Students from Kalapuya High School capture micro-invertebrates to study stream health during an outdoor learning experience at Opal Creek.

Download the grant application here.

It is with great appreciation that Forests Today & Forever announces the award of two grants in support of our 2009 natural resource educational programs.

In January, FT&F received a $5,000 grant from the Friends of Paul Bunyan Foundation in support of this summer’s Forest Discovery Tour series, held annually in July and August. This is the third grant received over the years by FT&F from the foundation, which is supported by the Associated Oregon Loggers.

The free tour series, which is offered in partnership with Lane Community College under Continuing Education, and with support from the Oregon Forest Resources Institute, gives participants an up-close look at the sustainable forest management practices of local private and public landowners.

Also received in June is a $2,500 grant from the International Paper Foundation. The IP Foundation typically funds programs that focus on young children and/or outdoor classrooms, forestry and air and water quality programs. The funds will be used for purchasing materials and supplies for Forest Field Days, which serves our area’s middle school population. On average, close to 1,300 students attend Forest Field Days each year.

We also extend our thanks to the three organizations listed below that provided grant funding during the 2008-09 school year in support of our programs.

The Woodard Family Foundation of Cottage Grove awarded $3,500 in support our 2008 summer Forest Discovery Tours series, which is free to the public and designed to illustrate the current forestry practices of local public and private landowners and managers in Lane County.

The Woodard family is the founder of the Woodard Lumber Company, which was in operation near the current site for the Cottage Grove Dam until 1957. The Woodard Family Foundation began in 1952 with the mission of "assisting charitable organizations in developing the internal capacity to meet present and future needs; not to remove responsibilities from people." The family remains an active employer in the Cottage Grove area, and over the years, it has helped to found a hospital, library, resort, and a retirement community, among many other good works.

And, in keeping with its goal of releasing the potential in people to strengthen communities and advance sustainability, the Weyerhaeuser Company Foundation generously provided $8,500 for general support of FT&F programs. Since 1948, the Foundation has directed more than $195 million to the communities where Weyerhaeuser employees work, live and play. Nationwide, its annual philanthropic budget totals $9 million.

Also flowing from the Weyerhaeuser Company, FT&F received $3,500 in 2008 through a Weyerhaeuser Active Volunteer Employees (WAVE) grant. The WAVE grant is based on volunteer participation in local programs such as Forest Field Days, which annually introduces more than 1,200 Lane and Linn county middle school students to the complexities of sustainable forest management, including harvest, reforestation and the protection of water, wildlife and soils as mandated by the Forest Practice Act. Weyerhaeuser employees annually donate close to 150 hours of time and expertise to our Forest Field Days.

For more information, please contact Program Coordinator LaRae Ash at (541)767-9078 or by email.