Plans are proceeding to celebrate the centennial of the California SAF, which was established in 1916. Although the state is currently two state societies, it originally was set up representing the entire state.
At the joint NorCal-SoCal summer meeting, a steering committee was established to organize activities to celebrate and promote the centennial. The committee includes: Julie Lydick, Rick Standiford, Wendy Snyder, Bill Snyder, Doug Wickizer, Tamara Hanna, J. Lopez and Brian Barrette. Based on the discussion at the summer meeting, the concept of the project was expanded to two years. In 2016 we will focus on celebrating and promoting the history of SAF’s contributions to forestry in California. The following year we will look forward to strategizing the next century of SAF involvement in promoting forestry.
Great progress has already been made. We initiated a contest with the student SAF chapters to develop a centennial logo. The chapter with the winning design will win $500. The plan is to announce the winner and unveil the logo at the NoCal-SoCal joint winter meeting in January. We have received two $1,500 Forester Fund grants from SAF. These funds will be used to develop special displays and to document the history of California SAF’s contributions to forestry.
Plans are underway to incorporate the centennial theme into the winter meeting. Jane LaBoa has agreed to help us set up a Facebook page, where we can post information about California SAF and centennial activities. Our steering committee will be digging into the historical files, so we can generate interesting stories that communicate the role of SAF in promoting professional forestry.
We need more help. We’d like to involve chapters or individual members who would like to capture the history of SAF in news articles, interviews, or by contributing historical photos. We’d like to add a few more positions to our steering committee to help with publicity, fund raising and developing a state proclamation recognizing California SAF for its contributions. Contact me if you can help. Julie Lydick, email: djlydick@comcast.net
If you would like a copy of the centennial celebration plan or would like to get involved, email Julie Lydick at djlydick@comcast.net.
