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- INTRODUCTION.
CITIZEN ACTION FOR FOREST PROTECTION
Be heard! Defend our Natural Heritage!
Welcome to the Wonderful World of the Forest
Protection Movement. People of all walks of life
are joining the growing tide of concern over the fate of our
nation's forest ecosystems. Children and students, profess-
sionals and professional activists, grandparents, families,
and foresters, businesses, environmental groups, and hun-
dreds of others are joining the concerted national effort to
protect our treasured natural forests for the health of the
living planet Earth, and our children's future. Wherever
you come from, whatever you do, you have some-
thing great to contribute to this movement.
As you get more involved, there is an unlim-
ited variety of ways that you can turn your
concern and energy into effective activism for the
forests. Above all, there is a need to work for laws
that will give meaningful protection to our ecosys-
tems. Starting at home, in your community, and in the
groups that you belong to, you can take initiative to make
your voices heard. On a local level, you can educate and
motivate the media, the public, and Congress, and keep an
eye on nearby forestlands. Regionally, you can work with
other groups, build phone trees, and hook into existing
regional networks to pass laws that will protect our forests
forever.
In every aspect of your activism and
organizing, it is important to keep a national
scope of this issue in mind. In the past few
decades, while the timber industry was dic-
tating public lands policy to the U.S. Con-
gress, the Forest Service was keeping forest activists busy
fighting local battles. It's a divide-and-conquer strategy,
and in order to overcome it, we must unify our efforts and
take our message directly to Washington, D.C. That is
why Save America's Forests is a nationwide coalition with
an office in Washington, and Why we are making it easy for
concerned citizens to send a clear message to our nation's
Save America's Forests has emerged out of the shared
frustration of countless concerned people, dismayed at the
spiraling decline of our ecosystems. The strength of our
movement, just like a forest, arises from the diversity of
tactics with which we have put pressure on the Timber
Beast, on the Forest Service, on Congress, and through the
education of the American public. Jeff DeBonis of AF-
SEEE says "they feel besieged from every angle." So at
every level, use your own creativity and skills to devise
new ways to put the pressure on. At the same time,
work cooperatively with others and learn from past
efforts to give your actions the greatest impact pos-
sible. Never try to reinvent the wheel. Once you are
familiar with the issues surrounding the destruction of
our forests, and you have discovered the tactics that
work for you, share that knowledge with other con-
cerned people. Help others get the tools they need to
be effective activist leaders. The forest protection
movement will continue to grow rapidly because
people like you are spreading the word.
Underlying the work of Save America's
Forests, and deeply rooted in the hearts and
tactics of our coalition members, is a shared
feeling that guides us through the political
maze of this crisis. It is a profound respect and
sense of community with all the living things on this
Earth. Regardless of disagreements about legislative
language or grassroots strategies, this common un-
derstanding is the unifying force within our move-
ment. This is also reflected in Save America's
Forests' determination to create comprehensive, pro-
gressive solutions. Together, our broad-based, na-
tion wide coalition of environmental groups, re-
sponsible businesses, and active individuals is
bringing this determination to mainstream.
America, translating it into a new vision for the
future of our natural forest ecosystems, and into
laws that will help create that vision.
We cannot create the legislation or the vision,
however, if we don't have literally millions of Ameri-
cans turning their concern into action: writing letters,
lobbying, educating themselves and actively creating
change. Citizens Acting for the Earth. People get
involved when they understand that they are part of this
huge and growing movement.
lawmakers. Your actions really will make a difference. As
a member of the Save. America's Forests Coalition,
we're calling on you to help spread that understanding,
and the sense of urgency and hope that goes along with
it. So please use this Citizen Action Guide to get
inspired, to get active, and to organize a network of
concerned citizens to campaign for our forests, and for
all life on this living planet Earth. ,
Get Ready, Get Set, Go! And don't stop until
our forests are saved!
Page 4 SAVE AMERICA'S FORESTS CITIZEN ACTION GUIDE
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