Your National Forests Summer/Fall 2021

YOUR NATIONAL

The Magazine of the National Forest Foundation

Restoring the Prairie CELEBRATING MIDEWIN'S 25TH ANNIVERSARY

A Modern American Road Trip FINDING AN OASIS IN PUBLIC LANDS DURING THE PANDEMIC

Creating a New Vanlife Community LIFE ON THE ROAD IN NATIONAL FORESTS

Summer | Fall 2021

Board of Directors Executive Committee Rob Leary, NFF Chair Former CEO, The Olayan Group (FL) Bob Wheeler, NFF Vice Chair President & CEO, Airstream Inc. (OH) Lee Fromson, NFF Treasurer COO & CFO Simms Fishing Products (MT) Timothy P. Schieffelin, NFF Secretary President, P.O.V., LLC (CT) Caroline Choi, Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs, Edison International (CA) Robert Cole, Partner, Collins Cockrel & Cole, P.C. (CO) Patricia Hayling Price, President, LiveWorkStrategize, LLC (NY)

Board of Directors

The Power of a Legacy Gift Pavel Molchanov is all about doing his research. As an equity research analyst at Raymond James & Associates, specializing for the past 15 years in clean tech and energy transition issues, he has developed deep knowledge in his field. Pavel is also a man with ideas about forest sustainability and supporting the leaders of tomorrow. He knows that both forests and leadership are intergenerational issues that require years of dedicated commitment, and he has fused these ideas into a major commitment for the National Forest Foundation.

We are honored to announce that Pavel has recently pledged 10 percent of his estate to equip the NFF to engage young leaders in our work to create and sustain resilient forests. After researching the NFF, Pavel not only learned that our work aligns with his interests, but also that the NFF warranted significant investment to carry out its mission.

“The National Forest Foundation deserves to have the resources needed to continue its good work, and in particular, launch young people in exploring forest conservation careers,” said Pavel, upon presentation of his pledge. You can read more about his background, gift, and dreams for the forests at nationalforests.org/pavel.

Pavel Molchanov is demonstrating his personal commitment to this mission and also providing an example of how others can step forward to secure the NFF’s work through a planned gift. Bequests provide critical support for the NFF’s work.

If you would like to discuss how you can leave a legacy of healthy forests for future generations, please contact Ray Foote, Executive Vice President, at 202.664.4585 or rfoote@nationalforests.org.

Give confidently: the National Forest Foundation has earned the highest charity ratings available.

Michael Barkin, Executive Vice President & CFO, Vail Resorts Management Company (CO) Mike Brown, Jr., Founder and Managing Partner, Bowery Capital (NY) Mary Kate Buckley, President, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (WY) Aimée Christensen, Founder & CEO, Christensen Global Strategies; Founder & 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) Janice Innis-Thompson, Attorney/Senior Vice President Litigation and Legal Operations, Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company (OH) Allie Kline (CO) Andie MacDowell, Actress & Spokesperson (CA) Thomas McHenry, President & Dean, Vermont Law School (VT) Jose Minaya, Chief Executive Officer, Nuveen (NC) 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) Greg Vital, President & Co-Founder, Morning Pointe Senior Living (TN) Hugh Wiley, (CT)

welcome

letter

Wildlife and Wildflowers: Some thoughts about travel

I

have always loved travel: whether a quick trip to see family in the Midwest, or a carefully planned vacation adventure, or even work trips. The past year has, of course, put nearly all of that on hold meaning I’ve had to “travel” in my mind.

This issue of Your National Forests seeks to help you do the same. We offer some colorful accounts of road trips that open the travelers’ eyes wider, and can do the same for each of us. Abi and Nat give us a glimpse of life truly on the move through a cascade of beautiful places (page 28), and Shannon Lee shares her powerful story of crossing our great land on a special pandemic-adapted itinerary full of visits to public lands (page 24).

When we travel, we see the things that matter to us. Some of my interests—and thus what catches my attention—are wildflowers, varieties of tree species, and signs of wildlife. You can imagine where I find these in the greatest abundance: yes, our cherished National Forests. Whether it’s my “backyard” Bitterroot National Forest just south of Missoula, Montana or the amazing Angeles National Forest in Southern California (where the NFF has been connecting kids to nature for years), I always discover something deeply rewarding.

In this issue, we also celebrate the anniversary of a place special to me and many others: Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, just outside Chicago. On page 14, Matt Alderton leads us on a different kind of journey, one through time, showing how this resilient landscape has come full circle from prairie to farming to industrial use back to its native state. More remains to be done there, of course, but the progress to date is exciting and encouraging. Though I know Midewin well, each trip back is like the best of all travel. It takes me out of my daily routine and serves up experiences I love (like finding wildflowers in spring).

I hope you enjoy “traveling” with us through these pages. Thank you for your interest and your support of our work. Together we will ensure that healthy resilient forests and grasslands endure to welcome travelers for generations to come.

Thank you!

Mary Mitsos President

Summer | Fall 2021

1

inside this edition Welcome Letter

3

Where in the Woods

4

Forests by the Numbers

5

Forest Foods

6

Forest News

8

10

Photos: U.S. Forest Service, Shannon Lee

1

Wildlife and Wildflowers

features

How Well Do You Know Our National Forests?

National Forests versus National Parks

Mushroom Risotto

Upcoming Wildfire Season Gear Libraries

14

Field Reports

Reopening the Columbia River Gorge After Wildfire Stepping Up to Clean Up the Sawtooth National Forest

Unforgettable Experiences

Can You Spot the Difference?

Tree Spotlight

28

People of Public Lands

30

People of Public Lands

32

Where in the Woods Answer

Back from the Brink

20

Kids and Nature

12

Featured Forest

Technology is Changing the Way We Camp

Southern Live Oak

Explorers Natalie and Abigail Rodriguez

Adventure Chef Kena Peay

Did You Know the Forest?

24

On the cover

Unforgettable Experiences A Modern American Road Trip

Natalie and Abigail Rodriguez pose with their dogs in New Mexico's Gila National Forest.

Photo by Natalie and Abigail Rodriguez.

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Your National Forests

where in the woods This is the largest National Forest in the National Forest System.

See page 32 for answer.

