National Forest Foundation

Welcome to NFF, Dieter Fenkart-Froeschl! 🎉

#HikeWithMe through the LBJ National Grassland. 🌿 Join the National Forest Foundation's communications associate on a hike through LBJ National Grassland via the Tadra Point Trailhead, which is the confluence of the five loops that comprise the 75-mile LBJ Multi-Use Trail System! Trail highlights: 🚗It's a less than two-hour drive from Dallas, Texas 🌿Scenic views of the surrounding grasslands 🌊Water features Learn more about the restoration work the NFF is doing to help restore LBJ National Grassland at https://lnkd.in/gu99Khzp

The National Forest Foundation (NFF) today announced Dieter Fenkart-Froeschl as its new President and Chief Executive Officer, effective November 4, 2024. He will be based in Washington D.C. Congratulations and welcome National Forest Foundation.

We are thrilled to announce Dieter Fenkart-Froeschl as the National Forest Foundation’s new President and Chief Executive Officer, effective November 4! Dieter has a proven track record of leading organizations through transformative growth and innovative change. In his most recent position, he served six years as Chief Operating Officer at the National Park Foundation (NPF) where he helped triple revenue and triple grantmaking and programmatic impact on national parks. Today, when wildfire seasons are lasting longer and getting more intense, and the climate crisis demands innovative and immediate solutions, Fenkart-Froeschl says the NFF’s mission has never been more urgent. “Our forests and our water are absolutely vital,” he said. “As the only conservation organization solely focused on National Forests and Grasslands, it is important for us to advance our leadership in many areas, including climate resiliency, forest stewardship, and clean watersheds. I look forward to collaborating with the Forest Service and our partners nationwide to grow our community of National Forest champions and to inspire the American public to visit and support National Forests and Grasslands.” We hope you will join us in welcoming Dieter to the National Forest Foundation! ➡️ Read our press release to learn more about NFF's new champion of National Forests and Grasslands: https://lnkd.in/gFzPrypZ

Many in the Dallas-Fort Worth area know the LBJ National Grassland as a popular destination just an hour outside of town for boating, fishing, hiking, and horseback riding. But the Grassland also plays a significant role in providing water for the city. The streams and creeks of the LBJ National Grassland flow into the larger Trinity River Basin, which serves as the primary water supply to more than 6 million people across the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Unfortunately, many of the creeks in the Grassland’s Upper Cottonwood Creek Watershed suffer from poor water quality. Watch how the National Forest Foundation is improving the water supply of millions of Texans by joining forces with the USDA Forest Service to work on Phase 1 of a multi-year plan to improve water supply on Cottonwood Creek. This is the first of many projects the NFF hopes to complete in the Lone Star State. 🌊 Learn more about the restoration work the NFF is doing on the LBJ by visiting https://lnkd.in/gu99Khzp

Do you know where your water supply comes from? 🥤 For the people of Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, the streams and creeks of the LBJ National Grassland flow into the larger Trinity River Basin, which serves as the primary water supply to more than 6 million people. Stay tuned to learn more about the work the National Forest Foundation is doing alongside the U.S. Forest Service to make a positive impact on the water supply in Texas. 👉 https://lnkd.in/gu99Khzp

I am proud to announce that Anan Bay Cabin has reopened, bringing with it a boost to the local economy of southeast Alaska and a breathtaking vacation destination.  The cabin, located on the Tongass National Forest, was nearly destroyed by a fallen tree close to a year and a half ago. This August, I stood alongside Senator Lisa Murkowski and the USDA Forest Service to celebrate its grand reopening to the public. Anan Bay Cabin is part of the larger Alaska Cabins Project, which plans to build and improve cabins across the Tongass and Chugach National Forests in what will be the single largest expansion of public-use cabins in Alaska in over 50 years! And by sourcing locally, the project supported the area's economy through contracts with local small businesses such as Rainforest Contracting Inc. in nearby Petersburg and Icy Straits Lumber & Milling Inc., a small sawmill in Hoonah.    This reopening is just the beginning. Learn more about the Alaska Cabins project at https://lnkd.in/g6Tgnqe2

Thank you to TC Energy's Build Strong program for supporting a critically important Aquatic Organism Passage project on the George Washington & Jefferson National Forest. Located on the Upper James River, this project benefits both humans and wildlife by restoring access for fish migrating to colder waters and reducing flooding risks during extreme weather events. The National Forest Foundation is also thankful for a wonderful day at the project site with TC Energy teammates, the local USDA Forest Service, and other project stakeholders, where we were able to see the impact of the project firsthand.

Following the 2020 Riverside Fire, many popular trails, campgrounds, and other facilities closed along the Clackamas River Corridor on the Mt. Hood National Forest. To aid recovery efforts, the NFF has been working alongside the U.S. Forest Service on the Riverside Trail Reconstruction Project and the reconstruction of Rainbow Campground, which included rebuilding almost four miles of trail, installing five new bridges, and making significant improvements to the campground including new tables, fire rings, repainting the bathroom, and making sites more accessible. Although we have completed the improvements, the trail and campground aren’t open to the public yet as they are currently being used by firefighters who are working to contain the Sandstone Fire, which ignited from a lighting strike on August 5. This is the first of our many projects along the Clackamas River Corridor made possible, in part, by the generous support of Oregon's Mt. Hood Territory, the local county tourism agency and an important partner in communicating campground re-openings, fire closures, and future projects in the area to the public. The NFF is already working with the Mt. Hood National Forest to redesign, rebuild, and reopen additional campgrounds that were damaged and closed following the 2020 Riverside Fire to get recreators back out in the forest.