 Nature and Science
From endangered species to invasive species the National Forests abound with plant and animal life. For instance, did you know the way to count a tree ring is to count only the darker circles? Or that the smaller the rings, the less a tree grew that year? Did you know that the Kirtland's warbler only nests in Jack Pine? Or that the Karner blue butterfly only eats Lupine? There is a lot going on in the forest! To find out more about what's available right here in Michigan visit the Nature Viewing section of the website: http://www.fs.usda.gov/activity/hmnf/recreation/natureviewing or the Outdoor Learning section to find out what programs and displays are available across the forest: http://www.fs.usda.gov/activity/hmnf/recreation/outdoorlearning.
More information about connecting with nature is available on any of these websites:
Just For Kids! (www.fs.fed.us/kids/) - US Forest Service website
Natural Inquirer (www.naturalinquirer.org/) - A middle school science education journal
Forest Service Research and Development (www.fs.fed.us/research/) - Find out what Forest Service scientists study on the experimental forests across the country.
Discover the Forests (http://www.discovertheforest.org/index.php) - A website for kids about exploring nature and discovering the National Forests.
 History and Culture
The history of the two forests begins long before the creation of either forest. The land that is now Michigan was once an unbroken forest, inhabited by numerous Native American tribes. After European settlement of the area, logging and farming became the main forms of occupation. Land that became the forests was heavily logged in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The land that makes up the two forests is broken up by private land, especially on the Manistee National Forest. During the Great Depression land was bought by the Forest Service to help farmers and landowners and to inject money into the economy. However, some landowners only sold the unproductive land and kept the productive areas, thus breaking up the land purchases.
The Forest Service established the Huron National Forest in 1909. The Huron National Forest is 437,287 acres spreading 70 miles east to west and 30 miles north to south. The forest was renamed in 1929 after an Iroquoian tribe of the Great Lakes Region- the Huron's. The Manistee National Forest was established in 1938. The name comes from a Native American word meaning, "the whispering through the pines". The Manistee National Forest is 538,756 acres that spreads 40 miles east to west and 70 miles north to south. In 1945, the Huron National Forest and Manistee National Forest were joined for administrative purposes.
 Outdoor Safety and Ethics
The forest is for everyone. And to ensure that it remains so, the Forest Service invites you to look over the provided information on Safety and Ethics.
Tread Lightly (www.treadlightly.org/)
Leave No Trace (www.lnt.org/)
 Parents and Teachers
Urban Connections (www.fs.fed.us/r9/urbanconnections/)
Project Learning Tree (www.plt.org/)
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