Photo: Lione Clare

National Forest Foundation Building 27, Suite 3 Fort Missoula Road Missoula, Montana 59804 406.542.2805

®2021 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 Hannah Featherman, Emily Stifler Wolfe Contributors Matt Alderton, Dodie Arnold, Zoe Bommarito, Julie Brown, Hannah Featherman, Shannon Lee, Mary Mitsos, Hannah Selinger, Patrick Shannon, Lucy Sheriff, Emily Stifler Wolfe Graphic Artist Marci Mansfield, MansfieldCommunications.myportfolio.com

National Forest Foundation

Shereé Bombard Administration and Human Resources Director Zoe Bommarito Communications Coordinator Mark Brehl Arizona Program Forestry Supervisor Torrie Burwell Information Systems Analyst Colleen Coleman Marketing and Communications Director Darla Cotton Executive Assistant Mindy Crowell Reforestation Partnerships Director Rebecca Davidson Southern Rockies Region Director, Youth Program Director Sarah Di Vittorio Northern California Program Manager Karen DiBari Conservation Connect Director Hannah Featherman Communications Manager Ray A. Foote Executive Vice President Dania Gutierrez California Program Manager—Southern California Robin Hill Controller Britt Holewinski Reforestation Partnerships Coordinator Ben Irey Conservation Connect Program Manager Joe Lavorini Gunnison County Stewardship Coordinator Adam Liljeblad Conservation Awards Director Hunter Maggs Accountant Jessica McCutcheon Digital Marketing Manager Matt Millar California Program Manager—Tahoe

Kendal Martel Forests of Texas Program Director Mary Mitsos President & CEO Kerry Morse Conservation Awards Manager Luba Mullen Development Associate Director Katie Neher Development Database Associate Emily Olsen Rocky Mountain Region Director Marlee Ostheimer Conservation Partnerships Manager Monica Perez-Watkins Reforestation Partnerships Manager Spencer Plumb Conservation Finance Manager Allison Powell Agreement Specialist Evan Ritzinger California Program Coordinator—Tahoe Brian Robey California Program Associate—Southern California Trevor Seck California Program Coordinator—Tahoe Marcus Selig Vice President, Field Programs Patrick Shannon Pacific Northwest and Alaska Director Dani Southard Northern Rockies Program Manager Mark Shelley Eastern Region Director Audrey Squires Umpqua Restoration Program Coordinator Sasha Stortz Arizona Program Manager Briana Tiffany California Program Associate—Tahoe Dayle Wallien Conservation Partnerships Director Jamie Werner White River National Forest Stewardship Coordinator Leah Zamesnik Partnership Coordinator

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forest by the numbers

A

t first glance, our nation’s National Parks and National Forests may appear to be just about the same thing. However, these public lands each have their own unique history and priorities.

National Forest System

National Park System

The mission of the USDA Forest Service is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the Nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations.

The National Park Service preserves unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the National Park System for enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations.

“

”

“

Management: Department of Agriculture Key Dates: 1891 - Forest Reserve Act, allowed the President to establish forest reserves.

Shoshone National Forest set aside, originally part of the Yellowstone Timberland Reserve.

1905 - Transfer of

forests from Department of Interior to Department of Agriculture. U.S. Forest Service created.

193 Million Acres • 154 National Forests • 20 National Grasslands • 1 National Tallgrass Prairie

Your National Forests

Management: Department of Interior Key Dates:

SIZE:

4

”

1872 - Yellowstone National Park established as first National Park.

1916 - National Park Service created.

SIZE:

84 Million Acres

(55 million in Alaska) 397 areas including National Parks (58), battlefields, military parks, historical parks, lakeshores, seashores, recreation areas, scenic rivers and trails, and the White House.

forest foods

You can forage your way to dinner outside tonight.

Photo: Hannah Selinger

F

ollowing a heavy rain (and a consultation with a mycologist), head outside in search of mushrooms.

Culinary gems include the maitake, puffball, golden chanterelle, oyster, chicken of the woods, lion’s mane, and lobster mushroom.

With your foraged haul, you can convert a night outside into an elegant Italian restaurant, with this mushroom risotto.

But before you forage, make sure to check with your local Forest Service office regarding permits and conditions. And then, go forth. Dinner awaits.

Mushroom Risotto Ingredients 6 cups chicken stock 2 tbsp. unsalted butter 1/2 large yellow onion, minced 1 ½ cups Arborio rice 2 lb. foraged mushrooms, torn into pieces 1⁄4 cup olive oil 2 cloves garlic, minced Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 1⁄2 cup grated parmesan

Instructions 1. Heat the chicken stock in a small pan set aside.

2. S auté mushrooms in oil, browning them evenly on all sides.

Add the minced garlic and sauté. Season, set aside.

3. In a large pan, melt butter and cook the onion until translucent.

Add the rice and mix together, coating it completely.

4. A dd 1 cup of the warmed stock, stirring until the stock is absorbed.

Continue this process, using 1/2 cup of stock at a time, until the rice is tender, opaque, and creamy (15 to 25 minutes).

5. F old 3/4 of the reserved mushrooms and the parmesan into the rice.

Season to taste.

6. Garnish with remaining mushrooms.

Photos: Wiki Commons

maitake mushroom

oyster mushroom

puffball

lobster mushroom

lion’s mane

golden chanterelle

chicken of the woods

Hannah Selinger's IACP-nominated work has appeared in The New York Times, Eater, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Bon Appétit, The Cut, Food & Wine, and elsewhere. She lives in East Hampton, New York, with her husband, two sons, two dogs, and two tortoises.

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forest news

By Lucy Sherriff

O

n September 10, 2020, the August Complex fire became the largest wildfire in California history.

After starting as 38 separate fires, it merged into a gigafire, the name for a blaze that burns at least a million acres. As it tore through Northern California, the fire killed 46 people and countless wild animals.

And while the August Complex may have been the biggest, it was just one of 52,113 wildfires in North America’s lengthy 2020 wildfire season, which burned 10.3 million acres, more than double the previous year.

Oregon, Washington, and California were the hardest hit, but fires also spread through Colorado, Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming.

“2020 was very destructive,” says Stanton Florea, fire communications specialist at the U.S. Forest Service.

“It was historic, starting early and lasting late into the fall. That’s why we refer to it as a fire year now, not just a season. Most of the devastating large fires that hit

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Your National Forests

California and the Pacific Northwest became so destructive due to offshore winds which caused an extreme spread.”

Hot, dry winds fanned the West Coast fires, which spun out of control in part due to a history of poor land management practices, Florea said, as well as a complacent attitude toward rainy landscapes being immune to wildfire, such as the rainforests of the Pacific Northwest.

For 2021, experts are predicting another catastrophic year. “We expect another very active fire year, and we’re already seeing some activity,” says Florea, adding that drought will be a big factor.

Nearly 40 percent of 2020’s fires were in California, where winter precipitation and snowpack were below average again in early 2021, said Christine McMorrow from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

“That is always of concern as we approach fire season, as fuels will become dry earlier in the season, increasing fire danger and for a longer period, especially in windy conditions.”

