[MAIPC] Public Forest Health Education

[Dewey]

Mary and I just returned from two weeks in Maine where we visited the 
Acadia Wild Gardens and Maine Botanical Gardens.  I talked for some time 
with an Acadia interpretive ranger very experienced in invasive work 
about the Wild Gardens and how it came to be (does a good job of showing 
the flip sides of forest health (invasive/native).  He is going to give 
me some handshakes to those who manage that area of Acadia NP.

Also, the Maine Botanical garden is starting a 12 acre native area in 
addition to the mainly native woodland gardens they have (some asian 
rhodas etc) plus they are doing public workshops on invasives.

While Maine does have a suite of invasives, they are not as swamped as 
are we.

Do you know of a similar public education setting in the Mid Atlantic?  
If not, is it worthwhile looking at this?  I am interested in seeing 
something like this happen if it does not already exist here.

PATC has a capacity for construction and we are trying to broaden our 
focus from "road building" to include forest health.

In addition, I have been thinking for some time that we could be doing 
more for interpreting what people see along our trails; good and bad. It 
is almost as if we are a bit embarrassed by a problem we did no 
personally create.  I even looked at NPS planning documents that specify 
increased efforts to educate users while at the same time the NPS has 
restrictions on signage.

For example, I think the PATC could/should be helping trail users to 
understand their role in spreading invasives as well as working with NPS 
to educate all users about using native plants in the home landscape.  
But we cannot unilaterally install signs/kiosks.  This is probably not  
insurmountable.   But I think it may be best addressed as part of a 
broader effort.

I have seen some of the signs Carol B. has installed, and I think they 
are excellent.

It just seems to me that to some extent land managers may have fallen 
prey to the old museum philosophy that visitors only want to be 
entertained. My personal experience is that like museum goers, those 
using the forests tend to be in a state of readiness to learn; they have 
already expressed an interest in the outdoors by being there.  We could 
be missing an opportunity to expand their awareness, appreciation and 
knowledge.

Regards,
  
Dewey Clark,
Club Naturalist
Potamac Appalachian Trail Club