I FEEL ALIVE IN THE WOODS and wholly present. The smell of damp earth, the leaf-filtered light, the distant cracks and shuffles of hidden creatures going about their daily lives — each demand my attention, wake up my senses and clear away the mundane concerns of my indoor world.

And, while the forest always works its magic on me, those distant cracks and shuffles also remind me that I am a visitor here. Most humans are. We may be a part of nature and dependent on it, but never quite as truly or deeply as the wildlife that live, feed, mate, give birth, raise their young and die here. They are utterly dependent on these places and at our mercy — as either caretakers or destroyers of the ecosystems in which they live.

Right now, there are more than 1,600 species listed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as endangered or threatened in the U.S. Eighty percent of plant and animal terrestrial biodiversity occurs in forests, which means the vast majority of land animals live in forests. But, a significant amount of forest habitat here in the U.S. is in danger. As a result, the wildlife that live in these places are disappearing.

In the Southeastern U.S., gopher tortoises that live in longleaf pine forests are being buried alive to make way for development. In the lower 48 states, grizzly bears have recovered slightly from their historic lows, but only about 1,800 remain. In South Texas, critical bird and ocelot habitat is being cut into smaller and smaller chunks, replaced with farms and housing. While the total amount of forest tree canopy in the U.S. remains stable, healthy, intact forest habitat is declining for wildlife across the nation.

The Wildlands for Wildlife initiative focuses on these seven critical regions. Each of these systems provide key environmental functions to their regions, support one or more threatened or endangered wildlife species and sustain countless more plant and animal species.

During the next several years, Wildlands for Wildlife will help restore forest habit in the Southeastern U.S.’s longleaf pine ecosystem, home to both the gopher tortoise and endangered red-cockaded woodpecker; the Lower Rio Grande Valley in Texas, a biodiversity hotspot that supports hundreds of migratory bird and butterfly species, along with the endangered ocelot; the whitebark pine ecosystem in the Northern Rockies and Cascades and its threatened grizzly bear population; the wildfire- and drought-plagued Sierra Nevada Mountains of California; the Hawaiian Islands, which are now known as the extinction capital of the U.S.; the jack pine ecosystem in the Northern Great Lakes, home of the Kirtland’s warbler, one of the rarest birds in the country; and the Central Appalachians’ red spruce forests that support endangered wildlife, while also acting as a carbon storage powerhouse.

During my six years at American Forests, I have had the privilege of visiting many of these systems, seeing first-hand both their splendor and the challenges they face. I’ve walked through fire-devastated forests in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, tens of thousands of acres of once thriving habitat laid to waste. I saw more bird species in a few days in the Lower Rio Grande Valley than I had in my life, but also witnessed the agriculture and development incursions that have left the forest habitat broken. I’ve seen the valiant attempts of our partners north of Yellowstone to find and grow disease resistant whitebark pine, a keystone species in the region and an important food source for grizzlies.

All of these places are remarkable. All are threatened. And, all need human intervention to bring them back to health, along with the wildlife populations they support.

With the Wildlands for Wildlife initiative, American Forests will make long-term commitments to protect and restore these forest ecosystems to health — through coalition-building, research and planning, advocacy, large-scale tree planting and other onthe- ground restoration activities. You will be hearing a lot about these efforts in the coming years. We hope we can count on your continued support.

The post Saving Forest Habitat appeared first on American Forests.

“I’M A DINOSAUR,” Brenda Richardson emphatically reassures me. “I still believe in picking up a phone or going to see you.”

As Managing Director of the Earth Conservation Corps (ECC), outreach is Brenda’s bread and butter. Founded by Bob Nixon, the ECC has been transforming at-risk youth from vulnerable communities into some of Washington, D.C.’s foremost environmentalists for nearly 30 years. Their work has restored the Anacostia River (“the forgotten river of D.C.”), reintroduced bald eagles to the capital, planted trees and, most importantly, transformed the city’s youth into stewards of the environment.

Brenda speaks with a musical voice and laughs frequently. She is a calming presence in an otherwise dramatic time, politically speaking, when the spare brainwaves of everyone — regardless of their leanings left or right — seem to be captured by what’s unfolding in the White House.

