REACHING OUT:A USDA Forest Service Toolkitfor Equal Part ic ipat ion

FS-721 August 2001

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We would like to thank all those who providedtheir careful review and input for this publica-tion, especially J. Dixon Esseks of NorthernIllinois University; colleagues from other USDAForest Service offices—Norene Blair and DorisCelarier (Washington Office, Office ofCommunications), Robert Ragos (WashingtonOffice, Office of Civil Rights), Bill Hagar (Region8); and members of our staff—Larry Payne(Director), Ted Beauvais (Assistant Director,Landowner and Community AssistancePrograms), Gracie Joy and Luz Parris (Urban andCommunity Forestry), and Susan Odell(Economic Action Programs). We also thank theForest Service regional offices and our Statecounterparts for their input.

By Caron Gibson and Susan Stein, USDA ForestService, Cooperative Forestry Staff

Special thanks to Katie Wilson for an outstanding job of editing this toolkit.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Reaching Out: A Forest Service Toolkit for Equal Participation 2

II. Overview of Cooperative Forestry Programs 3

III. The Public Outreach Plan 6

IV. Relevant Laws, Regulations, and Directives Requiring Outreach 14

This toolkit is designed to help you—as a liaison with landowners, commu-nity leaders, nonprofit organizations,and volunteer groups that are imple-menting U.S. Department ofAgriculture (USDA) Forest Serviceprograms in your area—meet USDAand Forest Service goals and require-ments for outreach to populations thathave been traditionally underserved.There are communities, organizations,and individuals throughout the coun-try, which, although qualified, tradi-tionally have not received funding orassistance from Cooperative Forestryprograms. As our Nation grows morediverse, the need to reach out to allsegments of society, particularly theunderserved populations and commu-nities, becomes more pronounced.Accordingly, the mission, plans, andactivities of the USDA Forest Servicemust be accessible to all those whoqualify for them.

This toolkit will help you becomeaware of USDA Forest Service expec-tations and guide you in makingyour community outreach effortsmore effective. Although it empha-sizes Cooperative Forestry programs,it contains tips that could also beuseful in managing other ForestService programs. By assisting you indeveloping a Public Outreach Plan, thetoolkit will help assure that USDAForest Service programs are open toequal participation by traditionallyunderserved populations. The goalsand requirements for public outreachapply to USDA Forest Serviceemployees and organizations as wellas State governmental or nongovern-mental groups that administerprograms funded by the USDA Forest Service.

“Traditionally underservedpopulations are individuals,groups, populations, or communitiesthat the Forest Service has noteffectively protected, supported, or promoted in the delivery ofprograms and services on a fair andequitable basis. The underservedhave been minority groups(including American Indians orAlaska Natives), persons below thepoverty level, and persons withdisabilities.” From: USDA Forest ServiceInterim Strategic Public Outreach Plan,April 2000

I. REACHING OUT: A USDA FOREST

SERVICE TOOLKIT FOR EQUAL PARTICIPATION

2

Cooperative Forestry is a Staff withinthe USDA Forest Service; its missionis to promote the sound stewardshipof our Nation’s State and privateforests.

There are nearly 500 million acres ofnon-Federal forest land in the UnitedStates, comprising about 20 percent ofthe Nation’s landmass and two-thirdsof the Nation’s forests. Over 50 per-cent of the Nation’s forests are pri-vately owned. Management practiceson these lands impact everyone’ssocial, economic, and natural envi-ronment.

Additionally, there are over 13,000communities outside of the Nation’smetropolitan areas. More than 32million people live in rural areas; theeconomy of over 70 percent of theserural counties is dependent upon theirnatural resources.

The USDA Forest Service CooperativeForestry programs provide technicaland financial assistance to help ruraland urban citizens, including privatelandowners, care for forests andsustain their communities where they live, work, and play. Throughpartnerships with State forestryorganizations and others, Federalfunding is leveraged to help produce a variety of forest-based goods andservices to meet domestic andinternational needs.

Economic Action Programs helprural communities and businessesdependent on forest-based resourcesbecome sustainable and self-sufficient.

• The Rural CommunityAssistance Programs helprural communities buildskills, networks, andstrategies to address social, environmental, and economic changes.

• The Forest ProductsConservation and RecyclingProgram helps communitiesand businesses find newand expanded businessopportunities based onforest resources.

• The Market Development and ExpansionProgram helps develop new marketsfor forest-based goods and services.

Landowner Assistance Programshelp private landowners protect,improve, restore, and sustain forests.

• The Forest Legacy Program protectsprivate forest lands from beingconverted to nonforest uses.

• The Forest Stewardship Program helpsprivate forest landowners developplans for the sustainablemanagement of their forests.

• The Stewardship Incentives Programprovides financial assistance toprivate landowners to carry out theirstewardship plans. This program hasnot been funded since 1998.

These programs also supportimplementation of forestry practicesby other Federal and State agenciesthrough their land conservationprograms.