To learn more about current wildfire conditions and closures in your area, check with your local Forest Service office or Inciweb.gov.

Photo: USDA

Why This Year’s Wildfire Season Could Be Far Worse

forest news How Gear Libraries Help Youth Get a Foot in the Outdoors

D

By Lucy Sherriff

Photos: Bay Area Wilderness Training

uring his days at Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham, Oregon, Seth White worked in the college’s gear library. He says it helped break the barrier between finances and outdoor recreation for low income and minority students.

“The gear library made it possible for people to get outside [who wouldn't otherwise have been able to],” said White, who also took backpacking and rafting courses through the library, and was trained as a trip leader.

Gear libraries have been lending outdoor equipment since the 1960s. In addition to the institution-run libraries like the one White worked at, there are approximately 13 public libraries serving 50,000 people in the United States.

In the San Francisco Bay area, the nonprofit Bay Area Wilderness Training (BAWT) loans gear for free or at a very low cost to young people who’ve completed training on the type of gear they want to rent. An independent organization founded in 1999, BAWT usually serves around 500 youth on a typical summer week.

Its shelves and racks include gear from high-end brands like REI, Patagonia, and Osprey. As a founding member of Outdoors Empowered Network, which is the member organization for public gear libraries, BAWT has led the way in providing outdoor access for vulnerable youth.

Sierra Lawe, BAWT’s director of development, says while more libraries have popped up in recent years, demand went down during the pandemic, as it’s mainly youth trip leaders who use the gear, and most youth trips didn’t go out into the field. And while the potential impact is great, launching a library is expensive, and BAWT never has enough gear donations to meet demand.

Lawe says while gear libraries are part of the puzzle, alone they won't make access to the outdoors more inclusive.

“There's significant work to be done to dismantle the systems that make the outdoors accessible to some and not others.”

Gear at the BAWT Oakland Gear Library.

Lucy Sherriff is a multimedia journalist based in LA, reporting on climate, conservation, and environmental justice. Her reporting from Colombia won her a United Nations award, and she's currently working on a documentary about the oil industry.

C O R P O R AT E P A R T N E R Longtime NFF partner Caudalie will achieve its two million tree milestone this year. Reforesting is consistent with Caudalie’s commitment to natural products, healthy lifestyles, and sustainability.

For six years, the company has worked closely with the NFF to ensure forests retain their life-giving properties of cleaning water and air and, of course, offering inspiration through their beauty.

Summer | Fall 2021

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field

reports

Reopening the Columbia River Gorge After Wildfire

T

By Patrick Shannon

he Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, on the border between Washington and Oregon, is one of the most visited recreation areas in the Pacific Northwest.

8

Your National Forests

Photo: Brian Emery

With more than 70 waterfalls and numerous hiking trails with views of basalt cliffs and the Columbia River, “the Gorge” is a unique area for visitors to explore and connect with nature.

In the fall of 2017, the Eagle Creek Fire burned over 49,000 acres of the Gorge, closing all trails within the fire perimeter. The NFF responded by setting up a fund to help reopen the trails when it would be safe to do so. Many businesses and individuals from 28 states donated to support our efforts to rehabilitate this special place. Over the past three years, we have worked with local organizations and volunteers to remove downed trees and rockslides, as well as rebuild more than 80 miles of trails and maintain many more.

“The NFF has been a great partner for the Forest Service. With their help we have been able to reopen trails and safely allow visitors to return to the Columbia River Gorge,” said Stan Hinatsu, the Forest Service’s recreation staff officer on the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area.

As we look beyond post-fire restoration, the NFF is taking it one step further. We want to remove barriers for all people to enjoy the Gorge and have an opportunity to steward this natural treasure for the future. The NFF is working with the Forest Service and a coalition of organizations to increase the number and diversity of people enjoying and stewarding the Gorge for a more sustainable and equitable future.

Patrick Shannon is the NFF’s Pacific Northwest and Alaska Director.

field

reports

Stepping Up to Clean Up the Sawtooth National Forest NFF and local partners work together to remove trash from popular areas on the Forest

A

By Hannah Featherman

s a record number of visitors explored Idaho’s Sawtooth National Forest in 2020 they unfortunately left more than just footprints.

Photo left: Dustin Erickson. Right: U.S. Forest Service

By late summer a recreation manager for the Sawtooth National Recreation Area sent out a desperate call for help to the National Forest Foundation and local partners to remove trash and other waste left behind from visitors of this iconic landscape.

The NFF quickly worked with the Sawtooth Society, Idaho Conservation League, Sawtooth Interpretive and Historical Association, and the Forest Service for a two-pronged approach.

The partners prepared clean-up kits for volunteers so they could do self-guided clean-up work at designated sites on the Forest. Armed with trash bags and rubber gloves, small groups of volunteers followed COVID19 protocols and got to work.

Over three weeks in the fall of 2020, volunteers logged more than

900 hours of work. They rehabilitated 150 campsites, disassembled 320 overbuilt fire rings, and disposed of 123 instances of human waste.

“These community volunteers stepped up in a big way to take care of their National Forest. We truly hope others can learn from their example to ensure our forests are healthy long into the future,” Dani Southard, NFF northern rockies program manager.

While volunteers scoured the wilderness areas for waste, the NFF and partners hired a crew from the Idaho Conservation Corps to support the volunteers' work in back and front country areas that were most heavily

impacted. Over six days, the crew of seven rehabilitated and cleaned an additional 96 sites; everything from campsites to pullouts to roadways.

Moving forward, the Sawtooth National Forest, NFF, and our local partners are working on strategies to better educate visitors on how to be stewards of these National Forests and leave behind only footprints.

Hannah Featherman is the NFF’s Communications Manager.

C O R P O R AT E P A R T N E R Through the BroncoTM Wild Fund, Ford will plant one million trees with the National Forest Foundation in 2021. This generous support is the largest single-year reforestation commitment in NFF history. Ford created the Bronco Wild Fund to provide access to and encourage preservation of America’s great outdoors. The NFF is excited and grateful to join Ford on its drive to connect people to the outdoors, responsibly!

Summer | Fall 2021

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kids and nature

Spot

Can You Mule Deer

versus

Whitetail De

er

Whitetail de er ’s ears are smaller in pr Whitetail de oportion to er have a long its head, whi tail with a sn le mule deer other deer. ow-white un have larger The mule de derside that ears. er tail is muc they raise to h smaller an signal to d can have a range of co lors.

Seeing wildlife can be an exciting part of any National Forest visit. As you watch wildlife from a safe distance, here are a few tips to help identify some similar species.