“You know what my greatest fear is?” Brenda asks. “That National Park Service land will be up for sale. That’s my greatest fear.”

Brenda sees her work as answering that fear, one day and one person at a time. Each adolescent that she convinces to pick up trash, restore a riverfront or plant a tree is one more person who will advocate for public land. And, after 24 years of working with the ECC, Brenda will tell you that she’s witnessed a transition in how people think aboutthe environment.

“Absolutely… Absolutely; Now, when people talk about green, people in the community understand,” she attests.

Brenda also believes that young people are the largest factor in this transition — that the disparity between the hardships they grew up in and the selflessness with which they approach making a public contribution is incredibly motivating to witness.

“The beauty of it is, no matter how wounded or scarred they may be, they find some sort of peace in working in the environment,” Brenda says.

The truth that goes along with that, however, is that if your work is to inspire peace, you frequently encounter its opposite.

“I’m not saying it was all peaches and cream,” she laughs. “But, most of the time it was just awe-inspiring to see how they connected to the environment, what they were doing and to be able to talk about it!”There are countless stories of young people who are surprised by just how important the ECC would become to their lives. Perhaps one of the most notable of these vulnerable youth was Diamond Teague, who initially was not excited to even be involved with ECC, according to his mother, Florence Teague.

“We thought that Diamond was never going to like the work,” Florence recounts. “He even wrote in his journal that when he joined the ECC, that was going to be one of the worst days of his life.”

He quickly changed his mind. Seven months later, Diamond had become one of the most involved members of the Corps, inspiring countless others and teaching them about the importance of the environment. Bob Nixon’s own daughter attested that “when I was seven, Diamond Teague was my hero.”

With a bright future ahead of him, Diamond was headed to college on a scholarship earned entirely on the merits of his environmental work.

Diamond was shot on his doorstep not long after earning that scholarship. He inspired and influenced so many people that the city of D.C. built a 39,000-square-foot park in his memory. He is one of 26 Corps members to pass away before their time.

It is the importance of helping these young people — knowing how much they need it and how much worse it could be if they didn’t have mentors to guide them — that gives Brenda her drive and sense of mission. The stakes couldn’t be any clearer for her. She knows that by sharing stewardship of the natural world with Corps members, she isn’t just saving the environment, she’s saving lives.

And, that’s why Brenda herself got involved in conservation roughly 40 years ago. She firmly believes that getting involved in the environment is one of the best ways to anchor young people who have been beset with countless challenges faced while growing up in their environment. But, Brenda isn’t waiting for anyone to come to her.

Recounting a meeting she had with a fellow conservationist, she says, “I asked — because you know when you have these environmental meetings it’s always the same stakeholders who show up all the time — I asked him, well, when are you going to take this out to folks at the real grassroots level?” She asked this question even though she already knew the answer, and then told him “I’m going to make it my business to get to the vulnerable communities and meet them where they are.”

Everything about Brenda resonates with this declaration. The sport coat she wears befits a Managing Director, but the work boots on her feet tell you that she doesn’t mess around. Corps members will back this up, if you even need to ask. Nneka Anosike attests that “Everywhere I’ve gone so far, if I mention, ‘Do you know Brenda Richardson?’ they’ll be like ‘Yeah, I know Brenda, she did X, Y and Z.’ It just gives you an idea of how many people she’s touched.”

Her fellow Corps member Shawn Simons puts it more simply: “I’ve learned everything from her.”

Brenda is one of the few people born in her era to be connecting with today’s youth through Snapchat and Facebook.

“I’m still very old fashioned and a dinosaur,” Brenda admits again, but she thinks that social media is “a wonderful tool to educate folks on environmental issues.”

This willingness to approach and interact with people where they are at, regardless of how new, strange or uncomfortable it may be, is exactly what makes Brenda so good at what she does. She listens. Then she laughs. Then you find yourself laughing. And then you find yourself planting a tree.

Doyle Irvin contributes to American Forests’ magazine and Loose Leaf blog, and is passionate about protecting the environment and investing in the future of our planet.

The post Earthkeepers: Conservation Begins With Your Boots On The Ground appeared first on American Forests.

