FT&F’s newest educational outreach program is called Forest Field Day. This program covers it all — identifying and inventory of resources, zoning laws and regulations, inheritance tax, development costs, long range planning, economics and negotiation skills.
Here’s the scenario: The students in the class are broken down into groups of four. The group then role plays as siblings who just inherited 225 acres from Grandma Petersen. Each member has a specific role — the capitalist, the wildlife specialist, the recreationist, and the soil & water advocate. Working within parameters set by Grandma Petersen (i.e., can’t sell the land) and society (i.e., inheritance tax) the students must develop a management plan for their forest.
This program begins in the classroom with a session devoted to brainstorming. It is followed by a full day in the field, assessing their property and learning more about the resources on it. Here, the students rotate through one-hour sessions devoted to timber measurement and volume, soil and water quality, wildlife surveying and habitat, and recreation opportunities and challenges. Each session is taught by teams of volunteer professionals.
The final part of the program takes place in the classroom where the students negotiate for and write their management plan. Forest Field Day has made two successful runs with the 6th graders in the Springfield School District (there are 875 of them!) and one run with the Sweet Home School District. In 1996, we plan to expand the program to include the Bethel School District, one 4J school, and the Cottage Grove School District.
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