3

II. OVERVIEW OF COOPERATIVE

FORESTRY PROGRAMS

The Urban andCommunity ForestryProgram helps peoplein urban areas andcommunity settingssustain shade trees,forest lands, and openspaces. This programimproves the quality of life in urban com-munities across theNation by maintaining,restoring, and improv-ing the health of trees,forests, and greenspaces.

• The program helpsState forestryagencies, local andtribal governments,and the privatesector improvenatural resourcemanagement oftrees and forests inurban areas andcommunity settings.

• The program encourages andfacilitates the active involvement ofvolunteers in the management and

protection of their community’snatural resources.

• The program analyzes, develops,disseminates, and demonstratesscientific information about protect-ing, managing, and maintainingcommunity forest resources.

TH E MA N D AT EAs the manager of a program thatreceives funding from the USDAForest Service, there are a number of things you should be doing toenhance public outreach. The follow-ing statements represent a partial listof guidelines provided by Title VI ofthe Civil Rights Act of 1964, as well asregulations and directives put forwardby the USDA Forest Service andhigher levels of the USDA.

• Assure that all programs areaccessible to all those who qualify for assistance.

• Eliminate any discrimination on the grounds of race, color, nationalorigin, gender, religion, age, disability,political beliefs, sexual orientation,or marital or family status.

4

Case Study #1: Memorandum of Understanding(MOU) between the USDA Forest Service SouthernRegion and the Federation of Southern CooperativesLand Assistance Fund

This memorandum is a partnership commitment to increase the number ofminority landowners that have started to practice sustainable management oftheir forested lands in the Southern Region. Under the agreement, the twoentities will work together to help identify traditionally underserved forestlandowners by State. The Federation of Southern Cooperatives LandAssistance Fund will help promote USDA Forest Service goals and objectives. In return, the USDA Forest Service will involve the Federation in developingmulticultural outreach strategies for the State and Private Forestry programs.Further, the USDA Forest Service will work with these groups and State agen-cies to develop and implement sustainable forestry programs for Federationlands and minority landowners throughout the South.

• Work to ensure effective publicparticipation and access toinformation.

• Strive to overcome linguistic,cultural, institutional, geographic,and other barriers to meaningfulparticipation.

• Seek tribal representation in amanner that is consistent with the government-to-governmentrelationship between the UnitedStates and tribal governments, theFederal Government’s trust respon-sibility to federally recognized tribes,and any treaty rights.

• Reach out in ways that are proactiveto persons who have not participat-ed equally in programs and activitiesin the past.

• Use positive examples of employ-ment and program participation byminorities, women, and otherprotected groups in pictures andother visual and audio publicinformation materials.

• Include the USDA nondiscrimina-tion statement on all materialsproduced for public information.See USDA Departmental Regulation4300-3 at http://www.usda.gov/ocio/directives/DR/DR4300-003.htmfor a copy of the current version ofthe full text of the USDA non-discrimination statement and therecommended abbreviated versionof the statement for States andother partners.

Section IV of this document includesa list of the laws, regulations, anddirectives that have created themandate for public outreach inFederal programs.

5

Case Study #2: Memorandum of Understanding(MOU) between the USDA Forest Service and theNational Network of Forest Practitioners

The purpose of this memorandum is to build a strong coalition of support forrural communities and to achieve quality land management for our Nation’sforests. The National Network of Forest Practitioners (NNFP) is a grassrootsalliance of individuals, organizations, and businesses in rural areas committedto finding practical ways to integrate economic development, environmentalprotection, and social justice. The NNFP seeks to accomplish its goals throughpeer training, technical assistance, information exchange, support for localand regional networks, access to policymakers, and promotion of its ideas ona national level. The MOU emphasizes a commitment to environmental justiceand assistance for minority and underserved forest practitioners. Workingtogether, the USDA Forest Service and NNFP have provided funding thatenables a greater number of traditionally underserved individuals and groupsto attend NNFP annual meetings, special forums, and USDA Forest Serviceevents. They have encouraged collaborative stewardship through strength-ened community organizations.

The Public Outreach Plan is a tool tohelp you become more aware ofwhere the underserved populations inyour area are, whether you have beenproviding fair access to all potentialparticipants, and how to increase theparticipation of those groups in yourprograms. Your plan will includespecific goals for identifying potentialparticipants, strategies for reachingout and communicating with them, atimeline for implementing the plan,and methods for monitoring progress.You can develop a Public OutreachPlan by following the seven stepsdescribed in this document. Thesesteps provide a good, general start todeveloping your plan. However, youwill also want to tailor your plan tomeet the needs of your community.

S T E P 1 : D E S C R I B ET H E D I V E R S I T Y O FT H E P O P U L AT I O N I NY O U R A R E AThe first step in developing a PublicThe first step in developing a PublicOutreach Plan is understanding thecomposition and diversity of thepopulation that can be served byUSDA Forest Service programs inyour area by determining who yourpotential program participants maybe. To describe the population, youmust answer the following questions.What is the size of the population youserve? What is the ethnic compositionof the population, for example, whatpercentage of the population isHispanic, African American, andNative American? What percentage of your population is female? Whatpercentage is disabled?

