims the trail side wall to stabilize the bank of the trail to Grays and Torreys Peaks.
Service mules. Then, the organization leveraged its networks and expertise to help solve these issues. Olsen and her team raised money from donors around the world, coordinated existing efforts by more than 10 local organizations, hired private pack strings to get more gear to remote base camps, provided support to extend the trail-building season, and hired professional trail planners to ease McEllhiney’s workload. They also helped get local communities more involved in protecting their backyard peaks, which was in turn vital to the FYF campaign. “Without the collaboration and community connections, it wouldn’t be possible to complete the construction
Find Your Fourteener in 2020 This year, campaign priorities include finishing major, multi-year construction projects on Kit Carson Peak-Challenger Ridge and Mt. Columbia, launching work to reconstruct Mt. Elbert’s North Elbert trail, kicking off the second year of construction on the Devil’s Playground Trail to Pikes Peak, and continuing heavy trail maintenance on Uncompahgre & Wetterhorn Peaks and Grays & Torreys Peaks—all completed with major efforts from professional trail crews, youth corps crews and volunteers.
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If you can properly channel the use, you can protect the adjacent ecosystems while allowing people to have these incredible, life-changing experiences. Photo: Kellon Spencer Photography
A Forest Service staff member carries supplies up the trail for installation on Grays and Torreys Peaks.
and restoration work at the scale envisioned,” Olsen said. On Quandary Peak, you can already see a difference. By the time the NFF got involved, McEllhiney had already designed a new route for the trail and worked with professional and volunteer trail crews to move it, one painstaking foot at a time. But the new trail wasn’t well-defined, and hikers were still wandering off of it. So, the NFF partnered with organizations including the Rocky Mountain Youth
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Corps, Friends of the Dillon Ranger District, Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado, Wildlands Restoration Volunteers and the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative to improve the new trail. Hikers are now funneled onto a rocky ridge, where their footsteps won’t damage alpine plants or cause erosion. Also with FYF funding, crews restored and reseeded the old trails—an important step, since an inch of topsoil can take 1,000 years to form at this elevation. When the Fourteeners Initiative issued its latest report card in 2019,
progress was undeniable: Quandary Peak, once a C+, was given an A-. At the same time, the number of people scaling Quandary’s slopes has risen from roughly 14,900 hikers in summer 2014, to 40,300 in 2018, making it the most popular fourteener in Colorado. But because the new trail is designed so well, the increase in use hasn’t equated to more ecological damage. Today, you can no longer see hikers tramping over muddy, scarred land on Quandary from Breckenridge. Instead, you see an unbroken
featured project Photo: Kellon Spencer Photography
How to recreate responsibly on fourteeners
Stay on trail Although tiny alpine plants can survive extreme snow and wind, it takes just five human footsteps to kill them. Even if the trail is wet, do your best to stay on it.
Pack it out
You should pack out your trash no matter what, but if you’re backpacking in the alpine, there are additional considerations. Skip the campfire to avoid leaving a fire scar, and bring wag bags or another system to pack out human waste.
A volunteer smashes stone and creates rubble rock to reinforce the restored trail on Mt. Elbert.
mountainside, with lush green meadow giving way to gray-brown rocks and the summit nudging the clouds. “Quandary defies the conventional wisdom that more people equals more impact,” said Lloyd Athearn, executive director of the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative. “If you can properly channel the use, you can protect the adjacent ecosystems while allowing people to have these incredible, life-changing experiences.”
That’s exactly what the NFF hopes to accomplish, not just on Quandary but across the state. The team plans to celebrate the completion of several more trails this summer, and get started on constructing and restoring others. Though there’s no definite end date, Olsen says she’ll know the work is done when the trails on Colorado’s fourteeners are more sustainable because of the campaign. “I want to be able to say that we really moved the needle.”
Krista Langlois is a freelance journalist based in Durango, Colorado. She writes about science, the outdoors, environmental issues and social justice for a number of print and online publications. Find more at kristaleelanglois.com, or follow her on Twitter @cestmoiLanglois.
Be prepared Weather at 14,000 feet is always unpredictable. Snow can fall yearround, and violent thunderstorms are common on summer afternoons. Bring appropriate gear, check the forecast before heading out, and get an early morning start.
Keep your dog leashed and on the trail Alpine wildlife already exists at the knife edge of survival, and most are ground-dwelling, which means they have little way of escaping a charging canine. Keeping your dog leashed will help these animals conserve the calories they need to survive.
