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Find out how you participate in National Forest Week
According to the National Forest Foundation, there are 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands spanning 193 million acres across the United States.
As the nonprofit partner for the U.S. Forest Service, the NFF “works on behalf of the American public” by leading “forest conservation efforts” and promoting “responsible recreation.” One way of accomplishing this initiative is National Forest Week, a celebration that invites people to enjoy the variety of experiences provided in the national forests across the country. This year it takes place from Monday, June 9, through Sunday, June 15, — specific dates vary depending on location — and will mark the seventh iteration of the event.
“Even though we’re a national organization, having those deep connections in communities is so important to us,” Catherine Cody, NFF public relations manager, said. “… So we started it seven years ago. It was very small. It was a photo contest, some kind of smaller events here and there. And it’s really been built up to have a lot of on-the-ground presence.
“… It’s really grown from this idea of how do we start really working with local communities? And as we have grown, so has National Forest Week.”
Those efforts have recently expanded to the Land of Enchantment. For the second consecutive year, Santa Fe — and by association, Santa Fe National Forest — will take part in the festivities with a number of events, including river cleanup, a group bike ride, a guided bird walk and an end-of-week celebration.
“The big part of National Forest Week is recognizing all the different ways that folks utilize national forests, whether it be for recreation or for their jobs or where they get their drinking water from,” Liam Sullivan, NFF field marketing coordinator, said. “National Forest Week is just all about celebrating public lands and celebrating the fact that they are places where we come alive.”
All of the events are free, but interested parties should visit the nationalforests.org event page because some require an RSVP to attend. The first option in Santa Fe provides an opportunity to work with Rio Grande Return on a special brand of stream restoration.
“They call it Beaver Dam analog, meaning that (they’re) replicating the work a beaver would do,” Cody said. “So it’s this really interesting, very low-tech, very nature-focused way to increase water purity. So you’re basically replicating beaver dams. And then if you do it correctly, all the beavers will come back and kind of be working in that space.”
On Thursday, June 12, the community bike ride, in conjunction with Santa Fe’s Fat Tire Society, will run from the Santa Fe Brewing Company’s Brakeroom location to their HQ location. There’s also a river clean up with the Santa Fe Watershed Association at De Vargas Park on Friday, June 13, and a guided birding walk at the Randall Davey Audubon Center on Saturday, June 14. The grand finale is the National Forest Week Celebration on Sunday, June 15, at Nuckolls Brewing Company, a family-friendly offering that will include a silent auction to support local artists and the NFF’s work in New Mexico.
“A big thing that we like to focus on at NFF is partnering with local organizations that have good connections with the community,” Sullivan said. “So we have lots of local staff in Santa Fe that have also sort of helped us figure out who we’re working with, and being able to work with local partners helps us ensure that folks in the community know that we’re going to be there celebrating National Forest Week and that they can come out and get involved.”
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No matter what event is chosen, it’s an opportunity to celebrate with those who have a similar affinity for public lands. The hope is to continue to grow the New Mexico-version of the event in the years to come.
“Santa Fe has such a beautiful community that really appreciates the forest, understands it,” Cody said. “I feel like it’s really a part of Santa Fe culture.”
MORE FOREST WEEK FUN: Silver City, home to the Gila National Forest, is also recognizing the week with a variety of events including a trail stewardship day, group hikes, bike rides and a celebration day at Open Space Brewery.