JOAN AND MIKE DIGGS are from a western Chicago suburb called Burr Ridge, a Tree-City-USA-awarded village named after the burr oak. Whether rooted in their hometown pride, through hiking, “glamping” or simply taking in the scenery around them, the Diggs make it a point to incorporate nature into their lives.

“We have been blessed all of our lives to live within a 15-minute drive from the Cook County Forest Preserve, which features several lakes, abundant wildlife and birds of every species,” they say.

For both Joan and Mike, their love and appreciation of nature goes back to their childhood experiences.

“From the age of 12, me and my buddies would ride our bikes to the nearest forest preserve lake for fishing, swimming and exploring,” Mike says.

While some of Joan’s fondest childhood memories are of vacationing in the outdoors.

“When I was a teenager, my parents took us to Steamboat Springs, Colo. to ski and to stand on top of a mountain and revel in the beauty.” Joan says. “The scent of a pine forest in the winter is amazing!”

Although the Diggs have always been cognizant of the close connection between the health of the forest and the overall health of the planet, learning about the devastation of forests around the globe served as a wakeup call for them to take action. Living through the acid rain scare in the ‘70s, where emissions from Midwestern utilities caused damage to lakes and forests, made Joan and Mike realize that forest preservation is an urgent issue. Learning more recently about the pests and diseases that have been harming trees reminded the Diggs that they must continue to fight for forests.

So, when Father’s Day 2015 was just around the corner, Joan knew exactly what to get her husband, Mike. In lieu of something more traditional, Joan and her two daughters decided to give the Gift of Trees, the perfect present given the family’s long history of loving forests.

“How could you pass up an organization that is willing to plant 200 trees in my name on the side of mountain?” Mike says.

Since then, the Diggs have continued to plant trees with American Forests, becoming Sequoia Circle members following their participation on American Forests’ trip to Rocky Mountain National Park in the fall of 2016.

While the Diggs believe that, while it is ultimately up to Mother Nature to run her course, they are committed to protecting and restoring our forests for the health of us all.

“Trees produce oxygen, and we all need oxygen to live! The overall health of the planet is dependent upon the health of the forest,” they say.

The post Donor Profile: Joan and Mike Diggs appeared first on American Forests.

DID YOU KNOW that within a single acre of forest, as many as 425 million animals may be working for a living? Granted, those are mostly tiny arthropods, on and under the forest floor, but they are nevertheless essential to the health of the forest that nurtures the birds and mammals that we know and treasure.

Our corporate partner LightStream recently celebrated the restoration of their 1,000th acre of forest, restoring ecosystems that have benefited many, many millions of creatures, great and small, from the ground up.

A national online lender and division of SunTrust Bank, LightStream has always been in tune with the environment, according to Julie Olian, LightStream’s Vice President of Communications.

“We plant a tree for every loan we fund,” says Julie. “Supporting the environment is part of our DNA.”Many of LightStream’s employees lead active outdoor lives and enjoy camping, hiking and other recreational adventures.

Given that, and the company’s strong environmental values, LightStream looked for a partner whose mission, work and reputation were a fit — and found a match with American Forests.

LightStream has partnered with American Forests since 2013. In the last year alone, LightStream’s support has helped American Forests plant significant numbers of trees in longleaf pine projects in Alabama and Virginia. These restored ecosystems can support nearly 600 plant and animal species, half of which are considered rare, more than 100 are at-risk and 30 are threatened or endangered, including the gopher tortoise, who makes generous burrows for its home that are then shared by as many as 360 other species.

Another project supported by LightStream is the habitat of the extremely rare Kirtland’s warbler, which nests in very dense jack pine stands in areas of the Northern Great Lakes. LightStream’s investment there has paid the best kind of dividends. Habitat restoration for this beautiful songbird, while still endangered, has brought the species back from the brink of extinction to now have a viable chance for survival as a critical piece of the fabric of that ecosystem.

“We support American Forests because their efforts are meaningful to the LightStream team, gratifyingly to our customers, and most of all, because it’s the right thing to do,” says Julie.

The post Corporate Partner Profile: LightStream appeared first on American Forests.