Difference

Frog

Your National Forests

versus

Toad

gs rter hind le s have sho ad to th, t o u o B . sm m to leap rogs have enable the eir skin. F t at th u : b th e s s c g g n g le re e ng hind toads lay gest diffe e long, stro frogs and p. The big eggs are Frogs hav re than ho skin. Both o y m p while toad k m u al r, b e w , st ry to lu d c se e s u av y as h e m ly that th s usual ally in a while toad ggs are usu ths. slimy skin tly. Frog e n re ringy leng fe st if d in nged ge them usually arra they arran

versus

Grizzly Bear

Color may be misle ading, because ma ny black bears ca a pronounced shou n have brown fur! lder hump, while Grizzly bears have a black bear ’s shou Black bears usua lder lie level or fla lly have taller ears t with its back. and smaller claws than grizzly bears .

10

?

By Zoe Bommarito

Photos: U.S. Forest Service

Black Bear

the

Rabbit

versus

kids and nature Hare

Hares are larger an d have lo often burr nger ears ow underg . Hares li round to ve comp nest. Rab letely abo bits prefe veground r to live in while rab like wide wooded a bits open spa reas whil ces. e hares

Elk

versus

Moose

while moose n 710-730 pounds ee tw be e ag er elk: elk av it’s an elk! Moose -pitched bugle rally larger than gh ne hi , ge e ud ar lo a se ar oo M in and around e. If you he unds on averag n prefer habitat te po of 00 d 15 an 0s, 84 er h m weig ds, and prairies. ible swim ine areas, woodlan Moose are incred il. alp s, wa d nd an sla t as un gr gr tats including a variety of habi water. Elk enjoy

Chipmunk

versus

Squirrel

Zoe Bommarito is NFF’s Communications Coordinator. Reach her at zbommarito@nationalforests.org.

Chipmunks have distinctive stripe s (often black) fro Large squirrels ca m the back to the n grow up to 18-20 head. inches, while chipm to about five inche s. Chipmunks burro unks often grow w underground to nest, while squirre on the surface or ls build nests up in trees.

Summer | Fall 2021

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tree spotlight Photo: Nagel Photography via Shutterstock.com

E TR

E SPOTLIGH

T:

Southern Live Oak

By Dr. Dodie Arnold

12

Your National Forests

T

he southern live oak is an icon of the Deep South. Its broad branches form the thick, rounded, moss-laced canopies of charming country roads, and on mature trees, those sturdy limbs often reach the ground, making them a favorite of tree-climbing children.

Photos: Wiki Commons

While the leaves are poisonous to humans and some animals, with proper preparation they are edible and were an essential part of the Indigenous diet, among them ancestors of the Creek, Choctaw, and Natchez. Acorns, a good source of carbohydrates, protein, and fiber, can be ground into flour, pressed for oil, or eaten like nuts. Indigenous people also staked saplings down as trail markers, causing them to grow at extreme—and identifiable—angles.

Because these trees are salt-and fire-tolerant, they’re well adapted to coastal areas and barrier islands, plus their extensive, widespread root systems and low center of gravity help them survive hurricanes. In healthy forests, the southern live oak is an important food source for wildlife including squirrels, white-tailed deer, black bears, wild turkeys, mallards, and wood ducks. Birds, including the hooded oriole and ferruginous pygmy-owl, prefer it for nesting.

The southern live oak is vulnerable to cold temperatures, fungal infection, and pests. Oak wilt, caused by the fungus Ceratocystis fagacearum, goes after the tree's vascular system, while on the Atlantic Coast, the live oak root borer attacks young trees’ roots. Climate change has the potential to exacerbate all of these threats.

Dr. Dodie Arnold is a biologist, epidemiologist, freelance writer, and founder and executive Director of Arnold CR, a nonprofit dedicated to environmental stewardship, outdoor inclusion, and building wellness and capacity within systematically oppressed communities and organizations that serve them. Learn more at arnoldcr.org, and follow her on Instagram @arnoldcrorg.

tree spotlight Species in a snapshot Name: Quercus virginiana, Southern Live Oak Height: 30-50 feet tall, 50-80 feet wide Circumference: 5-6 feet Life Span: 200–300 years, with some like the “Big Tree” in Rockport, Texas living as long as 1,000 years Range: Virginia south to Florida and west Oklahoma, Texas, and Mexico

Foliage: Deciduous, but appears nearly evergreen because old leaves shed just as new leaves appear in spring; leaves are oval or oblong in shape, green in spring and summer, and turn yellow/brownish in winter

Seeds: Acorns (which are technically nuts), form at branch tips, alone or in clusters; they begin green, transition to shiny dark brown, and turn nearly black at maturity Bark: Dark to light grayish color (darkening with age); thick and longitudinally furrowed

Wood: Straight-grained, hard, and mildew resistant; the USS Constitution, completed in 1797, was built of live oak, and its hull was so tough that cannonballs bounced off it, earning it the nickname "Old Ironsides"

Summer | Fall 2021

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featured project Photo: U.S. Forest Service

An Endangered Ecosystem Lives on at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie

By Matt Alderton

On its 25th anniversary, America’s first National Tallgrass Prairie is a picturesque portrait of human resolve and environmental resilience.

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Your National Forests

O

n a mild Friday in March, 50 degrees feels more like 70 at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie in Wilmington, Illinois.

Two weeks ago, the ground was shrouded in a thick carpet of impassable snow. Now, just a few ice patches and slush puddles remain. Instead of a stark and sterile ivory, the landscape glows a warm, buttery yellow.

Although it’s only an hour from Chicago, Midewin—a Potawatomi word that means “place of healing”—feels both miles and years away.

Not five minutes down the road from this expanse of native grasses and wildlife is historic Route 66, which somehow feels fitting. After all, the bygone days of that iconic road are long past, and so are the original contours of the land on which Wilmington sits. Centuries ago,

prairie blanketed 22 million acres of Illinois, now nicknamed the “Prairie State.” Today, however, less than 0.01 percent of that original acreage remains, according to the U.S. Forest Service, which in 1996 acquired 20,283 acres on which to restore at least some of what’s been lost. And so was born Midewin, America’s first and only National Tallgrass Prairie and the largest tallgrass prairie restoration project east of the Mississippi River, which in February 2021 celebrated its 25th anniversary.

In summer, Midewin is busy with birds, bees, butterflies, and wildflowers, vibrant colors punctuating an undulating plane of verdant grass

featured project

Photo right: U.S. Forest Service. Bottom: Wiki Commons and Army.mil

that in some spots grows as tall as nine feet. On a late winter day like today, however, the naked trees and barren meadows seem tranquil. That is, until a meandering hike near the Iron Bridge Trailhead brings you face-to-face with a handful of hulking bison who have strayed from their herd to drink from a morass of melted snow. Like Route 66, they’re an artifact from another epoch.

