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rnist {ynftricrlr Ro/tn 



TRAINING FUTURE ACTIVISTS: 



Involving Youth in Forest Protection 



^ 



In FehniniT. the Forcsr Trust''; Timher Snic Intervention The nhicrity with which thev appr<wched this task was 



process survived ;i riuormis field test After hostint; inspirini;. All groups elected to preserve vast tracts of 



several workshops on the intervention model for forest. Some gmups wanted to protect areas with steep 



Krassroots groups in IW^ and 19^4, the Trust rccoeni:ed slopes where thev felt louging was inappropriate, others 



the need to expand the process to reach people outside wanted to protect sacred sites such as those identified by 



of the envifoninentnl community. T<i this end, the the Santa Clara Pueblo, while others wanted to pre.serve 



intervention workshop was presenteil to over 40 roadless areas and diminishing old growth stands. Some 



students at Santa Fc High School's Academy of groups went beyond the Trust's request to identify' areas 



Communication Arts and Technology (ACAT) to protect, and even identified areas which they wanted 



to see restored. In Forest Service jargon, they developed 



The Trust's Timber Sale Intervention process was their own "desired future condition " for the forest, 

 designed to help grassroots activists gain greater 



influence iri decision-making on national forests. The The maps served as a focal point for a refreshing 



intervention process uses a step-by-step mapping discussioii of some fundamental questions about 



technique to identify key factors affecting a timber sale, resource management. Students asked, "Why do they 



and highlights strategic points - ; ■ have to cut the wood at all? 



where activists can have the 

 greatest impact on the decision- 

 making process. The 

 presentation at Santa Fe High 

 was an opportunity to 

 determine whether the process 

 ild be useful to non-activists. 



ACAT is an innovative and 

 challenging program that uses a 

 variety of media to explore the 

 principles of English, Socia 

 Stirtlies and Science. The three 

 year-old program stresses 



Can't they use other building 

 materials such as adobe? ... 

 '^hy can't they just leave the 

 old growth alone?" Others 

 questioned the economic 

 incentives for harvesting, 

 wondering if "the only reason 

 to cut the wood was to make 

 money." One group's map 

 included a drawing of'a cow. 

 When asked about their 

 feelings of the environmental 

 impacts of grazing, they 

 pointed out that "cows aren't 



ACAT Students Working on Intervention Maps 

 community involvement, intetdisciplinary learning, necessarily bad." and suggested that the number of cows 

 hands-on activities and self motivation. Judging from and the extent of grazing should be analyzed. 

 how quickly the students understood and adopted the - 



intervention process, the program is doing a superb job The final result of the Oso timber sale was encouraging 

 of preparing them to assume community leadership roles to the students. The Forest Service's otiginal planned 

 in the future. harvest of over 900,000 board-feet was reduced to under 



200,000 board-feet. The area in which the Forest 

 After 3 brief overview of the process and its intent, the . Service decided to harvest coincided with the areas' in 

 students were asked to apply it to the 1993 Oso timber which no harvesting constraints had been identified, 

 sale on the Santa Fe National Forest. The students Inspired by these results, many students expressed 

 formed four working groups, and were provided w^i erest in using a variation of the intervention process 

 rnaps and data on various resource constraints. Each ^ evaluate other Forest Service activities, especially the 

 group was asked to interpret and evaluate a particul.»» iJcently proposed Santa Fe ski basift expansion, 

 constraint and decide to what extent it should limi. 



logging activity. These consttaints included old grc^^h, Forest Trust's vision for Us National Forest Program is to 

 past logging activity in the atea, local use patterns, and encourage citizens to actively participate in decision- 

 roadless areas. In addition, one group used topogrjphic making on national forests. The ACAT students' 

 aps to Identify areas with steep slopes. Based on their interest in adapting the intervention process to evaluate 

 ■alysis, each group created a map which reflected the a local ski area expansion demonstrates that youth are 

 areas of the forest they wanted to protect. ready to do their part to realize this vision. . . 



Ryan Temple AND Shirl Crosman 



.V'",? '9<»? 