THIS CONGRESS is utilizing the Congressional Review Act (CRA) more than ever before. The CRA, passed in 1996, grants Congress the power to disapprove of any regulation made by a federal agency, in a significantly shortened legislative process, so long as it’s considered by Congress within 60 legislative days of its implementation. Due to the legislative calendar, that means any Obama Administration regulations dating back to June 13, 2016 could be repealed by members of Congress. Before this session, the CRA was successfully used only once in 2001, overturning an Occupational Safety and Health Administration rule passed during the Clinton Administration. Since the beginning of the 115th Congress in January 2017, there have been more than 80 “resolutions of disapproval” introduced in the House of Representatives.

Two resolutions that directly affect our forests have passed both houses of Congress and have been signed by President Trump: First, the Stream Protection Rule, which protected several hundred miles of streams and waterways, and the forests they run through, from toxic byproducts like lead and arsenic produced by mining and drilling operations; and, second, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Planning 2.0 Rule, which helped shorten the formal and lengthy land use planning process and provided predictability to all stakeholders. The BLM rule expanded the chances for public suggestions on the management of public lands, especially those who live in the western U.S. and in close proximity to these lands. A third resolution protecting wolves and bears in Alaska’s wildlife refuges from extreme hunting is waiting for his signature. Now, that these “resolutions of disapproval” have been signed, the agencies cannot issue a new rule to cover these issues that is “substantially the same.” Congress must enact a new law on the issue for the agency to be allowed to regulate it again.

Endangered Species Act: “Modernizing” Is Code for Dismantling

THIS FEBRUARY, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works held a hearing on “Modernizing the Endangered Species Act (ESA).” Some senators came to the conclusion that the ESA is inherently broken because only a handful of species have been fully recovered and delisted. The reality is that 98 percent of species listed have been stabilized, kept from going extinct and placed on the long path to recovery.

The purpose of the ESA is to protect and recover imperiled species and the ecosystems upon which they depend. To recover a species often requires addressing the immediate threats and then rebuilding habitat within the ecosystem, a process that can take decades. The slow pace of recovery for many species is also hampered by lack of resources, with the ESA chronically underfunded given its ambitions goals. To avoid having to list species in the first place, Congress should provide more resources to preventative programs like the State and Tribal Wildlife Grants Program.

Throughout its history, the ESA has been frequently cited internationally as the gold standard for conservation policy because of its comprehensive approach that not only stops further harm to species by listing them, but also protects and restores their habitat. American Forests will continue advocating for protection of endangered species and the ESA.

Trump Administration’s FY2018 Budget: Clear-Cutting Our Forest Programs

ON MARCH 16, 2017, the Trump Administration released its FY2018 budget. Looking to offset a $54 billion increase in defense spending, draconian cuts were proposed across agencies which would put our forests at risk. With a 21 percent cut to Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Forest Service, a 12 percent cut to the Department of Interior and a 31 percent cut to the Environmental Protection Agency, our nation’s forests, national parks and national wildlife refuges are in jeopardy, along with our clean water and clean air.

The 21 percent proposed cut to the Department of Agriculture harms rural America and our forests, both wildland and urban. If the 21 percent is evenly distributed across the agency, it would mean an approximate $1.5 billion cut to the U.S. Forest Service. The cost of wildfire suppression already consumes more than 50 percent of the U.S. Forest Service budget forcing even deeper cuts in other programs to make up the difference. This means huge reductions to restoration, greening our cities and limits access to recreation. These cuts will not only deter the U.S. Forest Service in fulfilling its mission, they will also prevent millions of dollars going to state forest agencies, which rely heavily on such federal support. If a wildfire suppression budget fix does not pass this year, the U.S. Forest Service will again have to transfer funds from other program areas to cover the costs. Borrowing funds from programs that already have a 21 percent reduction is unsustainable.

Rebecca Turner writes from Washington, D.C. and is American Forests’ senior director of programs and policy. Spring policy interns Austin Bosworth, a junior at College of the Holy Cross, and Maverick Ryan, a sophomore at American University, also contributed.

The post Washington Outlook – The Congressional Review Act: Congress Putting Our Forests in Jeopardy appeared first on American Forests.

