The First Earth Day

Since 1970, millions of people around the globe have celebrated
Earth Day each year on April 22nd.

The first Earth Day in 1970 was organized by Wisconsin senator Gaylord Nelson who thought that, just as students had mobilized against the Vietnam War in the 1960's, they could also support a national day of rallies and teach-ins about the environment. He teamed up with Denis Hayes, a Harvard law student, and on April 22, 1970, the first Earth Day was held.

They chose Wednesday, April 22nd as the best day for college students. It was a beautiful spring day across the United States, and more than 20 million people took part in parades, marches, rallies, neighborhood clean-ups, tree plantings, and demonstrations against pollution. Folk singer Pete Seeger performed at the Washington Monument, and 42 states passed Earth Day resolutions. This was the largest organized demonstration in U.S. history. As a result, Congress passed the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act revisions, and the Environmental Protection Agency was created before year's end.

Also participating in the first Earth Day was Gary Anderson, who designed the recycling symbol that same year. As a student at the University of Southern California, Anderson attended the Earth Day rally and teach-in, held outdoors on a beautiful day with lots of rock music and a mellow atmosphere. Still, Anderson says that there was "definitely something in the air, in the academic community and elsewhere, that was beginning to color everyone's image of the earth and its resources. Neither, people were beginning to realize, was infinite." This awareness of the earth's finite resources and the need to conserve and renew them for future generations continues each year as we celebrate Earth Day.

Resources and links for Earth Day:
Kids Take Action - http://www.afandpa.org/kids_educators/index.html
Earth Day Groceries Project - http://www.earthdaybags.org
A Brief History of Earth Day - http://www.baaction.org/earth_day/earthdayhistory.html
Paper University - http://www.tappi.org/paperu
The History of the Recycling Symbol - http://www.tappi.org/paperu/news/archive/nov_dec.htm
Earth Day 1970-1995: An Information Perspective - http://egj.lib.uidaho.edu/egj03/stoss01.html

The process of allocating lands for the sometimes-conflicting needs of a growing population can be a challenge for foresters and landowners today. With an ever-increasing world population, there are more demands put on our land today than ever before.

In this activity, students will be exposed to the challenges of land management as they develop their own land-use plan for a given piece of property. They will discover how a forest is able to provide for the multiple needs of a population.

Materials Needed:
1. Map of "Forest Valley" (see below, or click here for printable version*)
....*If you encounter difficulty with this file, get the lastest version of Adobe Acrobat.
2. Colored markers or pencils
3. Chart board and paper

Activity:
1. Divide the class into teams of 4-5 students. Give each student a copy of the map of "Forest Valley." Each team will select one member of the group to assume the role of "environmental advocate."
2. The goal is to develop a land-use plan for "Forest Valley" that meets ALL of these criteria:

• Decide the location of a new village containing 100 houses for 275 people. The village will have minimal impact on the environment, including the air, water, and land. Each house will require 1/2 acre, including streets and roads. What would this town look like if you lived there?
• Plan a location for a small 40-acre wooded park for recreation that includes swimming, launching ramp for fishing boats without motors, and picnic grounds.
• Allocate land for a 20-acre farm to grow vegetables for the village. It must be close to a source of water.
• A landfill and solid waste incinerator facility will require 10 acres of land.
• Decide where to allow for logging that will create enough logs to build some things in the village and provide fuel for some of the heating needs in the village. These "working forests" can be no larger than 25 acres and must be surrounded on all sides by a buffer zone 1/2-unit wide.

Zoning Regulations

• Only enough roads will be built in the valley to meet the essential needs of the village. No logging roads will be built. Horse teams will be used for all logging.
  
• Preserve and protect the existing wildlife.
  Johnson Cabin cannot be disturbed.
  
• All land subdivisions of any kind (logging areas, parks, town, etc.) must be rectangular with boundaries in a north-south or east-west orientation to make surveying easier for the zoning inspector.

Other Information You Should Know

• Water and sewer systems will be planned after the land use plan has been developed.
  
• The zoning inspector cannot be bribed.
  
• The descendants of Mr. Johnson will be watching how you develop the area.
  
• Food and essentials that cannot be grown or made in the town can be bought and brought in on the 130-mile road from the nearest town.
  
• Forests covers all of the land except the meadow and the Johnson cabin site. The forest contains even-aged trees that were replanted one year after the big fire of 1910.
  
• A small herd of 6 female and 3 male elk live in elk meadow.
  
• Bears live in the area around Bear Cave. One male, one female, and 2 cubs have been sited.
  
• The valley being allocated for your town is an experimental program to see if urban development can be successful in a national forest.
  
• Each team will prepare a map on chart paper showing its "Forest Valley" development plan and present it to the whole class.

Click here for the complete lesson plan including Learning Objective, Accessing Prior Knowledge, Model, Assessment, Closure, Possible Extensions, Multiple Intelligences Utilized, and Content Areas.

Questions regarding this activity or land management in general? Please e-mail forest expert: bill.fuller@weyerhaeuser.com

Teachers' Tours

Ready for Summer? How About a Walk in the Woods?