Along with their hunched backs, beady eyes, and upturned horns, their giant, heaving breaths are otherworldly. That they exist at this time and in this place is a small miracle for which visitors can thank the National Forest Foundation and a patchwork of diverse partners that spent the last 25 years transforming postwar pastureland into restored native prairie.

Acreage not consumed by agriculture was engulfed by Chicago and its sprawling suburbs—or in the case of Midewin, by the Joliet Army Ammunition Plant, a U.S. Army arsenal built in 1940 to manufacture and ship World War II munitions. Although its output decreased post-war, the plant remained active until 1978. When the Army declared it “excess” property in 1993, conservationists made a plan to restore it.

Subsequently, Congress transferred the land to the Forest Service so they could do exactly that,

said Gary Sullivan, senior ecologist at the Wetlands Initiative, one of the organizations that participates in the Midewin Stakeholders. The NFF convenes and facilitates this group of nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and community groups that work together to raise funds, engage volunteers, and promote and advocate for this special landscape. Collectively, many partners have restored Midewin in chunks of a few hundred acres at a time.

The process starts with hydrological restoration, which means removing

An ‘Explosive’ Effort What happened to the prairie is a story in three acts: agriculture, urbanization, and ammunition.

First came agriculture. When settlers moved west into Illinois, they plowed the prairie for farmland and installed drain tiles to remove excess moisture, said ecologist Bill Glass, who led Midewin’s restoration prior to his retirement from the Forest Service in 2018.

“When the earliest settlers came here, they planted their crops near big trees because they thought that’s where the most fertile soils were,” Glass said. “They eventually realized, though, that the really fertile soils were out under the prairie ... The only pieces that are left were saved mostly because they were too rocky, steep, or wet to be plowed.”

What happened to the prairie is a story in three acts: agriculture, urbanization, and ammunition.

Summer | Fall 2021

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featured project

Photo: U.S. Forest Service

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Your National Forests

featured project

Bison hadn’t lived at Midewin for more than 200 years until they were introduced in 2015 with funding help from the National Forest Foundation and technical support from The Nature Conservancy.

Summer | Fall 2021

17

featured project All photos: U.S. Forest Service

In 2015, the NFF, Forest Service, Midewin and the Wetlands Initiative created an ambitious plan to restore a 4,000-acre swath of nearly contiguous tallgrass prairie across Midewin’s west side. The budget for this scope of work is $6.7M over seven years and is being made possible through a highly leveraged partnership with the Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley and Grand Victoria foundations and the Forest Service. The NFF met its $2M fundraising goal in March 2021, and the two foundations are generously matching that 1:1. The Forest Service is contributing $2.7M in federal funds.

Once these dollars are fully invested, Midewin will boast more than double the amount of tallgrass prairie in all of Illinois.

Chicago

18

Your National Forests

Top: Volunteers gather native seeds to replant elsewhere on Midewin.

Middle: Historically, lightning strikes and Native Americans started prairie fires. Today, the Forest Service manages controlled burns to prevent invasive trees from taking over native prairie plants, and to return organic matter to the soil.

Bottom: One of 300 remaining Army bunkers at Midewin.

agricultural drain tiles and reinstating natural topography so the Prairie can retain water and support native seeds.

Then, mowing, herbicide application, and controlled burns remove invasive and non-native species.

“One of the most important things you can do to maintain a prairie is to burn it periodically,” said Glass, explaining that when aboveground biomass burns, organic matter returns to the soil and enriches it, fertilizing surviving root structures. Historically, lightning strikes and Native Americans started prairie fires, without which invasive trees can easily overtake native prairie plants.

And then there’s old Army infrastructure that has to be removed, including roads, rails, and concrete storage bunkers, which the Army built into the landscape to conceal them from enemy surveillance. Of approximately 400 such bunkers, some 300 still remain.

Once the infrastructure is gone, the next step is planting native species.

Midewin acquires native seeds from nurseries, but also grows and harvests its own in onsite native seedbeds.

“The hope is that those native seeds will establish themselves and eventually become self-sustaining,” Sullivan said.

featured project

Connection to Nature Because it’s an arduous process, just one-fifth of Midewin has been fully restored as of its 25th anniversary, Sullivan said. Even so, the outcomes are enormous: Midewin today is home to 34 miles of trails and myriad native species, including more than 600 different plant species, 108 species of breeding birds, 23 species of reptiles and amphibians, 27 mammal species, and 53 species of fish.

King of them all are the bison.

These prairie natives hadn’t lived at Midewin for more than 200 years until they were introduced in 2015 with funding help from the National Forest Foundation and technical support from The Nature Conservancy. The herd began with 27 bison but now stands at approximately 50, with room on the land for up to 100.

The animals currently occupy 1,200 acres of unrestored pasture on Midewin’s east side, where they’ll graze for 20 years as part of an experiment

to see whether their presence attracts or otherwise facilitates other native species, inducing a more natural prairie restoration.

“There’s all kinds of animals that react to the bison,” said longtime Midewin Stakeholder member Fran Harty, a conservationist at The Nature Conservancy. “So their role in the prairie is very significant.”

Along with ecology, the bison drive awareness. “People come from all over to see the bison, but while they’re here they get exposed to the prairie,” Harty said. “Seeing these animals in their natural habitat helps them form a positive attitude about nature and why it’s important.”

Nature’s allure also attracts volunteers, who help plant native species, remove invasive vegetation, maintain trails, and cultivate Midewin’s native seedbeds. They include everyone from corporate groups to disadvantaged youth. Through the NFF’s Midewin Youth Corps and in partnership with

the Forest Service, 16 students from North Lawndale College Prep High School—a Chicago school whose student body is 100 percent minority and 97 percent low-income—spend six weeks every summer engaged in hands-on restoration work. The program helps students develop career skills while instilling in them a lifelong connection with nature.

The pandemic put a pause on the Youth Corps in 2020, but it will resume this summer.

“All of our projects are volunteerdriven,” said Midewin public affairs officer Veronica Hinke. “It’s how things get done at Midewin.”

With some 16,000 acres left to restore, there’s a lot left to “get done.” But also, a lot to enjoy in the meantime.

Matt Alderton is a freelance journalist who writes regularly about travel, science, and the environment. A writer and reporter for nearly two decades, he has written about subjects as varied as salmon restoration, sea level rise, and smart cities, and places as diverse as Colombia, Colorado, and the Florida Everglades. Originally from Denver, which boasts 300 days of sunshine a year, he now resides in Chicago, which boasts three.

