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The Tongass National Forest is moving to electronic mailing lists
Ketchikan, Alaska, June 13, 2016– Are you interested in projects and activities happening on one or more Ranger Districts of the Tongass National Forest? Would you like to learn about
and give input and suggestions on Tongass National Forest projects?
Everyone who is interested in projects happening on the Tongass National Forest is invited to sign up for electronic mailing (email) lists. The Forest uses these mailing lists to send out information, newsletters, notices, and documents on National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA)* projects happening in and around the Tongass.
In an effort to better serve the public, reduce printing and mailing costs, and reduce the Forest’s environmental impacts, the Forest recently moved from postal mailings to electronic mailings (email) for all
active and future projects across the Tongass National Forest. Recently the Forest sent out letters or emails to everyone who has expressed interest in Tongass projects in the past asking them to sign up for the Forest’s electronic mailing list system.
Now the Tongass hopes to reach out to new people or anyone they might have missed.
The electronic mailing system gives the user direct control over which mailing lists they subscribe to and enables people to receive information on current and future projects they may be are interested in.
“Using email to send information about individual projects has worked well in communities across the Tongass," said Tongass Partnership & Public Affairs Staff Officer Kent Cummins. "It’s helped people stay informed
and participate in our planning process whether they are in town or out of town. And sending documents and information through email rather than through the post office has saved taxpayers and the Tongass thousands of dollars over the years.” Signing up is easy. To get started, people should enter their email address at
http://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/R10/Tongass/TNFMailList. An email will be sent out with instructions that walk people through the process to get on current and future project mailing lists that they
are interested in.
“We tested out this mailing system in Sitka last year, and it worked well," Tongass NEPA Planner Michelle Putz said. "I am glad that we now have the whole forest transitioning all
current and future projects into this email list system. Using this system will assure that people get the information they want most in the most timely, cost-effective, and sustainable way. People are encouraged to sign up right away—the sooner you sign
up, the sooner you’ll start to receive information on the projects of interest to you.”
If people want to learn about future projects and are unable to do so via email, they can still sign up for postal mail. Please call Michelle at 907-747-4278 to sign up for postal mail or with questions about our
electronic system.
*The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires that information is made available to the public before decisions are made and before actions are taken. In a NEPA project, the Forest Service asks for public input and analyzes and discloses the environmental
effects of projects and activities on National Forest System lands, projects such as trail construction, timber harvest, and fish and wildlife habitat enhancement. -USDA- This electronic message contains information generated by the USDA solely for the intended recipients. Any unauthorized interception of this message or the use or disclosure of the information it contains may violate the law and subject the violator to civil or criminal penalties. If you believe you have received this message in error, please notify the sender and delete the email immediately. To manage your subscription visit http://www.fs.fed.us/news/subscription.shtml |
