From classrooms to canopies: the fight for our forests begins with you
Like many of you, I am still reeling from the recent election news. I’ve been feeling depression, anger, and even despair. What, if anything, can the regular person do besides vote? Even before this election, I’d spent the years of my youth looking for ways to help as swaths of forest seemed to disappear overnight.
Bark gave me answers. For 25 years, Bark’s been enacting change through litigation, advocacy, public comment writing, community science, and a lot of grassroots gumption. The avenue I’ve chosen to create change through at Bark is education. My goal with Bark’s Education Programs has been to provide the public with access to meaningful trainings and activities that not only provide information about our natural world, but also new ways to interact with it.
Support free, accessible, and forest-centric educational programs by donating to Bark today!
For instance, one of the programs I really chose to solidify this year is my “Using Colonizers” series. In these workshops (which are free and open to the public!), I provide info on how a specific invasive plant established itself here in Oregon, how folks historically used it, and creative ways we can still use this plant today. I encourage removal with reckless abandon—to make room for native plants—while also using the invasive plant in respectful ways.
Judging from the feedback I’ve received, I’d call the series a roaring success! Two fellow educators who attended recent workshops in the series told me it was the best and most comprehensive version of similar classes they’d seen. More importantly, I’ve made connections with new community members that have led to potential opportunities to offer Indigenous-led classes featuring Indigenous plants, which would provide an important balance to the series’ focus on invasives.
It’s not hard for me to remember my “why” as the waters of the Sandy River run through my neighborhood and Mt. Hood stands vigilant over my backyard. As I walk through the forest, I know many of the living things by name, and some by use. I want everyone to feel the sense of peace and belonging I feel among the trees. Bark’s Education Programs do just that: foster a sense of ease and confidence in nature while providing actionable tools to contribute more meaningfully to Bark’s forest defense efforts and our greater community.
Your support makes this work possible. Help us reach our goal of raising $100,000 this Winter so we can continue offering free public programming that empowers ordinary people to become lifelong advocates for the lands now known as Mt. Hood National Forest.
In solidarity,
