Become a Forest Activist

One of the most important ways to protect the health and ecology of the Sierra Nevada is to volunteer to actively monitor projects proposed by the Forest Service, working to get the community engaged in supporting good projects, and opposing plans that are detrimental.

By turning your passion into action, the forests which surround, sustain, and inspire you will have a better chance at long-term protection and restoration. The processes by which the U.S. Forest Service manages our National Forests and proposes projects designed to accomplish their management directives are public processes which any citizen may participate in and comment upon.

We encourage you to take a more active role in the management of your National Forests--public lands that belong to all Americans--and become a forest monitor and activist. Even if you only send letters and e-mail to the appropriate officials from time to time, your voice will be heard and will help our efforts to secure appropriate management of our national forest lands in the Sierra Nevada.

Please submit your email address in the subscribe box to the right to receive our SierraAlerts so that you can makes those calls and send those emails when our forests are facing a particularly pressing threat. If you would like to learn more about how to become a Forest Monitor and engage more directly in the oversight of the management of your National Forest then please visit our Forest Monitor Resource Center. We'll guide you through the primary laws affecting Forest Service decisions and the public participation aspects of forest management. You will also find a handbook guiding you through the commenting process, and numerous references to support the important work of being a forest monitor.

Thank you for your interest in becoming more active in the management of your National Forests in the Range of Light. The forests and communities of the Sierra Nevada depend upon passionate and engaged citizens to ensure the long-term protection of restoration of our forests, aquatic ecosystems and biological diversity.