The celebration of 100 years of the California Society of American Foresters is well underway. Northern and Southern California SAF started as one state society in 1916. Earlier this year a vote was taken and the two State societies are taking steps to merge back together.
Celebration of the Centennial started with development of a special logo (It is available for use by chapters). At the winter meeting held in Santa Rosa, CA, January 2016, Char Miller SAF member and Professor of Environmental Analysis at Pomona College and author of several books such as The Greatest Good; 100 Years of Forestry in America (1999, second edition 2004), and America’s Great National Forests, Wilderness and Grasslands (March 2016) spoke about our history as we reflected on the future of forestry in California.
In order to promote our Centennial we have acquired two Forester Fund grants for a total of $3,000 and have plans to submit for special Forester Fund grants in the June cycle that allow for grants of up-to $5,000 each. We also started a fund raising campaign, you may have received an email request. Details are at http://conta.cc/1SIsUkS or you can mail a check to the business office (NorCal SAF, P.O. Box 1034, Murphys, CA 95247).
In addition to our appreciation for your donation, each donor will be recognized as:
- $100 or greater – Platinum donor
- $75 – Gold donor
- $50 – Silver donor
- $25 – Bronze donor
Fund raising will support capturing insights (video and audio) from SAF Golden Members about SAF’s role in California forestry as well as their own specific experiences. The plan is to produce 12 videos over the course of the next year, and use these to reach out to the public, media, policy makers, youth and our membership with fascinating history about the rich contribution of SAF in California over the past century. The Forest History Society has offered to archive the oral histories at their headquarters. Volunteer support is needed for this project. Wendy Snyder is the contact.
The summer meeting will continue to focus on our Centennial celebration with special commemorative topics and items.
Chapters are encouraged to utilize the Centennial theme at local events. We have established a Facebook page, California Society of American Foresters, and welcome photos or posts of your activities. Post as a guest or send your posts to Jane LaBoa, Julie Lydick, Carlin Starrs or Chris Bielecki.
The Centennial committee includes: Julie Lydick, Bill Snyder, Wendy Snyder, Rick Standiford, J. Lopez, John Todd, Tamara Hanna, Brian Barrette, Doug Wickizer and Jane LaBoa. We are coordinating centennial activities through monthly conference calls.
Join the California Society of American Foresters Facebook Page so you can keep up with Centennial activities!
