The forest Stewardship Education Project as a partnership between the Kaslo and District Community Forest Society (KDCFS) and JV Humphries Primary-Secondary School (JVH). The first phase of this project, made possible by funds from the Columbia Basin Trust Environmental Stewardship and Public Education Program, consists of the development of age appropriate curriculum for JVH that aims to develop the ecological literacy and stewardship capacity of the youth of Kaslo and District. This phase will be completed in June 2000.

Phase 2 of the Forest Stewardship Education Project includes three components. First, the project will focus on forging strong links between the KDCFS and the teachers of JVH in order to ensure the successful implementation of the curriculum developed in Phase 1. Through the course of the school year, the project coordinator will act as a resource person for teachers and will facilitate the participation of KDCFS Board members and staff in class field trips and activities. The second component of the Project will move from Stewardship education in the school to public education in the community as a whole. Like the school curriculum, this component will focus on developing dynamic, interactive experiences in the forest. The Principles of Forest Stewardship developed in Phase 1 will form the foundation of educational activities in Phase 2. The final component in Phase 2 of the project will consist of networking with other community forest organizations in the Columbia Basin to share ideas about forest stewardship and public education and to exchange relevant resources.

Public Outreach: Restoring fire-maintained ecosystems in the Rocky Mountain Trench

There is a need to increase public awareness and support for restoration of fire-maintained ecosystems in the Trench over the next five years. This application is for one year. Measures are being implemented on Crown land in the Trench, which need a greater profile. Seventy years of active fires suppression has resulted in an invasion of conifers and changes to the ecology of this zone, most significantly a decline in the forage resource. In conjunction with pre-burn preparations, prescribed fire is being introduced. Benefits to forest health, the forage resource and all species of flora and fauna dependent on the open forests and grasslands are expected. The project area is approximately 140,000 hectares of Crown land in the floor of the Trench between the US Border and Invermere. A multi-sectoral steering committee oversees this work. The current momentum behind this initiative is the culmination of thirty years of effort by individual and community organizations in the Trench. The issues that limit success are:
1. Public concern over smoke and burning;
2. Degree of public support for the concept;
3. Cost of planning and treatments;
4. Government administrative constraints.

The greater the public understanding of the fundamentals of restoring fire maintained ecosystems, the greater the support that can be expected. Funding benefactors including government will find it easier to provide operational dollars knowing that broad public support exists. The bureaucratic problems that hinder operations can likewise be overcome more easily if the public supports the need for change. This project is to develop and deliver and public outreach program that will address the issues limited success.