“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” – Arthur Ashe For more than 100 years, USDA Forest Service volunteers have embodied the attitude and spirit behind these words in the name of

Only a month after the twentieth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, another anniversary comes due for a different catastrophic storm—it is the first anniversary after Hurricane Helene devastated the

Quick, what’s today?! No, not just the middle of September or the beginning of a new week, it’s my birthday! That’s right, I, Woodsy Owl, was born 54 years ago today, and began my important work of

Although we’re more than halfway through summer, there is still plenty of warm weather left to get out and enjoy your national forests and grasslands! We’ve got 154 national forests and 20 national

In the very heart of North America, the rolling hills of North Dakota’s Little Missouri National Grassland stretch into the horizon, humbling in grandeur. Though named after the Little Missouri River

Imagine you’re a tourist visiting Washington, DC. As you walk along the south side of the Mall towards the Washington Monument, out of the corner of your eye, you see a tall cut-out of a bear in blue

Last year we talked about national forests being like our favorite sweaters — much loved but getting a bit frazzled around the edges and needing some repairs. The kind of unraveling that happens to

It’s almost the Fourth of July! The Nation’s 249th Birthday! I’m as excited as you are to get out there, enjoy that summer weather, and celebrate the country’s anniversary. Our nation’s national

While driving towards mountains and forested areas, have you ever seen Jeeps and trucks that look like they belong at a Monster Truck Rally? Ever wonder where they’re going? These off-road enthusiasts

What’s a typical day like for a forest supervisor on a national forest? Well, they oversee how visitors use the land and help protect forests. So, they have their hands in lots of tasks, like

Pink salmon fill the creek each summer at the Anan Wildlife Observatory near Wrangell, Alaska, returning to their ancestral spawning grounds after a year and a half at sea. Here on the Tongass

In the High Peaks region of Western Maine, a father and son sit perched on the edge of a knoll. Their figures are barely distinguishable against bare autumn branches and clear blue sky. The early

It’s 1941. Monday morning, mid-September, has dawned rainy and overcast. Gray clouds hang over the sweltering heat of south Louisiana. Deep in the tall pines of Kisatchie National Forest, a tense

Legend has it that explorer Ponce de León set sail to Florida in 1513, leading a Spanish quest for gold and riches. But the legend also follows tales of seeking sacred, restorative waters known as the

Are you frazzled by the hectic pace of life? Between cell phones and office phones buzzing, virtual meetings, juggling the logistics of life and kids’ activities, do you find yourself longing to take

Managing over 193 million acres of land, we see a lot of leaves. Tons of leaves drift from billions of limbs and branches to the floor on national forests across the country each autumn. To kick off

Ever marvel at a flash of color zipping across the trail in front of you, then frantically scrolled the internet to identify the winged wonder? You are not alone. It’s the bird’s world, after all. We

In the 1880s, Douglas Island, now part of Juneau, Alaska, was the site of the largest gold mining complex in the world. A 14-mile-long aqueduct carried water from a subalpine lake at what is now known

If someone asks, ‘hey what is so unique about Alaska’s National Forests – the Tongass and the Chugach?”, the hardest part about answering this question might be deciding where to begin. For example

At first glance, a person looking out at the Comanche and Cimarron National Grasslands might notice areas of sparse grass, numerous fences and scattered cows. But on closer look and with a little more