SantaFeToday.com Santa Fe’s Hometown News
|
| The developing national forest became an important recreation area for Tuskegee and Macon County, while also serving as a vital resource for the people who depended on it for their livelihood. Descendants of the town of Prairie Farms visit a memorial to the town, where Black sharecroppers and tenant farmers were relocated to from lands that became the national forest. (Photo courtesy of Lebanon Reforestation Initiative) |
From the Tallgrass to the Forest: Planting Hope in Tuskegee National ForestJoin us as we explore the country’s smallest national forest, located just east of Montgomery, AL, near the famed Tuskegee University. Born from the exhausted soils of the Great Depression, the USDA and Tuskegee Institute partnered to help the tenant farmers and sharecroppers, many of whom were Black. After a successful revitalization of the soil, Tuskegee National Forest is now a living forest that both plays a significant role for people’s livelihoods and serves as a recreation hub for both the nearby town of Tuskegee and Macon County, AL. Read more… |
|
| Greenville Elementary students return to the circle after exploring the nearby Plumas National Forest. Play is a powerful way of healing. (USDA Forest Service photo by Andrew Avitt) |
The Healing Power of NatureNature can be damaging and cause fear. Natural disasters like wildfires can change landscapes, communities and lives. But nature can also help us heal — instilling a calmness and peace in a sometimes-chaotic world. As fifth and sixth grade students from Greenville Elementary School in Greenville, California, walked along Round Valley Reservoir on the Plumas National Forest, the trees still wore the black char from the 2021 Dixie Fire, California’s second largest wildfire. Though they didn’t seem to notice as they ran ahead of their elementary school and U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service chaperones. Read more… |
|
| More than 500 individuals participated in the Fireline 5k to celebrate National Wildland Firefighter Day in Boise, ID on June 2, 2024. (Photo courtesy of the National Interagency Fire Center.) |
Honoring Wildland Firefighters Through July 2, 2024Federal wildland firefighters, fire support staff and contractors work on the frontlines of the nation’s wildfire crisis to protect life, property, and natural and cultural resources. That’s why we celebrate National Wildland Firefighter Day on July 2, to show how much we appreciate and support our wildland fire workforce. Read more… |
|
| A child releasing a monarch during the annual September Monarch Butterfly Release, a celebration of a season of science, monarchs, and community-level conservation. (USDA Forest Service photo by Michael Rizo) |
On Butterfly Wings“We try to inspire children through nature-based themes,” Sinead Abarca said. “We have a primary focus on the monarch butterfly, a strong cultural symbol in the community.” Abarca works with preschoolers and staff in her local Chicago community through El Valor, a nonprofit organization that serves 4,000 children, adults with disabilities, and their families. To help families connect – with each other and nature – Valor hosts an annual Monarch Butterfly Conservation Program in collaboration with USDA Forest Service. Read more… |
|
| Join us in Nature’s ultimate crawlspace. (USDA Forest Service illustration by John Eudicone) |
Crawling in CavesThere are portals within many national forests that offer entry into underground realms of the most curious forms of biodiversity. These subterranean chambers and hallways are called lava tubes or caves. Where once molten lava flowed, now tiny creatures creep in the shadows in costumes of faded hues. Their pallor is paired with neighboring life forms that sparkle when hit by a flashlight, as if dusted with glitter. But it’s not just the unusual denizens that make lava tubes unique—they are also archives that contain records of our Paleolithic and climatic past. To explore within, a readiness for crawling will be required. Fortunately, we have an experienced caver to show us the way in the latest episode of Forest Focus. |