The Temperate Forest Foundation is sponsoring its 22nd season of Teachers' Tours of forests. These week-long sessions are designed for teachers who teach or write curriculum for environmental studies, science, biology, or related topics. Elementary through college level teachers can attend, and all expenses are paid by a sponsoring organization or company. The tours will be held this summer in four US and Canadian locations: Jacksonville, FL, Lewiston, ID, Escanaba, MI, and Mattawa, ON.

Teachers spend a week walking in a forest and touring a forest products mill with other educators. They are treated as professionals, are served delicious meals, and have the opportunity to network with like-minded teachers from across North America. While interacting with foresters, biologists, engineers, and managers, teachers are able to ask complex questions about the day's activities, and learn about silviculture, biology, ecology and sustainable forestry. These tours are intensive, with brisk walking in forests and mills, and qualify for one Continuing Education Credit.

For more information regarding tour dates, photos from previous tours, and FAQ's, visit the Teachers' Tours website of The Temperate Forest Foundation.

The Temperate Forest Foundation is a non-profit public charity, providing education to the public regarding sustainable living through the integration of economic, ecological and social needs. It was founded in 1989 in Portland, Oregon, and is currently located in Beaverton, Oregon.

Contact information:

The Temperate Forest Foundation 14780 SW Osprey Drive Suite 355 Beaverton, OR 97007-8070 Telephone: 503-579-6762 Fax: 503-579-0300 E-mail: office@forestinfo.org http://www.forestinfo.org

There are over 20 million white-tailed deer living in American forests today. That's 40 times more than in 1900.

On July 4, 2000, the American Bald Eagle, the national bird of the United States of America, was removed from the Endangered Species list. An estimated 6 to 7 thousand breeding pairs of bald eagles are now thriving in the lower 48 states.

About 25% more paper is recycled in the U.S. than is sent to landfills.

There are 4.5 million wild turkeys in America today. In 1900, there were only 100,000 wild turkeys in the U.S.

Question: I saw on your website that sawdust and wood scraps from lumber manufacturing are used to make paper. How does this work, and is sawdust really a significant source of fiber in a paper mill? I guess I just never have heard this before, and would like more information about using sawdust in papermaking.

Answer: It's true! Sawdust and other wood scraps are used to make paper, and think about the additional landfill space that is saved. This is truly recycling in action, since no part of the tree is wasted.

Here are some other little-known but fascinating points of information about sawdust. Did you know that:

• Sawdust is only one of several sources of fiber for papermaking. Depending on the papermaking process, the pulp mixture can be made from a blend of fiber sources derived from virgin pulp, wood scraps and sawdust, paper recovered for recycling, and also paper trimmings and paper runs that were defective or unsatisfactory for some reason.
• Pulpwood comes from small or lesser value trees. Wood chips and sawdust are often added to make pulp. [http://www.hlma.org/pennswoods/overview/products.htm]
• Boise Cascade Corporation estimates that "more than half of the raw material used in papermaking is obtained from waste wood, such as chips and sawdust, and recovered paper". [http://www.bc.com/om/SimpleArticles/Boise-SimpleArticle-Environarticle_1014331714516.html]
• America's productive timberland is publicly owned by federal, state and county governments (29%), and privately owned by private landowners and forest products companies (71%). This means that almost three-quarters of our timberlands are owned by private individuals and companies. [Forest resources of the United States, USDA Forest Service, 2001]
• One forest products company, Longview Fibre Company, was founded on the utilization of wastewood and forest residuals for papermaking. It uses defective, diseased, dying, and dead trees; wood chunks recovered from timberlands harvesting; urbanwood, such as pallets, crating, and leftover lumber pieces; and debris, such as sawdust and shavings from sawmills and lumberyards. [http://www.longviewfibre.com/companyinfo/timber_rawmaterials.htm]

Educational in Nature
Visit "Educational in Nature" (http://www.gp.com/educationalinnature/index.html), a series of environmental education curriculum supplements developed for grades 4-5. The site contains lots of great information about environmental topics like trees, water, and wildlife, and includes some valuable extras like lesson plans, new vocabulary words, and hands-on activities. Sponsored by Georgia-Pacific Corp.

Field Trips
Make the Earth Day message come alive by visiting with local community professionals who help care for the environment. Paper U's Field Trips feature helps you find field trips in your area. Visit http://www.tappi.org/paperu/admit_one/fieldTrips.htm and click on your state to find a location near you!

Conservation Education
Check out the U.S. Forest Service's Conservation Education site. It's full of activities and resources pertaining to everything from ecosystems and wildlife to composting and recycling. http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/ce/index.htm

Tropical Deforestation: Uncovering the Story
This comprehensive teaching package exposes students to the complex subject of tropical deforestation. Social, economic, and ecological issues are among those examined. The teaching package - Tropical Deforestation: Uncovering the Story - which includes a three-part 25-minute broadcast quality video and a 42 page leader's guide, is available from the University of Minnesota Extension Service. http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/ce/tropical.htm