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reparing for any outdoor adventure can be challenging. Preparing for an adventure with kids adds an extra layer of work. For Salt Lake City mom Melody Forsyth, there are a few extra steps involved when her family visits our public lands. Melody’s youngest daughter Ruby was born with an adventurous spirit as well as Down syndrome. After seeing other families with special needs visit public lands, Melody was confident her family could as well. When Ruby was not yet a year old, Melody and her family began exploring National Forests, Parks, and Monuments, forging an incredible bond between mother and daughter and creating a lifetime of memories for their whole family.
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What inspired you to explore our public lands and National Forests with such earnest passion? We first started our mission in National Parks. We quickly learned that there were national monuments, historic sites, forests and so many different places to explore. In our own backyard we discovered and fell in love with the UintaWasatch-Cache National Forest. These locations are less populated but just as beautiful, and we felt drawn to them. Our mission has broadened to include these public lands to feel like we have truly explored our diverse country. What is something that might surprise readers to know about your family’s outdoor adventures? We can never get out the door on time. No matter how early we say we want to get on the road, it takes us at least two extra hours. People assume because we road trip and travel so much that we are organized but we aren’t. We try to be but it never fails that every trip, we forget something. Most of the time it’s something small, like a toothbrush. One time we forgot Ruby’s hiking backpack. Needless to say, there were some very sore backs from carrying Ruby that trip.
Photos: Zion Adventure Photography
A Family’s Mission To Explore Public Lands – Melody Forsyth
people of public lands How does spending time outdoors benefit your family? Being outdoors has brought my family together in ways I never imagined. Our goal to hike all of the National Parks and explore more public lands has unified us. We have a purpose as a family. We have created some amazing memories, and I hope to leave those memories as a legacy to my family. I hope they remember the laughter, the jokes, the mishaps, the disasters, being crammed in a car, the fights and more. I hope they don’t forget the sounds, the smells, the majesty and the views that we have also experienced. We have seen all of our children come alive in the outdoors. Ruby, our daughter with Down syndrome, thrives in the outdoors and connects with the trail in ways that we don’t see at home. Her connection to nature inspires us to continue exploring. Where has been one of your favorite visits to a National Forest? We were absolutely amazed when we visited the San Juan National Forest. We experienced part of the Colorado Trail and one day we would love to go back to do a thru hike. We were able to feel the cold river water, hear the trees in the wind and see amazing wildflowers. The kids loved all the rocks and pretended they were climbers. I saw two snakes and I freaked; the kids thought it was hilarious. We can’t wait to explore more National Forests! How do you make an outing to our public lands inclusive and enjoyable for your whole family? It’s so important to plan. We include the children in planning our next adventure and ask them where they want to explore and what activities interest them. We make sure that there are accessible trails. We always have a map to follow. We look for picnic and camping areas where we will
I hope they remember the laughter, the jokes, the mishaps, the disasters, being crammed in a car, the fights and more. be safe. We are always sure to pack enough medical supplies like oxygen and thickening agent, which Ruby requires. We don’t count on small towns or stores carrying those supplies so we always overpack to ensure Ruby will have what she needs. As a nurse, I have CPR and first aid training, and we make sure that we have first aid supplies for most injuries. Being prepared allows us to enjoy the adventure. What tips would you give to parents wishing to get outdoors more as a family? Just do it. Don’t be intimidated. Ask questions. That is what we did. We just jumped in. Some parents feel they need to know everything about survival and the outdoors before going outside and that is not true. You just need to get out and do it. Start small and build to those grander adventures. Yes it’s important to be prepared but by asking questions to other parents on the trail, we were directed to great resources and learned what we needed to get outdoors. We are learning all the time. The kids don’t expect perfection. The time you spend together and where you are spending it…that’s where the magic and adventure lies. Melody Forsyth shares inspiring stories on Instagram, encouraging all individuals to explore their public lands. Follow along with Ruby and Melody’s adventures on Instagram at @downwithadventure.
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eslie Kehmeier isn’t really based out of anywhere. These days, she calls the open road—or trail— home. A self-proclaimed “adventure storyteller,” Leslie utilizes her camera lens to tell the stories of people and places from around the world. She is avid mountain biker and has explored some of our National Forests’ newest and most epic trails. Whether from behind the wheel of her Sprinter van or on the seat of her bike, Leslie is constantly exploring new places and finding new stories to tell.
What is the source of your passion for the outdoors and travel? My passion for the outdoors started early. My childhood home had a big backyard and I spent lots of time there exploring nature, helping with the garden and more.
