Budget.
There’s a nice bland word, easy enough to talk about without getting too exercised.

Deficit.
This one’s hotter. There’s not enough money to do all you want.

Choices.
Always hard, always necessary. It’s what happens when there’s just not enough money to satisfy everybody’s needs.

Decisions.
They can’t be avoided. But who makes them, and how?

We’ve been hearing all these words non-stop for the past month as the president and Congress thrash out just what the federal budget should pay for, and at what level. You’d think because of AFF’s mission – education and conservation – federal spending issues wouldn’t matter all that much to our programs and to our stakeholders.

Wrong. As AFF has grown over the past decade, we’ve become the partner of choice for a number of federal agencies who share our environmental education goals, and work [as we do] to help family forest owners do the best job possible on their lands. Just as important, we’ve become an advocate for advancing environmental education and family forestry. Our allies often rely on us to focus our “people power” – our Tree Farmers and educators – in support of critical federal programs.

A few examples:
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency helps fund our Forests for Watersheds and Wildlife™ program, and is the major funder for PLT’s new partnership with Earth and Sky.
• Our recent agreement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will develop new opportunities [and new funding] for joint programs that improve habitat on family forests, and make it easier rather than harder for owners to manage at-risk species.
• The U.S. Forest Service provides critical infrastructure support for our landowner education and outreach programs, and for extending PLT’s reach into communities.
• U.S. Bureau of Land Management provides support for major community fire education programs delivered through our state PLT partners.
• Our Tree Farmers help educate Congress and make the case for federal programs, like the Forest Land Enhancement Program, that help family forest owners keep up their heritage of stewardship.

There are only two things you can say about the federal deficit. It’s big. And it needs to get smaller. So it’s hard to argue against any effort to trim federal spending. But choices must be made, and we can’t make them. Only Congress can decide what programs get funded, at what level.

What we can do – must do – is make certain that when Congress chooses, they make their decision based on the best information available. Your representatives on Capitol Hill need to measure what might be gained, against what will be lost in your community, if funding for environmental education is slashed. They need to make the connection between federal investments in forest conservation, and the health and vitality of the family forests which surround our cities; between our need for green space, clean water and rich habitats, and the federal programs which help sustain them.

Our job is to educate and inform: to help Congress understand precisely what their choices mean to their states and their neighbors. We can’t make the decisions ourselves, but I’m confident – if we do our job – Congress will choose a path forward that’s good for forests, good for habitat, and helps young people learn the skills they need to make sound, sensible decisions about the environment.

Laurence Wiseman, President

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American Forest Foundation
1111 Nineteenth Street, NW
Suite 780
Washington, D.C. ▪ 20036
Phone 202.463.2462
Fax 202.463.2461

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ATFS Notes
ATFS welcomes its newest group, The Langdale Company Woodlands Division, into its Group Certification program. With properties in Georgia and Florida, there are seven group members owning more than 250,000 acres. Many of the group members have been forest landowners for more than 50 years.

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Workshop participants used PLT activities, the Burning Issues CD-ROM, fire posters, activity books, other Bureau of Land Management products, and an assortment of other activities. Several workshops also featured fire specialist guest speakers from state and federal agencies to enhance the educational experience.

Another exciting component that emerged from this initiative was that six GreenWorks! projects focusing on fire education received funding. Projects included: Lower American River Invasive Plant Management Project in Sacramento, CA; Student Fire Ecology Research Project in Crescent City, CA; Educational Habitats and Demonstration Landscapes in Georgetown, CA; FireWise in the San Juan Mountains in Durango, CO; Fire from the Mountains: Fire Management & Fire Safety in Danbury, NH; and Fire Management and Education in Custer, SD.

Read the PLT Cornerstone - Winter 2005

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The MOU seeks to improve communications, education and outreach, promote synergy and foster greater understanding and collaboration between the organizations. Under the agreement, the Service and AFF will identify conservation partnership and education approaches and develop solutions that mutually benefit both parties. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting, and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people.

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At A Glance is a monthly e-newsletter of the American Forest Foundation. At A Glance highlights the activities, events, and projects of the Foundations programs, the American Tree Farm System (ATFS), Forests for Watersheds and Wildlife (F2W2), and Project Learning Tree (PLT).

		The American Forest Foundation is a nonprofit organization that works for healthy forests, quality environmental education and informed decision-making about our communities and our world. Our vision is to be recognized for our commitment to sustainable forestry, quality environmental education, and wildlife habitat and watershed protection.
		The American Tree Farm System sustaining forests, watersheds, and healthy habitats through the power of private stewardship.
		Forests for Watersheds and Wildlife links family forest landowners with conservation partners from private, state, and federal wildlife agencies to improve and restore wildlife habitat.
		PLT uses the forest as a window on the world to increase students understanding of our complex environment and to help students learn the skills they need to make sound choices about the environment.

We hope that the AFF At A Glance e-newsletter provides our readers with current news on our program activities, events, and initiatives. However, if you wish to be removed from this email list please hit reply and put "Remove" in the subject heading. We’ll be happy to accommodate your request.