WASHINGTON, DC—Visitors at Wisconsin’s Daniel R. Obey Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center can expect to hear the shanties of long ago fur trappers. They can see the fall colors in the surrounding Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. And they can feel the fibers of traditional yarn weavings.

Now, they can also learn about the Natural Inquirer, the Forest Service’s science education provider.

Center volunteer Dick Florence studies Natural Inquirer issues cover-to-cover. He then helps parents, students, teachers and others select materials to pique their interest.

“I made a display with a brief description of the Natural Inquirer,” said center interpretive services specialist Susan Nelson. “He points to this daily as he’s promoting the journals.”

The Natural Inquirer creates materials highlighting Forest Service science across the nation and its territories. For example, visitors to the northern Great Lakes may enjoy “Full Throttle Model,” about modeling changes to watersheds in the region, while visitors to Alaska may enjoy reading about Tongass National Forest caves in the “Caves and Karst Edition” and visitors to the Pacific Northwest and Rocky Mountain areas will also find relevant local content. While some articles cover regional research, all materials can be enjoyed by anyone, anywhere.

Natural Inquirer products are based on peer-reviewed agency science. The program produces materials for students from preschool to high school and beyond. A panel of students reviews all Natural Inquirer journals and monographs. Additionally, the program airs live programs, prints scientist cards and curates learning modules. You can download or order all these products for free.

Like Dick Florence, we can all champion the Natural Inquirer program.