The data on forest landowners is notreadily available within the USDAForest Service. An upcoming surveystudy of nonindustrial private forestowners (NIPF) will include questionson race, ethnicity and national origin,gender, and disability status. However,the results of this study will not beavailable for several years. Right now,the U.S. Census Bureau provides thebest information for describing theracial and ethnic composition of ournational population and the popula-tion within smaller geographicalareas. Some of the followingresources and research techniquessuggest ways to determine the diversi-ty of the population and the potentialparticipants in USDA Forest Serviceprograms in your service area.

U.S. CE N S U S BU R E A UThe Web site for the U.S. CensusBureau, http://www.census.gov,contains valuable information. Withinthe site, select a State and then acounty to view the information onracial makeup, gender breakdown,and poverty levels of that area. Thisinformation does not single out forestlandowners, but it does provide anoverview of the ethnic composition ofthe population by county. A newresource, CensusCD Blocks, is a Web sitethat contains complete data and mapsfor 7 million U.S. census blocks,which are distinct geographical areasdifferent from counties. This sourceincludes U.S. Census Bureau popula-tion and housing data and CD Blockboundaries. To view this data go tohttp://www.censuscd.com/cdblocks/cdblocks.htm.

III. THE PUBLIC OUTREACH PLAN

6

TA X RO L L SAgricultural land may be taxeddifferently than residential or othertypes of land; it may be divided into“cropland” and “uncultivatedagricultural land” categories. The tax records, or rolls, in some areasidentify the owners of several acres ormore of uncultivated agricultural landand indicate whether the land ispasture or forest land. An examina-tion of these records will turn upNIPF landowners. Although timeconsuming, analyzing tax rolls is an effective method of identifyingpotential participants in USDA ForestService programs. The MississippiState University Extension Service hashad success in analyzing tax rolls,which were purchased from privatecompanies contracted to collect taxdata. The companies must submit arequest to the county to disclose taxdata, which may extend the time itwill take to collect the information.

OT H E R RE S O U R C E SThere are individuals within everycommunity whom you may contactto obtain information about thediversity of the population in yourarea. Examples of certain profession-als who may be helpful to you are:

• Members of State university forestry or natural resourceschools and sociology departmentswho work with rural landownersor community groups, eitherthrough formal extension pro-grams or on research projects.

• Private forestry consultants withstatewide or large, within-Stateclienteles.

• Urban foresters.

• Bankers, appraisers, and realtorswho specialize in land sales andacquisitions (rural and urban) andhave clients who are geographicallydispersed.

• Sawmill operators or othercustomers of logging products.

A Directory of Organizations,including names of national and Stateorganizations that work with under-served landowners, is being developedby the Cooperative Forestry Staff and copies will be available. The staff of the organizations listed in thedirectory may also help identifypotential program participants.

After you have obtained as completeinformation as you can from all thesources available to you, describeyour population’s characteristics.Include in your description a sectionon diversity and include the racial,ethnic, gender, and disabilitycharacteristics, as well as the socio-economic levels, of the populationthat you serve. This populationdescription will be the basis foridentifying the underserved popula-tions and your potential participants.

7

ST E P 2: ID E N T I F YUN D E R S E RV E DPO P U L AT I O N SYou may already be asking programparticipants to voluntarily discloseinformation on race, national origin,gender, and disability status. If youhave this information, the next stepin developing your Public OutreachPlan is to compare that informationto the population description youjust established. The comparison will tell you whether you have been providing fair and equal access to all the people who qualifyfor your programs.

For example, if 10 percent of thepeople in your area that qualify forthe Forest Stewardship Program areHispanic, and your records show thatHispanics account for only 2 percentof the people that have receivedassistance, then you may concludethat the program is underservingHispanic landowners. Consequently,a goal of your outreach plan wouldbe to increase outreach to Hispaniclandowners.

Comparing the potential participantsfrom your population description toyour actual participants will lead youto establish clear goals for yourPublic Outreach Plan.

ST E P 3: RE A C HOU T T OUN D E R S E RV E DPO P U L AT I O N SIdentifying the under-served groups in yourcommunity is theimportant first part ofyour Public OutreachPlan, but it is only thebeginning. The next stepis to find new ways toreach out to those

potential participants and bring theminto your programs. This is also atime to evaluate your past communi-cation efforts and determine whichmethods have been effective andwhich methods have not yieldedmuch success.

Perhaps you feel that you have triedto reach out to these groups but have found them unreceptive toyour efforts. Or, it may be that withlimited funding, you feel that every-one is “underserved” and that yourprogram cannot sustain any newmembers. Know that both of theseconditions can be overcome; neithershould stop you from proceedingwith your Public Outreach Plan.

Evaluate the success of your pastefforts. When you were trying toreach potential participants, forexample, those who speak Spanish,were your communication materialstranslated into their language?Providing equal opportunity to allpeople who qualify for USDA ForestService funds means first providingequal notification about your pro-grams. Be sure to communicate topotential participants by using themeans available to them and thatthey will understand.

