Contacts:
Kristin Siemann Director of National Programs Alaska Geographic 757-604-4020 ksiemann@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sara Boario Public Affairs Officer Chugach National Forest 907-743-9444 sboario@xxxxxxxxx
National Kick-Off Event for the Chugach Children’s Forest
Senator Mark Begich to address youth leadership in climate change at launch of
ground-breaking new program
September 18, 2009 (Anchorage, AK) On Friday, September 25, the Chugach National Forest
and Alaska Geographic will announce the national launch of the Chugach Children’s Forest, a
broad-reaching new initiative that empowers Alaska’s youth to become leaders for climate
change solutions, prepares them for careers in science and technology, and engages them and
their communities in healthier, more active lifestyles.
A special evening event will commemorate this historic occasion. Beginning at 6 p.m. at the
Kincaid Park Outdoor Center, the many state and national partners of the Children’s Forest will
gather for a student-led journey through this exciting new program. Youth-directed films and
presentations will highlight the evening, with additional remarks from Alaska Senator Mark
Begich, Chugach National Forest Supervisor Joe Meade, and Alaska Geographic Executive
Director Charles Money.
More than 150 people are expected to attend. Members of the press are welcome and encouraged
to join us for this momentous event.
Kincaid Park Outdoor Center
Anchorage, Alaska
6:00 p.m. Youth media gallery opens
7:00-9:00 p.m. Youth presentations and partner remarks
The Children’s Forest is a symbolic designation by the U.S. Forest Service for the entire Chugach
National Forest. At 5.5 million acres, the Chugach is the second largest national forest in the
country, a land area larger than the state of Massachusetts. More relevant to Alaskans, it’s the
wild backyard to half the state’s population.
The Chugach Children’s Forest—and the many new opportunities for Alaska’s youth and
communities that it encompasses—is helping to restore hope and rebuild momentum for three
interconnected social concerns:
Climate change solutions: Engaging youth and connecting communities to the personal and
global implications of climate change through education, stewardship, and civic participation.
Education: Reinvigorating K-12 education and expanding career pathways by empowering
Alaska’s students in real-world science, technology, and the connective power of new media.
Health: Improving physical and mental health in children and adults through the many
benefits of a connection to the outdoors and a more active lifestyle.
Programs are already underway. In the past year, the Chugach Children’s Forest has engaged
underserved youth, diverse school districts, and whole communities in dialogue and experiences
that lay the groundwork for long-term solutions.
Already, urban and rural students from across Alaska have participated in life-changing programs
that have led them from Chugach glaciers to service projects as far away as Ghana, West Africa.
They’ve shadowed scientists collecting data in Prince William Sound and presented fresh
perspectives to forest rangers in a new youth-managed section of Portage Valley. In this
summer’s first youth media expedition to Prince William Sound, they interviewed researchers
and village residents to commemorate the 20th year since the Exxon Valdez oil spill.
State and national partners and contributors to the Chugach Children’s Forest include: three
school districts, two universities, after-school programs for underserved youth, the Municipality
of Anchorage, the Alaska Railroad, Alaska Teen Media Institute, Anchorage Parks Foundation,
Youth Employment in Parks, Prince William Sound regional organizations, National Geographic,
National Wildlife Federation, and a variety of businesses, volunteers, and philanthropists.
A full list of partners and contributors, as well as YouTube links to Children’s Forest films, is
available at www.alaskageographic.org.
Mona Spargo
Public Affairs Specialist
Chugach National Forest
907-743-9572
907-743-9477 FAX
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