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Technology is changing the way we camp...

...or at least how we plan for it

W

By Julie Brown

hen I was a kid, my family went camping all the time.

We’d pack up the Ford Aerostar with sleeping bags, duffels, a tent, the kerosene stove, and a cooler full of food, and then hit the road.

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unforgettable Hours later, we’d pull into a campsite surrounded by pines so tall I couldn’t see their tops, or the mountains beyond.

It was my job to set up the tent in the evening dusk while my mom made dinner. The next morning, groggy and a little sore from sleeping on a flimsy mat, I’d pull on an extra layer, unzip the tent, and adjust my eyes to the view.

Here’s the part I didn’t have to think about as a kid: the months of planning my mom invested into our trip, studying road maps and calling up campgrounds to make reservations.

Camping has always required some up-front legwork, but the method, timing, and steps involved have changed in recent years, thanks in large part to the internet. Where we used to reserve sites over the phone, highlight routes on paper maps, and mark destinations with an X, now planning a camping trip and reserving a site in a National Forest can be as simple as a web search.

experiences

Since launching in 2007, Recreation.gov has become a funnel for 12 federal agencies, including the U.S. Forest Service, to connect millions of campers with thousands of campgrounds. A one-stop shop for campsite reservations, hiking permits, and even trip planning, it is the best way to book a campsite on National Forest land in advance.

You can use the maps on Recreation.gov to book your favorite campground, or discover a new one with the trip planning function and recommendation features.

Then you can browse through each campsite to see what’s available for the days you want to camp.

In many ways, these tools make things easier. Digital photos uploaded for each site allow you to preview the picnic table, see how flat the tent site is, or whether the parking space is large enough for the trailer you’ll be towing.

RVers can see whether the campground allows generators or has the right utility hook-ups. What’s more, with good cell

You can go for a hike in the morning and be back at your laptop, hooked up to a signal amplified by your RV satellite, for that 11 a.m. meeting.

Photo: iStock

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unforgettable service and the growing cultural acceptance for remote work, many campers have found a way to make roadtripping a way of life. You can go for a hike in the morning and be back at your laptop, hooked up to a signal amplified by your RV satellite, for that 11 a.m. meeting.

With surging public interest in camping, Recreation.gov saw 2 million new user accounts in the 2020 fiscal year, pushing the total number of accounts above 16 million.

“That’s a significant jump,” said Kristi Bray, public affairs officer for Recreation.gov.

Camping’s growing popularity is also reflected in how frequently people are booking campsites. In fiscal year 2020, the sites’ sessions (a metric indicating a person visited the website) jumped to 67 million, up from 43 million the prior year.

Those numbers mean there’s a whole lot of demand for a limited number of campsites. While bots once took advantage of the system, their presence has been mitigated by recently implemented security features including CAPTCHA, the widely adopted check to make sure the user is a human and not a bot. The site’s engineering teams are also constantly monitoring for suspicious behavior, to make sure everyone has a fair chance.

“Demand is incredibly high,” Bray said, suggesting campers have more than one option for their upcoming summer vacations. “I think like last summer, things are going to be in high demand and busy, and we need to be prepared for trailhead parking to be full, and to have [a plan B] in place.”

In mid-February, my mind was already on August and where I wanted to be at the height of summer. I spent days on government websites, scrolling through campgrounds near Lake Tahoe, where I live and where booking a campsite can often feel like playing the lottery. With 16.9 million Recreation.gov sessions in California in 2020, Californians deal with more competition than any other state by a long shot. Colorado is second in line, with 2.2 million sessions.

“That has been consistent for years,” Bray said. “California, by far, exceeds any of the other states.”

But Recreation.gov steered me toward a spot in a nearby Forest that was perfectly suited for my camping

experiences

dreams and, crucially, had campsites available for the dates I wanted. I started with a broad search, by typing “Tahoe National Forest” into the site. Dozens of campgrounds came up, along with photos, descriptions, and the location of each on a topographic map. I scrolled until I found the one I was looking for: Sardine Lake.

About an hour north of Tahoe, Sardine Lake is nestled beneath a snow-capped, craggy, behemoth of a mountain called the Sierra Buttes. With swimming holes, tents, picnic tables, and fire pits, this little campground is the quintessential picture of summer.

The Forest Service rolls out reservations for many campsites on a six-month basis, which was the case for Sardine Lakes. I clicked the calendar to preview my fate and saw a glimmer of hope: an icon marking availability for six months ahead.

I selected the days through the weekend, and then went through a menu of options, narrowing my search: Two cars, four people, two tents. You can further narrow the search if you have an RV or you’re looking for an ADA site. If you’re bringing a dog, make sure you click the “pets allowed” button.

I imagined myself staring up at the stars on a hot August evening, then chose a site. I made sure it wasn’t too far from the bathrooms (but not too close, either), and just far enough from the other sites and the road. The cost for three nights, including fees, came out to $80.

The button said: “Book now.” But I read it as: “Click me and great things will come.” The next page confirmed my reservation. Easy as that. Now I just have to wait six months, which honestly might be the hardest part.

The button said: “Book now.” But I read it as: “Click me and great things will come.

Julie Brown is a freelance journalist based in Reno. She is a contributing editor at SFGATE and a former managing editor at Powder Magazine.

C O R P O R AT E P A R T N E R Access to STEM education for underrepresented groups and environmental sustainability are priorities for the Arconic Foundation. Their support of United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians (Oklahoma), high school students in Phoenix, and diverse Tucson-area youth are critical projects Arconic is making possible with the NFF. Plus, they are planting 100,000 trees on National Forests in Arizona and Georgia. Thank you so much, Arconic Foundation!

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How the granddaughter of Korean immigrants found an oasis from racism during a pandemic-era cross country road trip through National Forests and Grasslands

By Shannon Lee

I

'd never understood how truly flat the Earth might appear before our drive from New York to California split off I-70 into the seemingly endless plains, wind, and skies outside of Wichita, Kansas.

Somewhere north of Oklahoma’s panhandle, this infinite belly of the country yawned around me, my dog, and my partner, as we cruised between 18-wheelers, through a midsummer hailstorm, and into a glaring crimson sunset. At nightfall, streaks of heat lightning silently broke bright white cracks in the inky black as we entered Cimarron National Grassland. The hot, stormy air whipped up dust, and the warm, sweet aroma of cow patties filled our noses.

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In that expanse of land, I exhaled a sigh of relief knowing there wouldn’t be a soul around for miles. The wild isolation was a welcome shelter from the crazy-making brutalities of other people.

