Fingerlakespermaculture mailing list

[Sandra Repp <sjr37 AT cornell.edu>]

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Peter J Smallidge <pjs23 AT cornell.edu>
To: CCE-FORESTRY-L <CCE-FORESTRY-L AT list.cornell.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, July 13, 2011 1:43 PM
Subject: Women and their Woods, new Penn State educational
program

FYI, see below.  This looks like a good opportunity. 
Note the August 1 deadline for applications.  Please share
broadly.
Peter
 
 
Women and their Woods: Building a Network of Women Forest
Landowners
 
Throughout our region, women are increasingly responsible for the
care and stewardship of private forestlands; they outlive spouses,
inherit forestland from parents, or just seek their own woodlot. Yet
these women may often lack the confidence, knowledge, and access to
resources that allow them to be successful. Anecdotally, resource
professionals report few interactions with women landowners until after
something adverse has happened to the land. This puts women at higher
personal economic risk, which results not only in poor management of
resources, but high likelihood of the sale and conversion of working land
to a non-forest use such as development.
 
A study of forest landowner offspring conducted for the National
Association of State Foresters showed that 83% of women sampled were
interested in managing their family forestland when transfer occurred,
but only 34% felt they had enough knowledge to make forest management
decisions (Mater 2005). Mater showed that women offspring and beginning
women managers often had different land management objectives than their
male counterparts; women expressed a stronger commitment to ecology and
stewardship, but lacked the confidence and economic resources to
implement their goals. Other studies have shown that for women a major
barrier to involvement with forestry organizations is a feeling of not
being welcome and a perception of lacking in basic vocabulary and
knowledge which makes attending meetings intimidating. Despite increased
gender-equity in recent years as more women become natural resources
professionals, the field of forestry, and the resources needed to
practice it, is still male-dominated.
 
Faced with the need to make decisions about their lands, women are
seeking information in other formats on how to care for and manage their
land. Many find that being involved in a woodland owner network or
otherwise linked to professional resources provides necessary information
regarding conservation options available. Others aren't sure where to
start in seeking out resources to care for their land. A desire to be
more connected and learn with and from other women in similar land
management roles has led a group of women forest landowners in northeast
Pennsylvania to form Women and their Woods.
 
In 2008, with the support of the Delaware Highlands Conservancy and the
USDA Forest Service at Grey Towers, a group of women landowners met to
learn more about the forests they own and how to connect with other women
forest landowners. During each meeting, women gather, share information,
ask questions, meet professionals, and enjoy a hearty potluck. Everyone
walks away from the event with more confidence and ideas on how to better
care for their land. In addition to providing information, the Women
and their Woods program seeks to instill a sense of stewardship and
knowledge about the value of intact forestland.
 
With an increased interest in promoting educational opportunities for
women forest landowners, the Conservancy and Penn State’s Natural
Resources Extension, with funding from the PA Department of Conservation
and Natural Resources and the USDA Forest Service, are offering outreach
and education to women forest landowners across Pennsylvania and the
mid-Atlantic region. In addition to informative newsletters and emails
about events and cost share incentive programs, the partnership is
offering a long-weekend educational retreat for women forest landowners
from October 13-16.
 
We invite women who own or manage forestland to join us for a weekend
full of educational programs related to the care and management of
forestland. We are seeking interested women to be a part of this
opportunity to create a network and serve as mentors to other women
forest landowners across the region. 
 
The cost to attend the four day retreat is $130 and covers all lodging
and meals, all materials, and nationally known presenters at Camp Susque
near Trout Run, Lycoming County, in the scenic Pennsylvania Wilds. The
deadline to submit applications is August 1, 2011.  
 
Post retreat, attendees will be encouraged to reach out to other
women landowners and share their knowledge about the Women and their
Woods program in their own community, with the goal of forming
regional networking groups for women forest landowners across the region.
Through ongoing trainings and meetings, these groups will continue to
receive the support of Extension and the Conservancy.
 
If you are interested in being involved with the Women and their Woods
group, contact Allyson Muth at Penn State (814-865-3208,

abm173 AT psu.edu) for an application or for more information.
 
Mater, C.M. 2005. Family forests: What will the next generation
do? Address to the National Association of State Foresters. Available
online at

www.pinchot.org/?module=uploads&func=download&fileId=52.
Allyson Brownlee Muth, Ed.D.
Forest Stewardship Program Associate

The Pennsylvania State University
333 Forest Resources Building
University Park, PA  16802
(814) 865-3208