DETROIT. Oakland. Cleveland and Miami. Hartford, and Atlanta. What do these cities have in common? They all have benefited from American Forests’ Community ReLeaf program, which has improved the health of 16 cities across the United States. Begun in 2013 as a partnership between American Forests, Bank of America and the U.S. Forest Service, Community ReLeaf has grown into a nationwide program that impacts the daily lives of local residents.

“There is a certain immediate gratification that comes from planting a tree and connecting in your local community,” says Rich Brown, Bank of America’s Senior Vice President for their Environmental, Social and Governance group. As part of Bank of America’s $125 billion environmental business initiative, Community ReLeaf is part of its strategy to contribute to its goals of a greener future — it’s not just about immediate gratification. “True satisfaction,” Rich asserts, comes from “the long-term community benefits of that tree.”

The initial attraction to this collaboration, for each partner, was that both American Forests and Bank of America were driven to implement a data-driven, scientifically vetted initiative to improve low- and middle-income communities, an initiative emphasizing aid with a long-term impact and fostering community involvement.

Every tree is a vehicle for carbon storage and water purification, but urban forests, in particular, have the added rewards of cooling heat islands, enhancing safety, immediately filtering vehicular smog and beautifying the streets — to name just a few. These are just the positives that the trees provide all on their own. There is an entire extra echelon of advantages on top of that, when a community organizes to invest its own sweat and effort as well.

“We have seen wonderful community- building as a result of these projects,” says Rich. “Not only have neighbors, local businesses, community groups and Bank of America employees joined together to help plant trees, but we’ve also seen a stronger community grow out of these connections.”

Bank of America’s support of the environment contributes holistically to these efforts, providing not just financing but also motivating its own employees to take part in the plantings. On top of this, the company has doubled down in cities like Detroit and Miami, reinvesting again and again in the local infrastructure and building long-term local capacity for managing those urban forests. Part of the inspiration for this comes from the cities embracing American Forests and Bank of America’s efforts.

“These are cities where there is a strong commitment at the community level as well as the city leader level,” says Rich. He understands what kind of dividends comes from that kind of strong commitment, going on to say, “I have four large maple trees that line the sidewalk in front of my home, and our entire neighborhood is filled with similar trees. I am the beneficiary of those who came before me and had the vision and wisdom to know the value of urban trees. Community ReLeaf is providing that vision and wisdom for generations to come in cities across America. How cool is that?”

Doyle Irvin contributes to American Forests’ magazine and Loose Leaf blog, and is passionate about protecting the environment and investing in the future of our planet.

The post Project Showcase: Doubling Down on Urban Forests appeared first on American Forests.

LOCATED ON PANAMA’S PACIFIC COAST, the Azuero Peninsula has been populated by humans for more than 12,000 years. For much of its history, it has served as home to a plethora of diverse wildlife species. But, unfortunately, after decades of cattle ranching, all that remains of a once-lush tropical dry forest are small scattered patches. The deforestation here has also put wildlife species, like the Azuero spider monkey (Ateles geoffroyi azuerensis), under threat. Only found in this particular region, the Azuero spider monkey has made it onto the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s list of critically endangered subspecies.

In support of efforts to protect the Azuero spider monkey and restore its dwindling habitat, American Forests is partnering with The Azuero Earth Project (AEP) — a “living laboratory” that combines science and fieldwork with community outreach to reforest and promote sustainability in the area.

In collaboration with local landowners, AEP is reforesting a biological corridor more than 75 miles in length, within an area of nearly 25,000 hectares made up of nearly 400 privately owned properties.

“The biological corridor program came from this idea that the Azuero Peninsula is heavily deforested,” says AEP Co-Founder and Director Ruth Metzel. “Roughly 7 percent of the peninsula is now covered in forest, compared to what was once the majority.”

Using an initial survey that indicated where remaining populations of the Azuero spider monkey existed, AEP performed a GIS analysis to determine the ideal locations to reforest based on ecological and social characteristics, thus creating a corridor that focused the group’s efforts on certain areas of the peninsula.

“By connecting strategic gaps in forest cover along streams, we allow spider monkeys to roam further,” Metzel says, “which enables them to have greater access to food sources and habitat.”

