WASHINGTON, DC—Did you know that in 2021, the Forest Service reached 1.8 million people directly through our programs? And, if you count media, that number skyrockets to 213 million! Thanks to the NatureWatch, Interpretation and Conservation Education database—or NICE as we call it—we have this information at our fingertips. And NICE is for every staff and deputy area of the Forest Service, plus our partners—anyone who works to engage people in our agency mission.

We invite all employees to an informal learning session on NICE scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 7, at 3 p.m. EDT. Register here.

What’s so nice about NICE?

• It’s a digital archive of Forest Service public-facing programs, accomplishments and stories that dates back to 2001.
• It’s the only Forest Service database that allows our funded partners to directly enter and share data on a public-facing interface, describing their contributions to Forest Service programs and services.
• It’s a great way to track demographics, budgets and audiences for our diverse portfolio of work.

Have something to share? You probably do! If any of your programs work to engage people in person, online or through any media source, you should be entering your accomplishments into NICE. By entering your data, we can better understand the rich diversity of public-facing programs we manage.

Even more? You can share your great work with partners and leadership.

Through the end of September, we are asking all Forest Service staff members to please register for NICE (if you haven’t already) and enter your data. We’ll want to know how many participants you’ve reached, how much you budgeted and, generally, what you did. If you are new to NICE, or need a refresher, please consider attending the NICE learning session listed above.

If you have any questions, please reach out to your regional NICE managers or the NICE national managers, Kim Winter (kimberly.winter@usda.gov) and Melissa Taggart (melissa.taggart@usda.gov).

Happy reporting!