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HomeState & Private Forestry News
June 2016
President Proclaims June Great Outdoors Month    
GIRL LYING ON STOMACH IN GRASS AIMING A CAMERA AT FLOWERS
(U.S. Forest Service photo)
WASHINGTON--June has become a special time to celebrate America's Great Outdoors. What started as Great Outdoors Week under President Clinton grew under the Bush and Obama administrations into a month-long celebration. Find places to go and things to do outdoors, at the Great Outdoors Month Web site.
Forest Service Chief Recognizes Accomplishments of 18-Year-Old
MAN IN SUIT STANDING NEXT TO HIGHLY DECORATED BOY SCOUT
Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell with Eagle Scout and Hornaday Medal recipient Isaiah Janisch (Photo: Stephen A. Schmieding, Forest Service Forest Products Laboratory)

EVANSVILLE, Wis.--The Forest Service recognized Eagle Scout Isaiah Janisch for his work in conservation at an annual leadership meeting at the Forest Products Lab in Madison, WI. Paul Strong, Eagle Scout and Supervisor of the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, introduced Isaiah to the more than 160 Forest Service leaders at the May meeting. Janisch met with Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell and participated in small group breakout sessions on planning for the Forest Service for the next 100 years.

Janisch is a recipient of the William T. Hornaday Silver Medal--Boy Scouting's highest award "for distinguished service to conservation." While over 2.3 million scouts have reached the rank of Eagle Scout, only 1,100 have earned the Hornaday Medal.
 
To win the medal, Janisch earned 14 conservation-related merit badges, and organized five service projects over a 4-year period in the community of Evansville, WI. He led 41 people in over 1,300 hours of volunteer service in the following projects:
  • Established a native prairie plot on the Grove Community School Forest and enhanced or maintained several existing plots (Forestry and Range Management)
  • Cataloged seven invasive species found in the School Forest, and removed or established long-term control plans for four of them. (Invasive Species Removal)
  • Controlled soil erosion on the School Forest by reducing the grade of a steep embankment and installing a water bar and a gravel path to keep hikers from disturbing the soil, and created a permanent educational sign (Soil and Water Conservation project)
  • Built or refurbished 19 bird nesting boxes for the School Forest, and documented the nesting results for two seasons, enabling a family of Eastern bluebirds to fledge nine young. (Fish and Wildlife Management)
  • Executed a battery recycling drive that diverted over 330 pounds of batteries from landfills and hosted an educational booth at the Earth Day Energy Fair (Hazardous Material Disposal and Management)
Janisch is also a national marathon skating champion. Read more and watch a video at the Eau Claire WQOW Television Web site.  
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Safety in and Around Water, and in the Heat

WOMAN SWIMMING IN POOL
(Photo: Adrian Pingstone, commons.wikimedia.org)
 
ATLANTA--The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have put together information to help you stay safe outdoors this summer.

Learn how to get the health benefits of swimming, while minimizing the risk of illness and injury.

Get H2O Smartz for water sports at their Body and Mind page.

Find out how to avoid heat stress during hot weather with their Extreme Heat Prevention Guide.

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Be "Hurricane Strong"

PICTURE FROM SPACE OF CIRCULAR HURRICANE CLOUD, WITH FLORIDA AT BOTTOM LEFT
(National Aeronautics and Space Administration)

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.--Learn how you can prepare for hurricanes in the areas of personal safety, financial security, family preparedness, damage prevention, and community service, at the new HurricaneStrong Web site, which includes a kids section. The Atlantic hurricane season extends from June 1 through November 30.
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Researchers Use Moss to Detect Urban Air Pollution
MAN WITH SAFETY VEST AND PROTECTIVE GLOVE WORKING IN FRONT OF MOSS-COVERED TREE
Geoffrey Donovan collects moss samples in Portland, OR. (Forest Service photo)

PORTLAND, Ore.--Forest Service researchers assessed whether mosses found on urban trees could be used to measure air pollutant levels, and their groundbreaking methodology identified previously unknown sources of toxic heavy metals. Maps created by the study team gave State regulators new information they could use to site air quality monitors within the city. Using moss as a bioindicator to monitor environmental health had never been done in an urban setting, and the study has generated intense interest from residents, State and local government, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the media. A webinar provided an overview of the cadmium study and described how it presents an intriguing prospect for the way regulatory agencies monitor air quality in cities. Read more and listen to the webinar on the Forest Service Research and Development Web page.
Tribal Representatives Attend National Forum on Air Quality

NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y.--The Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals and the National Tribal Air Association held the National Tribal Forum on Air Quality during the week of May 16. Participants from Tribes, including Alaska, numbered 265. Forest Service research projects were discussed along with the nexus between various environmental media, such as air quality, climate change, and forests. Tribes learned of Forest Service research related to cadmium air pollution found during urban moss analysis. This first study used moss to generate a detailed map of air pollution in a U.S. city. (See previous article.)

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Forest Service Attends Federal Indian Law Training

SANTA FE, N.M.--Forest Service Rocky Mountain (R2) and Southwestern (R3) Regions sponsored a Federal Indian Law course featuring Walter Echo-Hawk and Charles Wilkinson. Held during the week of May 9, the class was hosted by the Santa Ana Pueblo north of Albuquerque. Over 60 participants attended including some from Forest Service Eastern Region (R9), Northeastern State and Private Forestry, and Northern Research Station. Attendees were treated to an evening keynote address on the first day of the course by Kevin Washburn, Former Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs at the U.S. Department of the Interior.  
USDA and Penn State Train Cadre of Riparian Foresters
 
THURMONT, Md.--Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry joined forces with the Farm Service Agency, Agricultural Research Service, and researchers from Penn State in May to train a cadre of newly hired riparian foresters in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The new foresters will help private landowners interested in establishing a riparian forest buffer. They will also monitor riparian forest buffer effec­tiveness in a comprehensive study. In all, 26 people attended the 2-day training.
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Upcoming Conferences
 
October 17-19, 2016, LaCrosse, WI
Contact the Tallgrass Prairie and Oak Savanna Fire Science Consortium if you are interested in contributing to a special session about suppressing invasive plants using integrated treatment that includes prescribed fire.
 
October 20-30, 2016, Westhampton Beach, NY
 
Wildfire in the Northeast Workshop
An Instructional, Practical and Pragmatic Approach to Wildfire Prevention and Mitigation,
December 6-8, 2016, Mystic, CT
Contact your State forest fire prevention specialist in the Northeast or Mid-Atlantic.

Job Vacancies
 
Arboretum Director, Winona State University, Winona, MN. Open until filled. Get more information at the agency.governmentjobs Web site.
 
Urban Forestry Manager, Milwaukee, WI. Filing deadline is July 1, 2016. Get more information at the City of Milwaukee Web site.

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Editor's Note

Send items for inclusion in "State and Private Forestry News"to rburzynski@fs.fed.us by the first of the month in which you want the item to appear. Include a related photo as either a jpg or tiff file with a resolution of 150 dpi or higher. As part of the text include a full-sentence caption for the photo and photo credit. If the photo is from a published or copyrighted source, also send the permission.