“Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people." - Franklin D. Roosevelt
Although the origin of Wild Tribute’s story is within our National Parks, our mission to support America’s most wild and historic places has always reached beyond our parks to encompass all public lands, including but not limited to, our National Forests. These lands are storied in their rugged wilderness – many of which have equally impressive attributes as their National Park brethren – and garner popularity with their unbridled access to recreation. With 7 in 10 American’s living within 100 miles of a National Forest, it’s fair to surmise our National Forests are our common denominator in the nation’s relationship with public lands.
For this reason and a host of others, we are 4 the Forests. Despite our long working relationships with partner organizations that support our National Forests, including the likes of the Eastern Sierra Interpretive Association and Intermountain Natural History Association, we recently have doubled down on our commitment to support the 154 protected areas (known as our National Forests) that cover 188+ million acres of land that’s home to 3,000+ species of fish and wildlife. As the Wild Tribute footprint grows, so shall the scope of our efforts.
If you spend time at any ski resort be it hiking, mountain biking, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, or downhill skiing, did you know it’s likely you are partaking in such activities on National Forest land? In fact, some of the country’s best and most popular terrain for winter sports are bounded by ski areas that are located within National Forests. To be precise, there are 122 ski areas including Vail, Big Sky, Jackson Hole, and Snowbird that owe their famed powder days and renowned winter playgrounds to our National Forests.
Beyond our popular Smokey Bear Collection, to properly pay tribute to such places we developed a Winter Collection that’s entirely dedicated 4 the Forests. 4% of the proceeds generated from this catalog will be donated to organizations that support our National Forests. In particular, we are eager to expand our relationship with the National Forest Foundation. We kickstarted this partnership earlier this year by contributing to the 50 Million for Our Forests and the Summer of Trails campaigns. We encourage everyone to learn more about the reach of the National Forest Foundation and how close to home each of these campaigns in particular impact you. It’s nothing less than inspiring.
Chartered by Congress, the National Forest Foundation was created with a simple mission: bring people together to restore and enhance our National Forests and Grasslands. As the nonprofit partner of the U.S. Forest Service, the National Forest Foundation works with the agency and thousands of Americans each year to promote the health and public enjoyment of our National Forest System. The National Forest Foundation believes that communities should play a leading role in determining the future of our National Forests and Grasslands, so it focuses efforts on connecting these communities, and the people who comprise them, to the tools, knowledge, and funding to become active and devoted stewards of this incredible public estate. Learn more and become a member of the National Forest Foundation here.
