Washington, D.C. – On March 7-9, the National Environmental Justice Conference amassed 700 attendees from various federal and local government agencies, private industry, non-profit organizations and academia. Among the attendees, over 40 Forest Service employees from around the nation participated in this annual event was held at the Convention Center in Washington, D.C.

Forest Service employees spoke at the event, representing National Forest System, Research and Development, and State, Private, and Tribal Forestry. Topics varied from building the next generation of environmental justice leaders to teaching attendees about conservation education in the forest service as well as best practices for tracking engagement of underserved audiences.

Previous conferences have been quite successful, with between 400-500 registrants annually. This year’s conference was no exception. It was the biggest to date with the Forest Service being one of the key federal sponsors at the event.

These annual conferences explore an array of topics that focus on interactive and innovative ways to enhance communities. Participants network with other land management professionals in a variety of areas. Doing so provides an opportunity to better understand the environmental justice needs of communities, governments, tribes and municipalities.