Forest Watch News and Events
April 26, 2002
<http://www.forestwatch.org>

-- Annual Meeting and Open House, tomorrow, 3-6 p.m.

-- Green Mountain National Forest Recreation Forum, Thursday May 2

-- Hike: June 1, Mount Tabor

-- And finally, the answer to the News and Events Challenge

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 THE NUMBERS ARE IN, AND SUPPORT FOR WILDERNESS IS STRONG

A poll conducted by the University of Vermont's Center for Rural Studies, released earlier this week, confirms that support for wilderness in Vermont is high. 73% of Vermonters  polled agreed that "more wilderness areas should be established on the Green Mountain National Forest." The survey included two samples, one statewide and one of towns in and around the Green Mountain National Forest. Support for wilderness was broad and deep in both samples, Vermonters also expressed strong support for considering state and other federal lands for wilderness designation.

 - Poll commentary by Jim Northup, 4/26/02, "Vermonters want more wilderness" <http://www.forestwatch.org/content.php?id=88>

 

 - Download a copy of the poll <http://crs.uvm.edu/wildpoll>

 

 - Rutland Herald, 4/22/02 - "Poll shows support for more wilderness" <http://rutlandherald.nybor.com/News/SouthernVermont/Story/45728.html>

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 FOREST WATCH ANNOUNCES MAJOR WEBSITE UPGRADE

Please visit <http://www.forestwatch.org> and take advantage of our newly upgraded website. We have improved it for your benefit -- to make the information more accessible, keep the site current, improve the user experience. We've added many more powerful images, a searchable library (over 80 articles and counting), an archive of News and Events emails, downloadable copies of our newsletter Visions, and an enhanced Take Action section. We hope you'll use the new site -- please let us know what you think.

<http://www.forestwatch.org>

Site Highlights:

Wilderness: <http://www.forestwatch.org/library.php?subject=Wilderness>

West Mountain <http://www.forestwatch.org/library.php?subject=Champion>

Current Action Alert: <http://www.forestwatch.org/act.php>

People and Places: <http://www.forestwatch.org/peopleplaces.php>

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 REMINDER: ANNUAL MEETING AND OPEN HOUSE

Forest Watch's annual meeting and open house is tomorrow, April 27, from 3 - 6 p.m. at our Montpelier office. There will be live music, refreshments, and good company. Please drop by and say hello.

Directions:
The Forest Watch office is located on Langdon Street in Montpelier, over Onion River Sports. Langdon Street is parallel with State St., one block north. We're on the SECOND FLOOR. Enter at the door by the Shoe Horn (#10) or Onion River Sports (#18).

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 GREEN MOUNTAIN NATIONAL FOREST RECREATION FORUM

Weston Playhouse, Weston, Vermont
6:30 p.m., Thursday, May 2, 2002

Please come to the Weston Playhouse on Thursday, May 2, at 6:30 p.m. for the Green Mountain National Forest's forum on recreation. The Forest Service is asking the question: what should be the role of the Green Mountain National Forest in providing recreation opportunities? We need to answer them loudly and clearly that it should be for quiet forms of backcountry recreation, like hiking, snowshoeing, fishing, etc., and not a motorized vehicle theme park.

J.T. Horn, Appalachian Trail Conference (a member of the Vermont Wilderness Association) and Bryant Watson, executive director of VAST will be on the panel. Other panelists are to be announced.

Talking Points for the Recreation Forum

* Voice your support for quiet, non-motorized forms of recreation, like hiking, hunting, and cross-country skiing.

* Tell the Forest Service that you don't want motors and machines to penetrate even further into the few remaining quiet, wild, and remote places we have left.

 * Tell the Forest Service that you won't tolerate illegal use of the Forest by ATVs -- and that they need to enforce existing rules and prohibit such activity.

* Support establishment of more wilderness areas as places for quiet, non-motorized, backcountry recreation.

* Urge the GMNF to retain the policy that the forest is closed to motor vehicles except where designated open.

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 READING THE FORESTS OF HOME HIKE

Join Forest Watch and naturalist Alcott Smith for our upcoming reading the forests of home hike:

Saturday, June 1, 2002
Mount Tabor, Vermont
9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
CALL OR EMAIL TO PRE-REGISTER AND FOR DIRECTIONS
$20 suggested donation

Come explore areas of the Green Mountain National Forest near White Rocks National Recreation Area and the Big Branch Wilderness. Join us for a fun and informative day in the woods -- and enjoy the beauty of spring in the Green Mountains.

For more info, see <http://www.forestwatch.org/reading.php>

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 NEWS AND EVENTS CHALLENGE

Congratulations to winners Kathryn Mathieson of Montpelier, VT and Todd Myse of Fairlee, VT for their correct answers to the News and Events Challenge. The question was: News and Events is published on a schedule -- what is it? The most popular response was "whenever you can cobble together enough information to send one out." Although this made us chuckle, the correct, t-shirt-winning answer was "on the full moon." Thanks to everyone who sent in an answer. Got an idea for another challenge? Email it to us at contact@forestwatch.org.

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Forest Watch News and Events
April 26, 2002
--
Forest Watch
10 Langdon Street, Suite 1
Montpelier, VT 05602
<http://www.forestwatch.org>