At the same time, AEP’s efforts are improving water quality, reducing erosion for local farmers, protecting watersheds and contributing to Panama’s national reforestation initiative, the Alliance for One Million Hectares. Since they became members of the alliance last year, they have strived to become a model for other organizations that aim to conduct riparian reforestation, promote sustainability and restore watersheds.

Over the years, AEP’s capabilities and impacts have grown tremendously. Their initial plan was simply to put more trees in the ground, but their partnership with American Forests has equipped them with the ability to track survival rates in their plots and consequently grasp a more solid understanding of their work.

But reforestation is just one component of the AEP model.

AEP’s reforestation activities are rooted in years of collaboration with rural Azuero communities. Since 2010, they have partnered with teachers, who also act as community leaders, to educate the students who will become future Azuero landowners and their parents on the importance of protecting the Azuero spider monkey and its dry forest home. Once people take an interest in protecting local species, they become active partners in AEP’s planting programs.

Metzel says that these community members’ passion for trees serves as a constant inspiration. She hopes that more people across the globe mirror their commitment to protecting and restoring forests.

“There’s this misconception that we should do good for the environment for the environment’s sake, but really, there’s a huge human element to this,” says Metzel. “Each one of us, as citizens, spiritual beings, parents and as sons and daughters, needs to be thinking about what our responsibilities are.”

Suah Cheong was American Forests’ spring 2017 communications intern and is a rising junior at American University, studying communications and psychology.

The post Project Showcase: How Panamanians and Trees Are Saving Each Other appeared first on American Forests.

BACK IN THE MID-1990s, while backpacking along the Sisquoc River, I had no idea I was actually trekking along the Condor Trail. My wife, Lori, dropped me off with my friend Leo Downey, a backcountry wilderness guide in New Cuyama, and we backpacked 80 miles southwest, finishing in Montecito in Santa Barbara, Calif. I can remember piledriving through nearly impenetrable chaparral along the scenic Sisquoc River, ticks showering down like rain in the dense, overgrown section of the 410-mile thru-hike in the heart of Los Padres National Forest.

The Condor Trail begins at its southern terminus at Lake Piru in Ventura County, ascending its way from sea level up 7,000 feet through the Sespe Wilderness and a portion of the Dick Smith Wilderness before it follows the gradual flow of the Sisquoc River in the heart of the San Raphael Wilderness and traverses its way up and over the Sierra Madre Mountains.

From there it crosses over Highway 166, hugging the coastal route along Highway 1 from Morro Bay, Cayucos, Cambria and San Simeon before finishing at Botchers Gap at the north end of Big Sur, within the northern Monterey Ranger District.

“This is one of the most difficult portions of the Condor Trail,” said Bryan Conant, a cartographer who works for the non-profit Los Padres Forest Association, referring to the Sisquoc River section. “There’s a lot of work to be done. Our mission is to keep it off of dirt roads and in the wilderness as much as possible.”

VISION QUEST

The Condor Trail was originally hatched by a Los Padres National Forest Service historian and tireless trail-worker, Alan Coles. He had the vision of connecting the backend of Lake Piru to the Manzana Schoolhouse in the San Rafael Wilderness. According to Conant, Coles enlisted close friend Chris Danch. Danch was seduced by the possibilities of creating a route, and, eventually, he took the bull by the horns expanding on Cole’s original plan.

The Condor Trail, and its role as habitat for the California condor, is a work in progress — a labor of tough love — and, according to Conant, that might always be the case.

“Chris felt the trail should extend across the entire length of forest up to Monterey,” said Conant. “He took the reins on furthering the route.”

Danch ran the trail project for a decade and, according to Conant, made huge strides in the development of the Condor Trail. He introduced the concept to the public while garnering support from the U.S. Forest Service. However, as time rolled on and for unspecified reasons, Danch ran out of steam in the early 2000s, and with it the Condor Trail fell dormant, hibernating away in the dense, tick infested chaparral.

While Danch gathered support for the trail, Conant — who was in the throes of mapping the Los Padres National Forest — attended a lecture in the late-1990s delivered by Danch at the Santa Barbara Public Library. Conant fell in love with the project.

“Afterwards, I had some time and started poking around to see where the Condor Trail was,” continued Conant. “I found out that nothing was going on with it, and so I decided to resuscitate it and bring it back to life.”

