Gifford Pinchot National Forest's Urban Youth Program: Commitment and Service to Underserved Communities

The Gifford Pinchot National Forest (GPNF) is located in southwest Washington and serves as an urban forest to the Portland/Vancouver metro area and other cities along the I-5 corridor.  The GPNF is Washington’s only Lower Columbia Basin National Forest and implements restoration activities in several key watersheds for anadromous fish recovery.  The forest implements a collaborative-based, multidisciplinary program dedicated to serving underserved youth and communities in our service area.  Our Urban Youth Program utilizes an active underserved youth engagement strategy, with particular emphasis on engaging people of color.  Environmental education is a central premise for outreach activities which include student recruitment and exposure to employment opportunities and career paths in natural resource-management and related fields.  Participants gain a deeper understanding of the ecosystem and how to enjoy it while learning the important role of public lands to sustainable communities.  Ultimately participants become a voice of knowledge in their community and gain skills that prepare them to be successful in life and career, no matter the direction they decide to take in life.  This presentation will describe the forest program opportunities, our engagement strategy, and share some highlight lessons learned.