These were strange circumstances to be taking the American road trip I'd spent my entire 20s pining for.

About a month prior, my parents called to tell me my grandfather had been diagnosed with stage 4 stomach cancer.

“We don’t know how long he has—two months, maybe two years,” my dad said. “It’d be really nice if you could come out to see him.”

This was the first summer of the pandemic, when the virus was just beginning to trickle out from major U.S. cities into the rest of the country.

Flying was out of the question, so I spent my evenings leading up to the trip Googling potential routes, obsessively cross referencing them with the most updated COVID-19 maps and statistics.

Plotting our route through lesser-known towns and National Forest campgrounds across America, a spiraling anxiety began to metastasize within me. As an Asian American, I’m used to bracing myself for random racist micro-aggressions, like being

Photos: Shannon Lee

A Modern American Road Trip

unforgettable asked where I’m “really from,” and laughing them off.

Because of this, even before the virus reached the U.S., I knew its presumed origins in China would harden racist attitudes in America. What I wouldn’t imagine was that this virus’s arrival would be followed by a conflict-filled summer, catalyzed by the murder of George Floyd, that brought forth a reckoning around policing and systemic racism. Laughing off casual instances of ostensible ignorance was no longer an adequate way to cope.

Over a year into the pandemic, the hashtag #StopAsianHate keeps trending on my social media feeds.

This past March, eight people were murdered in the Atlanta spa shootings, six of them Asian American women.

In Los Angeles, my brother and his girlfriend were flipped off and given the “chink eye” gesture by a white woman sitting in her car as they took their daily neighborhood walk. And in New York, the NYPD reported a 1,900 percent spike in hate crimes against Asian Americans in 2020.

My grandparents moved from Gwangju, South Korea into a small condo in Chicago in 1975 with my dad and his four younger siblings, hoping for a fresh start and a better future.

In Gwangju, they had been farmers, growing and selling watermelon and rice. In Chicago, my grandfather became a Greyhound bus mechanic.

My grandmother, for a little while, ran a Chinese restaurant. Both spoke only a handful of English phrases. Less than a decade after they settled in their new hometown, in what would become one of the most infamous hate crimes against an Asian American in U.S. history, Vincent Chin was murdered by two white men in the nearby city of Detroit. At 27 years old, Chin was just a little older than my father at the time.

Somehow, despite the loneliness and uncertainty that came with being

Canyonlands/ Arches

White River National Forest

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Great Neck, NY

Omaha, NE

Temecula, CA

Coconino National Forest

Cimarron National Grassland

Hoosier National Forest

Trip West Return Trip

The author's grandparents.

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Above: Coconino National Forest, Arizona. Below: Hoosier National Forest, Indiana.

immigrants in a bustling Midwestern city, my grandparents found a way to call this land home. Coming from the farmlands of South Korea, they rooted themselves in what they knew and understood best—the soil, trees, mountains, and rivers. On rare leisurely weekends, all six of them went camping at Wisconsin Dells State Park a few hours away. Laughing around a campfire, they piled kimchi onto their hotdogs and played the Korean version of rock, paper, scissors. Years later, when they moved to California, they visited National Parks like Yosemite, Yellowstone, and Arches, in awe of their impossible grandeur. My grandfather said Sedona is where people went to meet God. Here in this foreign country, my grandparents were able to feel understood and embraced by the splendor of America’s vast landscapes.

I thought of my grandparents often as we drove west toward my family. Several times when we stopped to fill gas, I encountered groups of unmasked men smoking cigarettes in front of convenience stores. I eyed

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Photos: U.S. Forest Service

Landscapes need no language to express their profundity; wordlessly, they instill in us courage, solace, and otherworldly wonder.

unforgettable

experiences

Photo: Shannon Lee

them warily as they shot me glances saawanwa in Hoosier; Comanche in to express their profundity; wordlessly, back. Scenarios played in my head: Cimarron; and Havasupai and Yavapai they instill in us courage, solace, and What would I do if one called me a Indians in Coconino invited me, a otherworldly wonder. chink? Several of my friends had been second-generation Korean American, Back on the prairie, we woke the spit on by antimaskers. What if that to also call them home, the love for this next morning to watch the sun rise. happened? How had my grandfather land like a gift I’d inherited from my I stood in that growing August light dealt with the racist vitriol that came grandparents. as it transformed the sky above into with being Asian American at that time When we arrived at my granda radiant, grinning blue, warming the in Chicago? father’s side, he had a photo book of infinity of green stretching around us.

But as we set up camp, tucked America's natural wonders. My mom Petite sunflowers dotted the prairie away in a remote corner of Kansas, and dad sat next to him as he flipped as far as I could see. Here, 1,000 miles my fears became distant reality. Lying through the pages from his deathbed, from home and a complete stranger to in my sleeping bag, I listened to the in awe of purple mountains and fruited this land, I felt welcome. summer wind buffeting the sides of plains. Landscapes need no language our tent, and the faint lowing of cattle far yonder. Absent were the swishing of cars, rumbling of engines, and Shannon Lee is a writer and editor based out of New York, where murmurs of conversation. The day’s she writes about art, ecology, and (sometimes) the Asian American worrying evaporated into the arid night experience. She is currently an associate editor at Artsy. as I drifted, imagining the sprawl of open lands that lay behind and before us: The verdant sweetness of the Hoosier National Forest in Indiana; the wild plains surrounding us here on the C O R P O R AT E P A R T N E R Cimarron; and the red, jagged canyons Committed to resilient communities and forests, Edison and fragrant, twisting ponderosas of International has recently committed $350,000 for the Arizona’s Coconino National Forest.

NFF’s work in California to help forests withstand wildfires.

These ancestral lands of the This longtime and generous partner is helping the NFF accomplish major fuels reduction work myaamiki, Lënape, Bodwéwadmik, across three National Forests in the state.

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people of public lands

Natalie & Abigail Rodriguez Vanlife Pride Interview by Emily Stifler Wolfe

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Abigail (left) and Natalie Rodruguez pose in Pennsylvania's Allegheny National Forest with their dogs Bear and Peluche and their van Towanda.

Photos: Natalie & Abigail Rodriguez

E

people of public lands

arly in their relationship, Natalie and Abigail Rodriguez moved into an 80-square-foot van and began chasing their dream.

A chef (Nat) and a photographer (Abi), they spent the last two years on the road 24/7, during which time they built a virtual hub, Vanlife PRIDE, to convene and give visibility to LGBTQ+ travelers in a safe space. They were in South Carolina rebuilding their van, Towana, when YNF reached them.

What did you learn during those two years on the road?