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Every summer I went to my grandparent’s farm where the exploring was more connected to what I do now--being immersed in the outdoors without the confines of suburbia. I remember riding my Huffy BMX around the house and through corn and alfalfa fields every day. My grandmother would sometimes shriek at the sight of my sister and me with our dirt-crusted skin when we appeared for supper. My grandmother loved nature and birds as well as geography and travel. We used to pour over an old atlas as she recalled some of her stories driving across the country with my grandfather. The seeds planted in my childhood have continued to blossom throughout my life and were hugely impactful in what I do today. What are some of the challenges of photographing mountain biking on National Forests? From a technical standpoint, the greatest challenge is shooting dense forests because of the light. On bright days the light and shadow can prove difficult to celebrate a particular zone the way it should be showcased. The other big challenge, something I really embrace, is finding ways to show the beauty and character that makes each National Forest special. It takes attention to detail to see past the perceived monotony of trees and dirt and create compelling images. The patience is always worth the effort.
Photos: Leslie Kehmeier
Riding Through the Forest with Leslie Kehmeier
people of public lands You’ve traveled around the world, what makes our National Forests and public lands unique? There’s a ruggedness and raw peacefulness that our public lands provide that’s unlike other places I have traveled in the world. That kind of wildness is unique—you can actually go to a place and not only feel solitude, but have it. There aren’t people everywhere on our National Forests and public lands. Elsewhere in the world, you will see at least a few people even in the most remote zones. I feel lucky that I live in a country where public lands have been designated and preserved with access for recreation. I cherish the fact that I can go to places and truly be on my own with real solitude and room to breathe.
getting outdoors, and as cliche as it sounds, connecting with nature. Be sure to enjoy the experience as you build skills to progress to other trails. Hit up mapping apps like MTB Project and TrailForks. They are really helping in finding places to ride, as well as trails that match your current skills. Join Leslie on her travels and follow her on Instagram at @thewideeyedworld.
Where are some of your favorite places to mountain bike on National Forests? That’s a good question, and a tough one for me as I like everywhere I ride. Places that comes to mind right away are Oregon and Washington: Willamette National Forest around Oakridge and Mackenzie Bridge as well as the Gifford Pinchot National Forest near Mount St. Helens. But honestly, there are amazing trails in our National Forests all over the country. I’m excited to keep discovering new-to-me areas, especially the long distance routes and the very natural and remote feeling trails. On my most recent trip, I was able to ride a section of Womble Trail in Arkansas and some backcountry feeling trails in the Winding Star Recreation Area in the Ouachita Mountains in Oklahoma. These are now my new favorite places to ride; they were experiences that blew my mind and got me excited to explore more in that part of the country. How do you hope your photography helps share the opportunities available on our National Forests and public lands? First, I hope my work inspires people to get outside, no matter what public lands they can visit. More specifically, I hope my work can celebrate National Forests across the United States, motivating people to travel to places they hadn’t otherwise thought about. There is so much beyond the handful of iconic places that always draw people. My recent travels through Arkansas and Oklahoma highlight what’s possible. What tips for mountain biking would you give for beginners? Prioritize fun! It’s a good time to be getting into mountain biking; there are trails in many communities across the U.S. And many of those places have mountain bike-optimized experiences that make learning the activity a hoot. Mountain biking is more than mashing pedals; it’s about
C O R P O R AT E P A R T N E R Boxed Water, a longtime NFF corporate partner, marks six years of tree planting work with the NFF, recently celebrating its millionth tree planted with us! In addition to bringing a sustainable product to the market, Boxed Water is also engaging its many customers with creative communications to share the work of the NFF. We salute Boxed Water!
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where in the woods This National Forest features a variety of rare ecological features such as dry sand prairie remnants, coastal marshlands, dunes, oak savannahs, fens, bogs and marshes. Answer from page 3: Huron-Manistee National Forest, Michigan. Photos: USFS
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ichigan’s Huron-Manistee National Forests include nearly a million acres in the state’s Lower Peninsula. The forests provide memorable year-round activities and destinations to visit. During the snowy months, ride a snowmobile across 600 miles of trails for a winter adventure. In the spring stroll along Loda Lake and its National Wildflower Sanctuary. In the summer take a paddle on either the Pere Marquette or Au Sable rivers, both designated as National Wild and Scenic Rivers. And in the fall, take a drive on the River Road National Scenic Byway for beautiful fall color vistas.
C O R P O R AT E P A R T N E R A longtime partner of the NFF, REI has provided tremendous multi-year support to engage youth, enhance outdoor recreation access and experiences for the public, improve forest resiliency to mitigate climate change, and more. A major national partner in our mission, REI has worked with us on over fifty projects, for the benefit of both our National Forests and millions of Americans. We are grateful for REI’s support!
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