8

Tip: Bridging theCommunicationsGap

State employees at the

Sand Hills State Forest

(SC) work along with

Hispanic workers in the

pine straw industry. To

improve communica-

tions, six employees took

a State-funded, 6-week

course in Spanish.

IN T R O D U C E YO U R S E L F T OT H E CO M M U N I T YA good way to reach underservedpopulations is by making contactswith or introducing yourself to per-sonnel at agencies, religious organi-zations, and nonprofit and othercommunity organizations that workwith minority groups in your area.For example, attend a town orchurch meeting, and introduceyourself to the members of your

community. If your area has a localResource Conservation andDevelopment Council (RC&D), makeyourself known to its members andattend its meetings. Establish contactwith community leaders and ask forhelp in understanding the challengesand barriers that prevent under-served communities, organizations,and individuals from participating inCooperative Forestry programs.

9

Case Study #3: Tennessee Overhill HeritageAssociation Honors the History of African Americansin the Southeastern Appalachians

Consider using an alternative approach, one not directly related to forestryconcerns, for reaching underserved groups and promoting partnerships withthe USDA Forest Service. Since 1990, the Tennessee Overhill HeritageAssociation has been a leader in a regional collaboration to develop heritagetourism in a multicounty area of east Tennessee. This effort has served as acatalyst for economic development in the region while also calling attentionto the need to preserve natural and cultural resources.

The Tennessee Overhill Heritage Association has involved the AfricanAmerican communities of east Tennessee in a broad effort to accomplishcommunity development goals and work more effectively with the USDAForest Service on matters of common interest. This traditionally underservedpopulation has become actively engaged in the programs because the associa-tion recognizes the unique heritage and contributions of African Americanswho have lived for generations in the mountains and forests of that region.

Starting in 1994 with a grant from the USDA Forest Service, the TennesseeOverhill Heritage Association has worked successfully with local AfricanAmerican churches to plan and present the annual concert “GospelExplosion.” Recently, the association introduced a program called “PictureDays,” which uses photography to build the record of African Americanhistory in McMinn, Monroe, and Polk counties. Anyone who has snapshots ofpeople engaged in every-day activities, social gatherings, farming and otheroccupations, sports, school functions, and families at work and play is invitedto share them at a session held in a local church and have them copied for thehistorical record. One community member explained, “Although these churchesare hosting the ‘Picture Days,’ participation is not limited to church members.The events are open to anyone who has pictures of African American peopleand places in the area.” “Picture Day” organizers are eager to preserve thelocal knowledge, memories, and heritage of their communities where theforest land and other natural resources have played a major role.

Tip: Adjustpolicies to reachthe underserved

Alabama is among a

number of States

committed to ensuring

that a good cross-section

of citizens will benefit

from USDA Forest

Service programs.

Accordingly, the State

gives priority to

applications from

landowners that have not

yet participated in the

programs. Other States

have also set aside funds

for limited-resource and

underserved populations.

BR E A K TH R O U G HCO M M U N I C AT I O N BA R R I E R SUnderstanding the barriers tocommunication can help you develop strategies for reaching potential participants. Examples ofstrategies include:

• Providing technical assistance work-shops for landowners at times andlocations that are convenient forparticipants to attend.

• Being realistic about the land-owner’s and community’s needs.

For example, in a tight economy,when landowners are looking forrevenue for their forest-basedproducts, sawmill owners are morelikely to have contact with land-owners than you—a forester with astewardship plan. Therefore, designyour message and materials toacknowledge the landowner’s needfor profit and demonstrate how yourstewardship plan will lead to an over-all increase in revenue. This approachwill make the landowner listen, andmay appeal to those landowners thatmight not otherwise participate.

DE V E L O P OU T R E A C HCH A N N E L SThe following list provides suggestionsfor the types of community organiza-tions that can assist you in outreachefforts. Work with these groups tocommunicate important messagesabout your programs and establishgood relationships with key memberswho will be able to pass honest feedback back to you from potentialprogram participants.

10

Case Study #4: Personal Commitment Builds Long-Term Relationships

One rural community assistance program manager made a specialcommitment to promote the forestry issues and opportunities faced by small,African American communities. This program manager is known andrecognized by many city mayors, including those who do not currently have aprofessional relationship with their local USDA Forest Service office or Stateforester. The program manager provides and staffs a Cooperative Forestry orRural Community Assistance exhibit every year at the National Conference ofBlack Mayors and regional Conferences of Black Mayors. He provides networkcontacts to these elected officials, as well as specific program assistance. Hissuccessful advocacy comes from his personal commitment to the value ofcooperative forestry programs and the long-term relationships he has builtwith the potential beneficiaries of the programs.

