WASHINGTON, DC—This Valentine’s Day, from 2:00 to 3:30 pm Eastern, join the Engage! Community of Practice for the FY2022 NatureWatch, Interpretation, and Conservation Education All Stars Awards. We will present a variety of awards around key topics such as fire prevention, climate change education and recreation. We will also present highlights from each region. We hope you can join us to celebrate the incredible work of our peers!

A few highlights:

• In Oregon, the Deschutes National Forest partnered with the Heart of Oregon Corps to host a week-long overnight leadership program for young people experiencing disabilities. Participants worked closely with camp counselors to complete daily conservation projects, engage in job-skills training, and develop independent living and self-advocacy skills. 
• In Michigan, the Urban Connections program worked to facilitate cross-cultural connection and conservation education through the Detroit Outdoors Collaborative. Working with underserved youth of color, programs ranged from camping and outdoor recreation to learning about forests, wetlands and their role in stewardship. 
• In Idaho, the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest partnered with the Nez Perce Tribe to host a special event discussing the historic and cultural significance of the land. Through this event, tribal leaders and Forest Service staff added Nez Perce names to prominent locations around the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest to highlight the importance of their partnership. 
• In Puerto Rico, forest rangers from El Yunque National Forest gave more than 500 interpretive talks, reaching more than 5,000 visitors. Topics included biodiversity and birds, recreation and climate change. Programs also engaged people of a variety of ages in learning about native species, including hands-on restoration projects and invasive species removal projects. 

These are just a very small sample of the more than 2,500 accomplishments submitted through the NatureWatch, Interpretation, and Conservation Education database in fiscal year 2022.

RSVP here by selecting download and open to accept this invitation. If you have any trouble, please email Melissa Taggart (melissa.taggart@usda.gov).