National forests provide volunteering and visiting opportunities
Would you like to take your family to see some of the tallest and oldest trees in world? Maybe your children might be delighted in seeing a colony of beavers at work or meeting Smokey the Bear' with his friend Woodsy Owl. These are a few of the wonders that attract many visitors to the National Forests each year. Rangers - with the assistance of volunteers - are there to guide them, giving help and information to visitors and volunteers.
The National Forests are parcels of land owned by the citizens of the United States and managed by the Forest Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The areas of land are located throughout the United States, Alaska and Puerto Rico. The National Forests serve a useful services: they provide recreation area for the public at large where one can camp in camping grounds, swim in the pristine lakes, or simply take a stroll through the woods and enjoy the natural wonders.
Some National Forests are set aside for the protection of wildlife both plants and animals. No trees can be felled in these wilderness areas, and building is prohibited, leaving the forests as nature created them. A few National Forest are not forests at all but grasslands that provide grazing areas for animals, and wetlands that provide a habitat for migratory birds.
The itinerary of the National Forest Service may sound very much like our National Parks, but they differ in one important direction National Forests make money for the U.S. government and for private companies... Lumber companies pay the government to the cull certain forests; mining companies receive a permit to tap on the ore deposits paying heed to proper conservation of the land; cattlemen or shepherds receive permits to graze their animals on specific areas, but not on protected grasslands. The money earned by the government helps maintain the forests and grazing lands for protected animals.
Forest Rangers alone are responsible for protecting the resources of the forest seeing that no timber or minerals is taking from the forests illegally, and that no domestic animals are permitted to graze unless the cattlemen and shepherds have a legal paid permit. The rangers are very strict in their enforcement of hunting and fishing regulations.
The Rangers with the aid of volunteers also protect the flora and fauna from fires, insects, and combat diseases; together they plant seedlings to replace trees felled by lumber companies. The Rangers and their volunteer partners also keep up the public campgrounds, and mark the trails through the woods.
Volunteers are welcomed by the Forest Service as they perform needed assistance in maintaining the National Forests. You may work on a part-time or full-time basis; you can participate on a one-time project or serve the forest Service over several months, seasons, or year round. If you are retired and willing to work during the summer months you would be able to live on a National Forest while your work as a volunteer. Off course, training is provided if your work requires it.
A volunteer can perform many vital and varied assistance; the only tasks a volunteer cannot perform are those associated with law enforcement. A few typical volunteer activities include:
For information and a volunteer application:USDA Forest ServiceP.O. Box 96090, Washington, D.C. 20090-6090, USATel: +1 (202) 205-8333e-mail: [email protected] site:Forest Service Volunteers
NOTE:The first forest preserves were established in the western states during the late 1800's. They were officially termed National Forests and put under the Forest Service in 1905, and an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