11

• Religious organizations

• Civic associations

• Minority business associations

• Environmental justiceorganizations

• Legal aid providers

• Homeowners’ and tenants’organizations and neighborhoodwatch groups

• Federal, State, local, and tribalgovernments

• Rural cooperatives

• Business and trade organizations

• Community and social serviceorganizations

• Universities, colleges, and vocationaland other schools, especially histori-cally Black colleges and universities,Hispanic-serving colleges anduniversities, and the AmericanIndian Higher Education Coalition

• Labor organizations

• Civil rights organizations

• Local schools and libraries

• Senior citizens’ groups

• Museums and zoos

Case Study #5: Team Agriculture Georgia (TAG)

TAG is a consortium of Federal, State, local, and private resources that formedin 1996 to “improve State and Federal customer service to all landowners andland users.” This multicultural group contains professionals and support stafffrom six different USDA agencies, two State agencies, two educationalinstitutions, and four nongovernmental organizations. In its first year, TAGcompleted a 60-page directory of Federal and State natural resource agencies,State agricultural educational institutions, and nongovernmental agriculturalorganizations in Georgia. The creation of this directory allowed memberorganizations to work collaboratively and eliminate real and perceivedbarriers. The group has also conducted a series of four TAG small farm work-shops where presentations on State and Private Forestry programs were made.These workshops, conducted across Georgia, disseminated natural resourceprogram information to limited-resource farmers.

STEP 4:DEVELOP THEMESSAGEAND CHOOSETHE MEDIAAfter you determinehow to reach anunderserved popula-tion, you need todevelop your mes-sage and choose themost appropriatemedia for deliveringit. After taking intoaccount the realisticneeds of thecommunity orindividuals that youare trying to reach,you must determinewhat importantpoints about yourprograms you wantto communicate.You not only need to

describe the programs you offer, butalso sell the programs by showinghow they will solve landowner orcommunity problems. Rememberthat, in general, the underservedpopulations have not participated inyour programs before. Try to identifythe reasons for nonparticipation andshow that the programs you offerwill address their needs.

US E DI F F E R E N T TY P E SO F ME D I AChoose the media for delivering yourmessage carefully so that you willachieve the desired results. Eachmeans of communicating hasadvantages and disadvantages. Forexample, “word-of-mouth” is acommon way of communicatinginformation about USDA ForestService programs. A program manag-er in a Cooperative Forestry programwill tell the people he or she workswith about a new program, and theywill tell their friends. The advantageof this method is that you will besure to enroll people who are inter-ested in the program. A disadvantageof the word-of-mouth method,however, is that you are not likely to reach people who have notparticipated before. If the pool ofparticipants does not represent thediversity of your population, thenyou should be advertising yourprograms more widely.

There are many ways to advertiseyour programs. Print an announce-ment in local newspapers; distributebrochures and fliers throughout yourservice area; put posters in populargathering places; create anadvertising spot for the radio; andattend local meetings, fairs, and

12

Tip: Food andChildren AttractCustomers

One forestry program

manager stated that his

office always serves a

meal at outreach meet-

ings, and that food seems

to attract more people.

Another program manager

offered that attendance

at forest landowner

meetings had been low,

so her office organized

an educational day for

school children. The

children brought their

parents, and hundreds

of new people attended

the program, which

dramatically increased

the office’s contacts with

local forest landowners.

Case Study #6: A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words

The USDA Forest Service, in partnership with the National Endowment for theArts, has formed a program known as Rural Community Arts. This programtargets rural communities, which in the past have realized little benefit fromarts funding, and seeks to help them find ways to blend local artistic talentand their natural resources with the goal of economic enhancement for theircommunities. Many Native American tribes and other minority groups aremore willing to approach the USDA Forest Service with ideas for art and cul-tural projects than they are with their concerns for other aspects of communi-ty development or resource stewardship. As a consequence of the RuralCommunity Arts program, relationships are being formed that create thefoundation for expanded involvement of these traditionally underservedgroups in other USDA Forest Service programs and collaborative stewardshipactivities.

other public events; and make fulluse of the World Wide Web.Organize special meetings withgroups that you cannot reachthrough other means. Take everyopportunity to explain how yourprograms can help everyone in thecommunity who qualifies for themand that you are looking to bring inpeople who have been traditionallyunderserved.

KE E P CO M M U N I C AT I O N SCL E A RBe sure that the information youimpart is tailored to the communityyou serve. All oral and writtencommunications should be easy toread. Keep in mind the need forlanguage modifications for certaincommunities. Where potential appli-cants do not read, write, or speakEnglish, produce your marketingmaterials in their native language.Use simple, easy-to-understandlanguage and common terms inbrochures, management plans, andalso in conversations with land-

owners and community leaders.Have someone from the communityhelp to present information andmaterials. Include alternativeformats such as Braille, large print, or audiotape, as required byUSDA policy.

OR G A N I Z E CO M M I T T E E SWI T H DI V E R S I T Y I N MI N DWhen organizing meetings orcommittees and assemblingparticipant lists, always review the list for its inclusiveness and todetermine whether it is representa-tive of the diversity of interestedparties. Also, make the meeting sitesaccessible to potential participants.Equal access and participationshould be a primary considerationearly in the planning phases ofevents. Similarly, when identifyingpartners for implementing programs,be sure that your partners can reach a diverse set of potentialparticipants.