From that point on, Conant dug in his heels, created a non-profit called the Condor Trail Association, created a website and developed a following of like-minded hikers and backpackers spanning the length of the Los Padres National Forest. Since then, Danch has rejoined the effort moving forward to enhance the route.

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

The Condor Trail is actually a popular and vital flyway for populations of wild California condors congregating between Hopper Mountain National Wildlife Refuge northeast of Fillmore in the Sespe Wilderness and Ventana Wilderness up in Big Sur.

To say the endangered California condor and the Condor Trail parallel each other is an understatement, to say the least. The Condor Trail, and its 400-plus miles between Lake Piru and Big Sur, was the final stronghold of the last remaining wild condor population. Those 15 surviving condors were trapped in the Santa Barbara backcountry and brought into captive breeding in 1987. Since then several locations along or near the Condor Trail have been release sites for these captive-bred birds, which are North America’s largest flying landbird.

The trail and this Pleistocene remnant both need help to survive. The California condor still relies on human intervention for its survival — the constant fight against lead poisoning, consumption of trash, loss of critical habitat and these bird’s perpetual curiosity keep it on the brink of extinction. At the same time, these Old World raptors are attempting to reclaim historic territory.

The Condor Trail, and its role as habitat for the California condor, is a work in progress — a labor of tough love — and, according to Conant, that might always be the case.

“Following in the footsteps of other long-distance trails, I don’t ever see it being completed, so to speak,” said Conant. “The Pacific Crest Trail continues to change and improve. I see annual tweaks along the Condor Trail as well.”

In that sense the Condor Trail is like a child that needs to be nurtured one step at a time as it navigates through life. Funds need to be raised for trail crews to construct new routes and maintain established trails. There are large sections of trail that need to be reclaimed due to overgrown chaparral or a section of trail that was washed out in a storm.

CHALLENGES AHEAD

Conant is in this for the long haul. As a cartographer who has mapped vast swaths of the Los Padres National Forest and with his duties at the Los Padres Forest Association, there’s no race to the finish line as the Condor Trail evolves. He doesn’t spend as much time as he used to on the trail, but with his work with the Los Padres Forest Association, there’s not a lack of trail projects to pursue. In 2015 and 2016, Conant spent about 40 days on the trail.

“Most of the route is in place at least on paper,” explained Conant, who has explored most of the trail in the southern Los Padres. “There are still sections that are so overgrown that we are detouring hikers around them. The plan is to get those sections of trail ‘followable’ again so we can send hikers along those routes.”

There are some private property issues on the route once a hiker/backpacker leaves the Willow Spring Trail from the south and crosses over Highway 166 heading north. After walking approximately three miles west on the highway, the trail continues at the Adobe Trailhead.

“We have a vision to alter this intersection, but at the moment that is the current route,” said Conant. “Currently, we are sending hikers out of the way around the private property. Ultimately, we’d like to work a plan with the private property owners.”

One of the Condor Trail’s biggest challenges was met head-on in 2015. That spring the first thru-hiker navigated the entire route. San Diegan Brittany Nielsen took the train up to Ventura, and Conant dropped her off at the trailhead at Lake Piru. She finished her thru-hike in in 37 days.

Through many trials and tribulations, Nielsen stuck it out absorbing the many obstacles the forest could throw at her along the mountainous trail.

She endured lengthy bushwhacking sections and long searches for water. She encountered very few people along the way, 20 individuals during the entire route and temperatures fluctuated from below freezing to triple digits.

On the flip side of things, she hiked beneath towering redwood forests, experienced incredible wildlife — from desert bighorn sheep to arroyo toads — plus emerald green pools and perpetual solitude for which the forest is known.

“The biggest challenge for the trail was getting the first person to complete the trail,” Conant said of Nielsen’s success. “I think from now on more people will hike it knowing that it was successfully completed.”

Freelance writer and photographer Chuck Graham lives one mountain range away from the Condor Trail, where he’s spent much time photographing endangered California condors soaring overhead.

The post Soaring Under the Radar appeared first on American Forests.

