American Frontiers: A Public Lands Journey
Encyclopedia
American Frontiers: A Public Lands Journey was a not for profit publicity project intended to raise awareness about public lands in the United states. It involved teams of travellers making their way across the United states, from Mexico to Canada, while avoiding private estates.

Background

Nearly one-third of the United States belongs to US citizens in the form of public lands. As the nation's urban and suburban populations expand, public lands and open spaces become ever more important. In spite of the importance of public lands, they are unknown to millions of Americans.

In 2002 the nonprofit Public Lands Interpretive Association
Public Lands Interpretive Association
Public Lands Interpretive Association is a cooperating association whose mission is to “inspire and educate the public about the natural and cultural heritage resources of America’s public lands.”...

 (PLIA) partnered with the National Geographic Society
National Geographic Society
The National Geographic Society , headquartered in Washington, D.C. in the United States, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational institutions in the world. Its interests include geography, archaeology and natural science, the promotion of environmental and historical...

, federal and state land management agencies, private businesses and other organizations in an attempt to focus national attention on American public estate by highlighting the experiences of two groups of travelers who followed a route from Mexico to Canada, which stayed on public lands the entire way -- "the first ever made entirely on public lands.". This journey, known as American Frontiers: A Public Lands Journey, aimed to create a broad national exposure about the role and relevancy of public land
Public land
In all modern states, some land is held by central or local governments. This is called public land. The system of tenure of public land, and the terminology used, varies between countries...

s.

The Trek

On July 31, 2002 two teams of travelers started simultaneously from the Mexican and the Canadian borders in New Mexico and Montana. During the following two months they traversed more than 2600 miles and crossed six states, entirely on public lands.

The trek set out to show ways people enjoy and get about on public lands. The trekkers traveled on foot, horseback, mountain bikes, ATVs and off-road motorcycles, in canoes, whitewater rafts, motorboats and four wheel drive vehicles.

The teams met sixty days later on National Public Lands Day
National Public Lands Day
National Public Lands Day is celebrated annually at public lands in the United States on a Saturday in late September. A signature event of the National Environmental Education Foundation, it promotes both popular enjoyment and volunteer conservation of public lands.Three federal agencies and 700...

 in the Wasatch-Cache National Forest
Wasatch-Cache National Forest
Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest is a United States National Forest located primarily in northern Utah , with smaller parts extending into southeastern Idaho and southwestern Wyoming . The name is from the Ute word Wasatch for a low place in high mountains, and the French word Cache meaning to...

 near Salt Lake City, Utah.

The Teams

The North Team left from the Canadian border in Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, Montana, and traveled south toward Salt Lake City, Utah.
North Team Trekkers
Name Trek Duties Home State
Michael Murphy National Geographic Society (NGS) Teacher California
Roberto Carlo Trekker New York
Dana Bell Trekker California
Charlotte Tally Trekker North Carolina

North Support Team
Name Trek Duties Home State
Charlie Thorpe Team Leader Alabama
Robert Ashley Education Outreach Coordinator/ NGS Teacher Alternate Illinois
Bob Van Deven Media & Special Events Coordinator/ 1st Alternate Arizona
Stephen Braunlich General Logistics Virginia
Cheryl Fusco Route Logistics/ Supply & Equipment Manager Florida
Sidna Small Food and Beverage Manager Kansas
Paul Bucca Food and Beverage Manager Alabama
Ravinda Gupta Medical Support North Carolina
Michelle Wiliams Medical Support New York


The South Team left from the Mexican border west of Las Cruces, New Mexico, and traveled north to Salt Lake City, Utah.
South Team Trekkers
Name Trek Duties Home State
Catherine Kiffe National Geographic Society Teacher Louisiana
Jan Nesset Trekker Montana
Richard Tyrrell Trekker Pennsylvania
Juli Over Baugh Trekker Alaska

South Support Team
Name Trek Duties Home State
Bob Hammond Team Leader Washington, DC
Kay Gandy Education Outreach Coordinator/ NGS Teacher Alternate Louisiana
Jessica Terrell PR/Media & Special Events Coordinator/ 1st Alternate Missouri
Jacob McLeod General Logistics/ 2nd Alternate Florida
Rob Monnig Route Logistics/ Supply & Equipment Manager Kentucky
Sam Altman Food and Beverage Manager Kentucky
Lori McGraw Technical Support South Carolina
Vipul Lakhami Medical Support North Carolina

Education

American Frontiers attempted to present a balanced view of America’s public lands—their history and their uses—by engaging the two teams in special public land showcase events, round table discussions, back country classrooms and en-route visits to schools and communities to learn about public land issues. Trek updates were shown on the television show “National Geographic Today” and through daily postings by team members at the American Frontiers website.

Trek Events

Both Teams took part in educational events along their trek. These events were hosted by US Fish& Wildlife , US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management
Bureau of Land Management
The Bureau of Land Management is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior which administers America's public lands, totaling approximately , or one-eighth of the landmass of the country. The BLM also manages of subsurface mineral estate underlying federal, state and private...

, US Geological Survey, and others.

Some of the North Team trek events included a tour of the OCI Trona Mine mine near Green River, WY
Green River, Wyoming
Green River is a city in and the county seat of Sweetwater County, Wyoming, United States, in the southwestern part of the state. The population was 11,808 at the 2000 census....

, attending a wild horse and burro adoption event in Jackson, WY, and paddling across Clark Canyon Reservoir in a dugout canoe, following the steps (or paddle strokes) of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

Some of the South Team’s events ranged from a Wilderness Roundtable discussion in Silver City, NM about the importance of the Gila Wilderness
Gila Wilderness
Gila Wilderness was designated the world's first wilderness area on June 3, 1924. Along with Aldo Leopold Wilderness and Blue Range Wilderness, the wilderness is part of New Mexico's Gila National Forest. The wilderness is approximately from north to south and east to west...

 in the lives of surrounding communities, a discussion about ATV use in the Fishlake National Forest
Fishlake National Forest
Fishlake National Forest is located in south central Utah, USA. Its namesake is the largest freshwater mountain lake in the state.-Geography:...

 in Utah, and a presentation on Condor reintroduction in the Kaibab National Forest
Kaibab National Forest
At 1.6 million acres the Kaibab National Forest borders both the north and south rims of the Grand Canyon, in north-central Arizona. It is divided into three major sections: the North Kaibab Ranger District and the South Kaibab and are managed by USDA Forest Service...

.

Lesson Plans and Educational Resources

Interpretive and educational materials, including a 45 minute slide show about the history of public lands and lesson plans to be used in the classroom, can be found at the American Frontiers website.

Geography Action! 2002

American Frontiers: A Public Lands Journey inspired the National Geographic Society’s Geography Action! 2002 curriculum, aimed at teaching school-aged children the beauty and the benefits of America's public lands.

Sponsors

American Frontier’s sponsors, including National Geographic Society, Coleman Company, Coca-Cola Company, American Honda, and the Bureau of Land Management
Bureau of Land Management
The Bureau of Land Management is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior which administers America's public lands, totaling approximately , or one-eighth of the landmass of the country. The BLM also manages of subsurface mineral estate underlying federal, state and private...

show the range of interests, from education to camping or motorized sports, that this event appealed to. A complete list of sponsors can be found at the American Frontiers website.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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