Dan's Dispatch

Southeast Alaska’s beautiful scenery, abundant recreation facilities and pristine wilderness make us proud to call this land our home. We know our lands need regular beach clean-ups, invasive species must be pulled, and trails should be maintained for maximum safety and enjoyment. We also know our vast public lands are a prime resource for wilderness skills training, seasonal employment, and youth education. The Alaska Forest Fund is a potential opportunity for providing jobs, skills training, and improved maintenance of our public lands. Individuals, businesses, or associations can donate to a forest project and see their donation matched, or exceeded, by the U.S. Forest Service. Some Southeast Alaskan donors have already directed their funds to purchase kayaks for a youth skill training and employment program in Angoon, enabling teens to use their summer well, learning outdoor skills and completing a myriad of projects that benefit us all. Others have donated to maintain a well-loved trail system, or to provide necessary supplies for invasive species clean-up on the islands surrounding their home. You can be part of the effort to ensure our public lands and recreation facilities remain in the best condition possible. To coordinate with the Alaska Forest Fund on a project, or to make a donation, contact Patrick Shannon, Director of the National Forest Fund’s Pacific Northwest Program, at pshannon@nationalforests.org