Jill Jonnes

Author of “Urban Forests: A Natural History of Trees and People in the American Cityscape”

JILL JONNES is an author and historian, with a Ph.D. in American history from Johns Hopkins University, whose books tell the stories of visionaries who developed and integrated new kinds of infrastructure into cities. In “Urban Forests” Jonnes writes about the people who created lush urban tree canopies, and the trees they introduced — what we now understand to be green infrastructure. As Jonnes learned how essential trees are to city living, she founded the Baltimore Tree Trust and is very proud of that, as the organization has already planted more than 1,000 street trees in once-barren neighborhoods.

What led you to want to write a book about urban forests?

Knowing that almost 80 percent of Americans live in cities, and with climate change upon us, I felt we all needed to know the story of our urban forests. After all, trees in cities are one of the few ways to cool the air. Most of us are very aware of the built urban environment, but we experience the equally important grown urban environment intuitively. And, as we now know through accumulating science, urban trees do far, far more than create shade. City trees are outstanding multitasking civil servants: saving energy, cleaning polluted air, absorbing storm water, raising property values and, I suspect, most importantly, promoting human well-being. And, equally important, they make our cities beautiful. So, my goal was to tell the history and stories of the urban forests that surround us and open people’s eyes, but most of all, to inspire citizens to activism.

What do you think is the biggest issue facing urban forests today?

The fact that too many urban experts — including environmentalists — have never even heard the phrase “urban forests.” They are not aware of the ground-breaking science that shows all the “ecosystem services” that urban trees deliver. Nor are they familiar with the growing body of public health research that confirms how essential trees are to human well-being. Until those who plan, design, build and maintain cities recognize the vital importance of trees and nature in the cityscape, trees will always be an under-funded afterthought, rather than the integral part of cities that they should be. After spending eight years working on my book, “Urban Forests,” I have concluded that we do not need just to plant more trees, we actually need to start pulling up concrete and retrofitting our cities with nature.

If you weren’t an author, what would you be? Why?

I started the nonprofit Baltimore Tree Trust, and I quite enjoy the organizing work in the neighborhoods where we plant trees. Like all local green groups, we have numerous partnerships and those are very gratifying. So, perhaps my nonauthor self would have been a green activist.

What is the most surprising thing that you have learned or discovered while working on your book, “Urban Forests”?

How few of us know that a major tree extinction in going on. Since 2002, the Emerald Ash Borer has spread from Michigan to another 34 states, killing hundreds of millions of native ash trees. Arborists expect that, in time, the ash borer will cross the Rockies, spread to the remaining states and wipe out all the nation’s ash trees. To prevent further such tragedies, a group of forestry scientists are proposing legislation called Tree-SMART Trade that would end all use of wooden pallets in global trade. IKEA already uses only paper, so it is a doable change.

Do you have a favorite story from your time writing the book?

Yes! One of the most endearing and charming of the early tree evangelists was the U.S. Forest Service’s Plant- Explorer-in-Chief David Fairchild. He and his wife Marian Bell (daughter of Alexander Graham Bell) had a home on a big piece of land they called “In The Woods” up Connecticut Avenue in Washington, D.C. There, they delighted in growing some of America’s first Japanese ornamental cherry trees and many rare tree specimens brought back by famed China explorer Frank Meyer and others. I just assumed their home and gardens had long since disappeared to development. But, a Forest Service research librarian informed me otherwise.

The Japanese-style house and the immediate garden are now an oldfashioned nursery school. With permission, I arrived very early one lovely April morning, before the children arrived for school, and wandered the quiet grounds. I had no trouble imagining Fairchild here enjoying his botanicals wonders: Towering old Yoshino cherry trees were in clouds of bloom, while with each further foray beyond the house I encountered another rarity (all had small ID plaques): a Turkish cedar from 1909, a Chinese dove tree from 1906, an oriental oak from 1910, and a magnificent Nikko maple planted in 1908. Of course, Fairchild is long gone, dead more than 60 years. And yet, here were his arboreal treasures shading his house and the happy games of a new generation. A lovely experience.

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In her spare time, Terri raises monarch butterflies to support the dwindling population of this iconic species and advocates for people to plant milkweed in their gardens, which is the only food source of the monarch caterpillar. Terri has been an American Forests member since 2005.

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