SimplifyApplicationForms

When one State service

forester learned that

many of the farmers in

his area had not applied

for Forest Stewardship

Program assistance

because they did not

understand the

application form, he

decided to create an easy,

1-page form.

Tip: Principles of PublicCommunication

• Maintain honesty

and integrity in all

communications.

• Recognize community

and indigenous

knowledge.

• Encourage active

community

participation.

• Use cross-cultural

formats and exchanges.

13

STEP 5: CREATE ANOUTREACH WORKENVIRONMENTAs part of developing your PublicOutreach Plan, you should makeadjustments to your internal officeprocesses and create a more customeroutreach-oriented staff and environ-ment. For example, consider develop-ing training programs that strengthenemployee and partner capabilities toengage and serve the underserved

communities. There may be internalbarriers within your office that pre-vent full participation by traditionallyunderserved populations. Identifythem and adjust your operationalsystems to fully include those under-served communities.

New policies, publications, or adminis-trative decisions made by your officeshould always be considered in light oftheir impact on particular populations.

14

Tip: Increase Attendance at Landowner Workshops

(The following tips, submitted by Dr. Glen Hughes of the Mississippi Extension Service, have

generated a high turnout rate at Mississippi Landowner Workshops.)

• Create a local planning committee that represents diversity. The planning

committee, which is responsible for planning, promoting, and conducting your

workshops, should represent the diversity of your population. Take a grass roots

approach by involving landowners, public officials, bankers, and attorneys, as

well as Federal and State agency staff, and include women and minorities on the

committee. The higher profile and better known your committee members are,

the greater the chance of attracting more people.

• Send a letter to forest landowners. Participants in the Mississippi workshops

are notified through a letter. The committee uses county tax rolls to identify the

landowners. Although other sources of publicity are also used, such as television,

radio, newspaper, and personal contacts, most of the attendees in past workshops

indicated that they learned of the meeting through the landowner message.

• Limit jargon and acronyms in publicity. Technical terms such as thinning,

prescribed burns, and reforestation mean little to people who have perhaps

inherited their land and may not be familiar with the language of forestry.

Avoid using these terms. Most landowners do understand, however, the notion

that idle land can make money for them if they planting trees. Too often

people do not know where to turn for information and avoid approaching

“the Government” because it seems too big and bureaucratic, and because no

one can understand those confusing acronyms.

• Partner with local forestry or natural resource groups. County Forestry

Associations (CFAs) and similar organizations in most of Mississippi’s heavily

forested counties, are natural allies when planning and conducting programs.

Such partner organizations often have greater flexibility than larger, governmental

organizations do, and some may be willing to help administer and manage grants.

• Release employees from some of their regular obligations to pursuenew outreach efforts. Most people are hired and paid to do tasks other than

outreach. To achieve your outreach goals, offer greater flexibility in work

schedules or release time to accomplish these new and different tasks. As a boss,

be willing to take risks and afford latitude to your staff when they need it.

Tip: A Quick Lesson in Adult Education

1. People learn more effectively when education focuses on

problems that they have experienced.

2. People are more willing to learn after they see that a problem exists.

3. People usually draw on past experience, knowledge, and beliefs to understand

and solve a current problem.

4. Learning is enhanced when new information confirms existing knowledge,

experience, or beliefs.

5. People are more likely to learn new information in an atmosphere of respect.

When new information conflicts with existing knowledge, experience, or

beliefs, people may resist the new information or require more time to learn it.

Acknowledge and respect the experience of others.

6. People have many demands on their time and budgets and want to learn new

information in the fastest and least expensive way. Provide learning opportunities at

times that are convenient to participants and keep the cost as low as possible.

Remember that you can also learn from your participants. Communication is a

two-way street. Careful listening to the needs and problems that your customers

face is key to informing them about the ways that Cooperative Forestry programs

can help them.

The information in this tip comes from the USDA publication Unlocking the

Barriers—Keys to Communicating with Under-Served Customers. For more information

on choosing the right outreach method, see the complete text of the publication

(available at http://www.usda.gov/da/cr/finals.htm). This is an excellent resource

on the various types of media, how to write brochures and fact sheets, and other

suggestions for improving communications.

15

For instance, will certain people beadversely affected by a new directionmore than others? When a policy deci-sion results in delivery of new services,that service should be equally availableto all eligible customers. For example,creating or amending a State ForestStewardship Plan must not discriminateagainst any group and must inviteequal participation in the program.

Other ways to make your office moreopen to the underserved: include pro-viding sign language interpretation;providing adequate accommodationssuch as parking and ramp accessibility,assistive listening devices, and signsmarked in Braille; and formattingpresentations to ensure effectivecommunication with all members of

the audience. TheUSDA publication,Making USDA EventsAccessible, is anexcellent guide foraccomplishing theseand other outreachgoals and providescontact informationfor obtaining help,such as locatinginterpreters. This document is available athttp://www.saced.usda.gov. Click onSACED Publications to find thisdocument.

