The 2006 Forestry Challenge

Hopeful teams register for the 2006 Forestry Challenge.

Both classroom and outdoor sessions were very intense.

With outdoor tree climbing rained out, wall climbing was a fun substitute.

Lunch was popular.

Basketball helped reduce the tensions of the academic competition.

Out in the field.

From planting, measuring, harvesting, from the forest to the mill, students got to work alongside professional foresters, wildlife biologists, hydrologists, soil scientists, and more.

The concluding portion of the final exam is a team presentation on a forest management plan.

The Forest Foundation congratulates
all of the teams of the 2006 Forestry Challenge!

Argonaut	Delta	Elk Grove
Forest Hill	Franklin	Grant
Lincoln	Livermore	Napa
Nevada Union	Ponderosa	Rio Linda
Rio Vista	Sac New Tech	Shenandoah
Upper Lake	Windsor

Tom Eustis Memorial Award winner Scott Meyers is congratulated by Forest Foundation Education Director Lisa Perry!

At the Grant Jt. Unified School District's Board meeting on December 20, The Forest Foundation presented the inaugural Tom Eustis Memorial Award to Grant High School science teacher Scott Meyers.

Mr. Meyers was honored for his exemplary efforts in support of Grant High School's participation in the highly competitive Forestry Challenge. An annual event, the Forestry Challenge brings urban and suburban high school students into the woods for practical forestry experience and to test their knowledge. Teams work side-by-side with professional foresters, wildlife biologists, Forest Service officials and others to understand forest management issues and develop management plans to keep forests safe and sustainable.

"Mr. Meyers is an outstanding teacher," said the Forest Foundation's Education Director Lisa Perry. "He motivates his students to analyze ecological relationships and develop critical thinking skills to make informed choices about conserving California's natural resources. By encouraging his students' participation, he broadened the range of their life experiences. Taking urban kids into the woods gives them an entirely different perspective."

The Tom Eustis Memorial Award for Teaching Excellence was established to honor Thomas McLoughlin Eustis, a C.K. McClatchy High School (Sacramento) teacher who died in a tragic accident in July, 2006. Mr. Eustis had worked as a firefighter for the U.S. Forest Service until he earned his teaching credential through Project Pipeline. He taught at Sacramento's C.K. McClatchy High School from 1999 to 2006. He was the coordinator of their Fire Science Program for five years, and participated in the California Forestry Challenge as a Team Advisor.