Nat: I've learned a lot about myself. I'm more capable than I thought. It tests your relationship and opens you up to new people and places.

Abi: We liked being outside, but now we know we don’t just like it. We need it.

Nat and Abi take in the view in the San Juan National Forest in Colorado.

What has been your favorite National Forest to visit?

Tell me about your online community.

Nat: The Ocala National Forest was the first experience we had camping for three to four days, so it has a lot of meaning. Going from building the van that year and a half, to sitting out there, walking, and hearing the wind blowing through the trees—that set me up to know this is the life I want.

Abi: Sequoia National Forest has such great camp spots.

The big trees, the rivers.

Abi: When we were initially researching van dwelling, we didn’t see anybody like us on Instagram or YouTube, so that was one of our motivations.

Nat: The support has been overwhelming. People didn’t feel they were being represented on the big vanlife platforms.

We wanted to create a safe space so people could connect with others on the road like themselves.

Do you have any advice for people new to dispersed camping?

Abi: It’s different than camping in an established campground. You have to come prepared with water, food, everything. We use the app iOverlander to find campsites.

Nat: In terms of fire safety and restrictions, check with the local ranger station or fire department. Also, we have a cell antenna and AAA for emergencies, especially as two females. We have our dogs. We carry mace. If we go somewhere and don’t feel safe, we change spots.

But honestly, I feel safer out in the forests.

Is there message you'd like to share about the outdoors or your experience?

Nat: People are so stuck in their jobs and routine they forget about the beauty outside their door. Being in nature, meditating in the forest, being at the ocean, or taking a run—it’s really changed my life. I couldn’t imagine sitting in a house anymore.

Abi: The outdoors is for everyone.

Follow along with Nat and Abi’s adventures on Instagram @letsplayrideandseek, and check out their channel celebrating LGBTQ Vanlife @vanlifepride.

How is it traveling as a queer couple?

Abi: Sometimes we get stares, but luckily it hasn’t turned into anything too bad, other than making us feel uncomfortable.

Nat: Being an interracial couple on top of that, there is potential for problems. Especially for me being Black, it’s harder to feel like I could be out of the van at certain places.

Emily Wolfe is an independent writer and brand consultant in Bozeman, Montana. She is a contributing editor to Your National Forests.

Find her at emilystiflerwolfe.com

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Cooking While She Adventures Interview by Emily Stifler Wolfe

K

ena Peay has loved both cooking and the outdoors since she was a kid growing up in Washington state.

After beating renowned chef Cat Cora on NBC’s Food Fighters in 2014, Peay began combining those passions, sharing weekly Instagram videos she calls “cooking while I adventure.” With her gorgeous yet approachable recipes, penchant for spectacular locations, and magnetic personality, she’s drawn a community of nearly 70,000.

How did you get into hiking?

Frederickson, Washington, where I grew up, is a small town an hour away from Mount Rainier—Mount Tahoma is the indigenous name. [My family] used to go to Point Defiance and other parks. ... As kids, we weren't allowed to stay in the house. We had to ride our bikes, skateboard and explore our backyard. My parents did not want us sitting around watching TV. How did you get into trailside cooking?

I was at Mount Shasta, and the views were so exceptional, I was like, ‘why not have exceptional food to go with it?’ I went to Heart Lake Trail, and it was a beautiful, crisp fall day with all the colors. I cooked right at sunset, and I was hooked after that.

Do you have any tips for would-be hiking chefs?

Make sure everything is prepped. Plan out your day—are you going to eat after hiking for three hours, or eat first, before an intense hike? I use a small butane canister with a screw-on stove, and I usually have one small pan and one bigger one. Pack out your food scraps and trash, to protect both the natural environment and wildlife in their home.

And know where you're cooking, so you avoid anything that’ll catch fire.

What are your favorite National Forests?

I still love the Shasta-Trinity, but also the Eldorado National Forest. The trails are gorgeous, and it’s not overcrowded.

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Photos: Kena Peay

Kena Peay

people of public lands How can we use social media help get more Black people and people of color outside?

I want to talk about the activism around not geotagging, and the gatekeeping on social media where the message is, ‘Let’s not share where these locations are, because we want to protect them.’ That’s another way to gatekeep from Black and Brown communities. It’s like performative activism to me. If we really want to protect those spaces, we should really be better allies to Indigenous people by amplifying their work on protecting and having rights to their own lands.

Learn new recipes and follow Kena along on the trail @kenapeay on Instagram.

Do people treat you differently as a Black woman on the trail?

I was once pushed on the trail by a white male, which was really upsetting. It was definitely racially targeted—he had to come into my space to do it, and he was twice my size.

But when I'm on the trail cooking, most people say, ‘Hey, that's a really good idea.’

What do you hope to accomplish by sharing your cooking adventures?

My hope is that when people see it, they want to get out in the outdoors, not just to cook but just to go explore. Mother nature offers free therapy. Black and Brown people have been lovers of the outdoors for years, and this isn’t a new space for many of us. That narrative needs to be changed, and that’s why I’m sharing my love for the outdoors.

C O R P O R AT E P A R T N E R Conservation is in Endangered Species Chocolate’s (ESC) DNA. What makes ECS’s products even sweeter is that the company makes a true impact on wildlife, habitats, and communities: 10 percent of ESC’s annual net profits go to their Giveback Partners. The NFF is thrilled to count ESC as a major partner since 2019. They are helping protect National Forests and the amazing diversity of life these public lands harbor.

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where in the woods This is the largest National Forest in the National Forest System.

Answer from page 3: Tongass National Forest, Alaska.

Photos: U.S. Forest Service

T

otaling 16.7 million acres, or roughly 26,000 square miles, Alaska’s Tongass National Forest covers most of Southeast Alaska.

The Tongass surrounds the famous Inside Passage and comprises the largest temperate rainforest in the world. Unlike most other National Forests, the easiest way to explore the Tongass is by boat or sea plane.

Numerous wild islands and the rugged coast provide habitat for bears, eagles, salmon, and more. Some of the best viewing areas to see wildlife include the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center

and the Anan Wildlife Observatory. It’s not hard to get away from it all with approximately one third of the Tongass designated as Wilderness Areas. One of the most popular ways for both locals and tourists to visit the Tongass National Forest is to stay at one of their 142 public use cabins. These cabins provide memorable lodging and a base area to hunt, fish, boat, hike, and more.

C O R P O R AT E P A R T N E R Planet Home Lending has championed the 50 Million For Our Forests campaign since 2019, including planting 100,000 trees this year. Supporting the planet, its people, and the prosperity of homebuyers, their Planet with a Purpose program improves our forests for all of us. Thank you, Planet Home Lending!

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