STEP 6: DEVELOP ATIMELINEAn essential part of your PublicOutreach Plan is a timeline forimplementing the ideas for outreachthat you have generated. Your out-reach efforts will become an ongoing,dynamic part of your working life. Ifyou do not have these processes inplace now, budgetary or other con-cerns may require you to phase themin over time. Prepare your staff tocarry out efforts such as identifyingthe underserved populations ortranslating communications material.Find money in your budget to holdspecial meetings or print a brochure.To successfully implement the goalsof your Public Outreach Plan, youwill need to establish times to beginyour efforts and then hold to yourtimeline.

STEP 7: MONITORYOUR PLAN ANDFOLLOW UPTo evaluate your Public OutreachPlan, return to Steps 1 and 2 periodi-cally and compare the diversity levelof current program participants tothe potential participants in yourservice area. Make adjustments toyour plan accordingly.

16

Case Study #7: Cooperative Agreement Between theUSDA Forest Service, the Oklahoma Department ofAgriculture—Forestry Services, and the CherokeeNation of Oklahoma

The USDA Forest Service and the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture haveagreed to identify traditionally underserved forest landowners within theCherokee Nation and provide landowners with technical assistance for bettermanagement of their forested land holdings. To carry out the agreement, theOklahoma Department of Forestry Services has made arrangements withLangston University in Langston, Oklahoma, to conduct a workshop on work-ing with underserved landowners. In addition, a meeting was held with theOklahoma Landowners and Tenants Association, which is made up of minoritylandowners, to inform them about USDA Forest Service programs.

Once you have brought new partici-pants into your programs, it will beimportant to maintain these rela-tionships. Emphasize that you arealways available as a resource toprovide additional assistance oradvice as their own projects takeshape. Further, survey your partici-pants to obtain feedback on theeffectiveness of your programs andwhether your training sessions mettheir needs. Ask for suggestions forimprovement.

A good system of monitoring yourPublic Outreach Plan will ensurethat you continue to meet the USDAForest Service requirements for pub-lic outreach.

PU B L I C OU T R E A C H IQAssess your office’s public outreachefforts by answering the questionsbelow.

• Can information and awareness ofprogram assistance be improved inour office through customizededucation and outreach efforts?

• Do our brochures and applicationscontain the USDA Non-discrimination Statement asdirected by Department Regulation4300-3, “Equal Opportunity PublicNotification Policy”?

• Do we understand the demo-graphics of our State and region?

• Do we understand how to commu-nicate with the diverse populationsand potential participants in ourareas? Does our traditional meansof communication work for all ofour potential participants?

• Do we understand the variedneeds of our potential participantbase?

• Are we effectively using nontraditional means, networks,or partners to reach out to nontraditional populations?

17

Case Study #8: Mississippi Underserved LandownerWorkshops

In 1998 and 1999, the Mississippi State University (MSU) Extension Service, inpartnership with local county forestry associations, State and Federal agencies,and others sponsored 21 county-level workshops for the benefit of landowners.This new workshop program was designed to address the needs of Black,female, and other underserved landowners in a State with over 60 percentforest coverage. Conference planners used State tax rolls to identify a compre-hensive list of all forest landowners. A total of 2,018 people attended theworkshops. Of these, about 75 percent of the attendees were categorized as“underserved.” The workshops covered topics such as legal and ownershipissues, marketing and environmental issues, the economics of forestry, andsources of assistance. While only about 30 percent of the landowners involvedin the workshops had previously used a professional forester, after the work-shops 95 percent said that they planned to use one in the future. Thanks tothe dedication of the MSU Extension Service and their partners, previouslyunderserved landowners from all over Mississippi now understand the fullbenefits of land ownership.

FOREST SERVICEGUIDANCEAll-Employee Letter on Programand Outreach Materials (August26, 1998). USDA mandated theimplementation of Recommendations23, 24, and 25 of the Civil RightsImplementation Team Report, OneYear of Change. This mandate requiresthat all line and staff offices integratethe following elements into unitprogram delivery.

• The And Justice for All poster, whichincludes the nondiscriminationstatement, is to be displayedaccording to DR 4300-3.

• Secretary’s Memorandum 4360-1(March 1998) calling for theestablishment of a NationalOutreach Council, State OutreachCouncils, agency outreachcoordinators, and outreach plans.

• Unlocking the Barriers—Keys toCommunicating with Under-ServedCustomers (March 1998). This is a16-page publication, which includesDR 4360-1, on communicating withthe underserved. It also providespractical information on how toimprove those communications.

• Simple Justice, a 13-minute videotapewith companion discussion guide,was developed to help managersunderstand program deliverydiscrimination and the programcomplaint process.

20

The USDA Forest Service Tax Information Transfer Program

The USDA Forest Service provides tax training, monitoring, estate planning, and

technical assistance to nonindustrial forest owners, tax accountants, consulting

foresters, private conservation groups, and State forestry agencies.

The national tax team is made up of specially trained foresters from the USDA

Forest Service's State and Private Forestry and Research and Development

branches and selected University personnel.

Workshops, symposia, and other presentations are held throughout the year. In

addition, updated information is distributed to interested parties, and a Timber Tax

Web site (http://www.timbertax.org) is maintained in cooperation with Purdue

University.

