News
Members mourn the loss of Mark Brown
Florida foresters lost a good friend and fellow forester recently with Mark Brown's passing. Mark began his career in Florida with the Division of Forestry in 1978. Until he became too ill, he was a regular attendee of Chapter Meetings, Spring Symposiums, and SESAF meetings. Mark was the organizer behind the annual SAF - Volusia County Walk in the Forest from 1997 to 2006. In addition to his work with SAF, Mark made a positive impact acquiring & managing conservation lands in Volusia County. In 1996, the Chapter presented Mark with the Gene Lain Memorial Award, one of only five recipients.
At the request of the family, donations may be made to the Florida Hospital Hospice Care, 770 W. Granada Blvd, Ormond Beach, FL 32174. For a personal online condolence, or to sign the guest book, visit www.cfandcs.com
Big Bend Chapter Promotes Forestry at Fall Farm Day
On Thursday, November 7, 2009, about a dozen members of the Big Bend Chapter participated in the “Fall Farm Day” event held each year at the Tallahassee Museum of Natural History to promote forestry and the SAF. Although foresters and forest entities have worked with the Tallahassee Museum in the past, providing technical expertise on such things as the impressive on-site Turpentine Commissary display and Ecosystem Interpretive Trail, this was the first time that the Big Bend Chapter has formally participated with the Tallahassee Museum during such an event. Almost 900 people, from all walks of life and the region attended this year’s event.
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| Historically it seems foresters have had a tendency to look in all the wrong places for people to talk to about our profession. Here at the Tallahassee Museum's "Fall Farm Day" event we finally realized that the people were not on the museum's interpretive trail (or in the trees)! | Chapter members Hanway, Renwick, Maynard, and Norton enjoying the picture-perfect weather outside the Turpentine Commissary during the "Fall Farm Day" event at the Tallahassee Museum November 7th. |
Originally conceived as a “Walk-in-the-Woods” activity, the SAF participants quickly realized that folks weren’t visiting the interpretive trail area where they’d set up to “walk an’ talk”. Consequently, on the advice of Stan Rosenthal, the Leon County Extension Forester, the group moved to the Turpentine Commissary where most of the “human traffic” was.
The Florida Division of Forestry’s Andrews Nursery in Chiefland graciously donated 500 containerized longleaf pine seedlings which served as a great billboard to get people to stop to ask questions, giving us an opportunity to talk about Florida tree species, tree planting, fire as a management tool, and the SAF.
As any forester who has participated in a public outreach campaign can attest, it is remarkable the lack of understanding the general public has about our industry and profession. Fortunately, the members in attendance represented every sector of the profession, both public and private, and could accurately answer specific questions.
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| In every chapter, you have your whittlers; you have your kneelers, and of course, you have your “overseers”…all are essential parts of any chapter activity to insure that the job is done right! | |
Stan Rosenthal, who has done a number of forestry-related activities with school-aged children and adults both at the museum and around Leon County over the last 20+ years, indicated that he’s gotten some pretty off-the-wall questions during those events - and not all of them came from children.
As one young person once commented to Chapter Chair Tom Gilpin, “education is like forever, dude!” Not only is forestry being made more complicated by the new world markets of carbon sequestration, bio-fuels, and other non-traditional forest products, but there’s always another generation that needs to be reminded of the vital role forestry has played in the socio-economic development of our communities, our state, region, and nation. They also need to be reminded of the importance of sustaining the availability of trees and forestland for the hundreds of consumer products and countless other natural benefits that foresters take for granted every day.
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| One of the rewards of public outreach is the people you meet. Almost 900 people attended the 2009 Fall Farm Day event at the Tallahassee Museum, many of which stopped to receive a free longleaf seedling from the Florida Division of Forestry and to talk with Chapter foresters about tree planting and forest management. Another reward, especially to Big Bend Chair-Elect Pat Minogue and Mike Renwick pictured above right, is finishing the day! | |
The chapter hopes that the relationship with the Tallahassee Museum will continue in the future and members are looking forward to doing a similar activity again next fall. Members who participated hope that anyone in the Capital City during the first full weekend of November next year will stop by the Museum for a visit.
Credit for a successful event goes to those foresters who volunteered to sacrifice a beautiful autumn day to participate, notably, Charles Maynard, Mike Renwick, Harper Hanway, David Norton, Jarek Nowak, Pat Minogue Mark Milligan (and his cousin from St. Petersburg), Stan Rosenthal, Bill Rogers, and Dave Lewis. For more information on this activity please contact Tom Gilpin, 850/410-8003.
Division members mourn the passing of Scott Zobel
Scott Zobel passed away on November 4, 2009. He was an SAF member since 1984.
Paul Scott Zobel, 51, of Callahan, Florida passed away November 4, 2009. He was born September 6, 1958 in Orlando, Florida to Zoe Ann and James Adolph Zobel. Scott earned a Bachelor's degree in Forestry at the University of Georgia and a Masters in business administration at Jacksonville University He worked as the Nassau County forester, with Stone Container, and seventeen years with Rayonier in Fernandina Beach, Florida and Offerman, Georgia. He received numerous achievement and recognition rewards from Florida Division of Forestry, Stone Container, and Rayonier. He is survived by his parents: James and Zoe Ann Zobel; his wife of 26 years: Karen Denise Zobel; two daughters: Kayla and Mallory Zobel; one sister: Gail Moore; one brother: Bruce Zobel; four, nephews and one niece.
Big Bend hosts a multi-chapter gathering at the Barksdale Farm
On Thursday, October 8, 2009, the Big Bend Chapter joined with the Shirley A. Barksdale Foundation of Madison County, FL to host a multi-chapter meeting at the Barksdale Farm near Pinetta, FL, not far from the Georgia - Florida line.
The meeting introduced the members of the Big Bend, Suwannee, and Flatwoods (Ga. Division) Chapters to an opportunity to partner with other local civic and social groups in developing the 240-acre farm/forest property as a place for special needs children in Madison and surrounding counties in Florida and Georgia.
Arden Brown, Barksdale Foundation board member, shares historical
insights on the farm buildings and new restroom facility for members
of the Big Bend and Suwannee chapters.
The property belonged to Ms. Shirley A. Barksdale, a former special education teacher in Jacksonville whose final wish before she died in 1994 was for the property to be donated to Madison County for use as an educational and recreational facility for special needs children in the North Florida/South Georgia area. The property consists of the original house, a smokehouse, barn, and chicken coop.
The Shirley A. Barksdale Foundation, with the help of the Madison County Department of Corrections, the Rotary and Kiwanis Clubs of Madison, and other local civic organizations, has been able to make a number of improvements to the property, including the construction of new handicap-accessible restroom facilities, funded largely from the proceeds of the initial 50-acre timber sale of the property.
The Foundation is establishing partnerships with several local groups and civic organizations to help with the development of a farm exhibit, nature center, community garden, as well as hiking and equestrian trails. These amenities will be used for teaching life skill training and healthy life style programs for special needs children.
SAF volunteers will help with the management of the forest resources, in the development of hiking trails, establishing boating/fishing activities on the 2-acre pond, and with conducting “Walk-in-the-Woods” and PLT activities for school-aged children at times throughout the year. A local SAF member will sit on the Foundation's Board of Directors to maintain a chapter presence from one year to the next.
For more information on this project please contact Tom Gilpin, 850/410-8003
