The legends of a man and a bear
August is a uniquely special month for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service. This is because two very important birthdays are celebrated. The first, on Aug. 9, is Smokey Bear’s birthday and the second, only two days later, August 11, is Gifford Pinchot’s birthday. They would be 79 and 159, respectively, this year. Although Smokey needs no introduction either inside or outside the…
USDA Forest Service, BLM, national park service, gifford pinchot, smokey bear
Falling in place
Caption: Chuck Leavell has become a nationally recognized expert in sustainable forestry and environmental protection and is an honorary Forest Ranger with the USDA Forest Service. (Photo courtesy of Chuck Leavell.)
Fall is the favorite season of many a poet, song writer, visual artist or just you and me…
fall colors, Finger Lakes National Forest, Pisgah National Forest, Fishlake National Forest, Sierra National Forest, gifford pinchot
Silent Cultural Symbols that Speak Volumes
Quietly waiting for you in our national forests and grasslands are what remains of long past civilizations and cultures. Some of these sites still have direct spiritual or cultural meaning to folks today while others are a complete mystery of what once was of a vanished people. Yet, in both cases, the adventurer is reminded of the centuries-old relationship between people and the land.It’s this…
arizona, Chimney Rock National Monument, colorado, Dakota Prairie Grasslands, forestry, FS, gifford pinchot, grey towers, north dakota, Olympic National Forest, pennsylvania, Silver Creek Archeological site, virginia, Washington Jefferson National Forest, washington state
Conservation verse Preservation?
A portrait of Gifford Pinchot on a national forest. Pinchot was the first Chief of the USDA Forest Service which was founded in 1905. (USDA Forest Service image)
Have you ever wondered why your favorite national park is surrounded by a national forest? Well, it didn’t happen by…