Reviewed by the IRS, the definitive timber tax publication, Forest Landowners'

Guide to the Federal income Tax, is published periodically by the Forest Service.

Numerous Federal directives requireoutreach efforts by any agency orgroup that receives Federal funds. A summary of relevant points fromeach regulation is provided in thissection. Refer also to the USDA ForestService Interim Strategic Public OutreachPlan for a comprehensive listing oflaws, regulations, Executive orders, anddirectives to promote collaboration andoutreach. You can view this documenton the Forest Service Web site athttp://www.fs.fed.us. A search for “FS-665” will bring up a link to the docu-ment. Refer to this listing periodically,guidance is often updated or changed.

NATIONAL DIRECTIONTitle VI, Civil Rights Act of 1964.This title applies to federally-assistedprograms, including State programsfunded by Cooperative Forestry. Itstates that every Federal agency thatprovides financial assistance throughgrants, loans, or contracts is requiredto eliminate discrimination on thegrounds of race, color, or nationalorigin in these programs.

President’s Executive Order onEnvironmental Justice. This orderincludes the mandate to ensureeffective public participation inFederal programs and to provideaccess to information.

Council on EnvironmentalQuality Guidance onEnvironmental Justice. Considerthe following guidelines from this

directive when determining whethera Federal activity mightdisproportionately affect low-incomeor minority populations.

• Determine the composition of thearea and how proposed actions willaffect underserved populations thatlive there.

• Identify any interrelated cultural,social, occupational, historical, oreconomic factors that may amplifythe natural and physical environ-mental effects of the proposedaction.

• Develop effective public participa-tion strategies. Strive to overcomelinguistic, cultural, institutional,geographic, and other barriers tomeaningful participation. Find newways to reach your customerswhere past methods have not beensuccessful.

• Assure meaningful communityrepresentation and encourageparticipation as early as possible inthe planning process.

• Seek tribal representation in the process in a manner that isconsistent with the government-to-government relationship betweenthe United States and tribal govern-ments, the Federal Government’strust responsibility to federally-recognized tribes, and any treatyrights.

18

IV. RELEVANT LAWS, REGULATIONS, ANDDIRECTIVES REQUIRING OUTREACH

19

USDA DIRECTION7 CFR Subtitle A, Subpart A: Nondiscrimination in federallyassisted programs of USDA. Noone in the United States will bedenied participation in, or the receiptof benefits from Federal programs,nor will anyone experience any otherdiscrimination in these programs onthe grounds of race, color, or nationalorigin. This applies to any program oractivity of an applicant or recipient ofFederal financial assistance from theUnited States Department ofAgriculture.

Civil Rights Policy for theDepartment of Agriculture(Departmental Regulation 4300-6/June 30, 2000). Allcustomers must have equal access and equal treatment in the delivery of USDA programs and services. Equal opportunity must be promotedin procurement and contractingopportunities to minority, women-owned, and small and disadvantagedbusinesses.

Equal Opportunity PublicNotification Policy (DepartmentalRegulation 4300-3/November 16,1999). No person shall be discriminat-ed against on the basis of race, color,national origin, gender, religion, age,disability, political beliefs, sexual ori-entation, or marital or family status inemployment or in any program oractivity conducted or funded by theDepartment.

Images and other visual and soundpublic-information materials mustprovide examples of employment andprogram participation by minorities,women, and other protected groups.

The current version of USDA’s nondis-crimination statement must be postedin all offices and included, in full, onall materials produced by USDA andits agencies for public information,public education, or public distribu-tion. See USDA DepartmentalRegulation 4300-003 athttp://www.usda.gov/ocio/directives/DR/DR4300-003.htm for acopy of the current version of the fulltext of the USDA nondiscriminationstatement and the recommendedabbreviated version of the statementfor States and other partners.

21

USDA Forest Service StrategicPublic Outreach Plan. The outreachplan, developed by the USDA ForestService for its own operations andprograms, outlines our goals forprogram and community outreach.The USDA Forest Service mission,which calls for “caring for the landand serving people, ” establishes thegoal of public involvement indecisionmaking, planning, andimplementing programs, and ensuringthat information is accessible to allcitizens. The Outreach Plan alsooutlines several specific activities,such as increasing programparticipation by underservedpopulations by 20 percent andconducting an inventory of andimproving heritage resources.

The USDA Forest Service beganconducting environmental justice and public-involvement training foremployees in 1996. Partnerships arebeing developed between the USDAForest Service and colleges,universities, Federal agencies, andother educational and outreachconsortiums throughout the country.Through different methods ofoutreach, the USDA Forest Servicestrives to achieve the overall goal ofits outreach plan—Increased partici-pation rates of underrepresented andunderserved populations in USDAForest Service programs throughaggressive outreach efforts.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex,religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital orfamily status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons withdisabilities who require alternative means for communication of programinformation (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’sTARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD).

To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of CivilRights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW,Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TDD).USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

United States Department ofAgriculture

Forest Service

ForestStewardshipProgram