Smithsonian - Perishable Pundit

4.1>Working for the Forest Service since 1966, Jim Hammer uses pack animals to haul his equipment ashe constructs and preserves trails in Washington's Okanogan and Wenatchee National Forests.Other crafters collect wood, antlers, beeswax,quills, acorns, flowers, twigs, bark, moss, andpine resin to create their arts, crafts, and householdobjects. Woodworkers use forest productsfor a variety of items that run the gamut frompiece is to capture people's interest in stonesand art, the cultural expressions that comefrom the heart and the heads of the people."COOKING AND CAMPINGintricately carved figurines to musical instrumentsand canoes. For instance, Nathan Jackson,a Tlingit woodcarver from Ketchikan, Alaska,has received the prestigious National HeritageFellowship from the National Endowment forthe Arts for his totem poles, clan crests, masks,canoes, and carved doors, all made withinthe traditions of the Tlingit people. When hecarves something, it is intended ro be used, notleft on display. For example, "A canoe is justa boat." he explains, "but it gets you to thinkabout what our people used to do, and howthey put good material to good use. Then thiscanoe becomes an extension of our culture."Forest Service employee Rita Cantú fromSome art isedible, such as pies, jams, andmedicine that have been made from wildfoods and herbs. From the earliest days of tentcamping, cooks have enjoyed making mealson open fires. The love for camp cooking hasnot disappeared, and the National Museumof Forest Service History recently published acookbook with traditional Dutch oven recipesthat have been used in the field by rangers andfire tower lookouts (see Suggested Reading).Jim Hammer, Trails Coordinator on theMethow Ranger District in Washington State,recalls the typical breakfasts (with distinctivenames) that might be eaten by the crew. "If youArizona works with the Conservation andwere with an old packer, like old BillImes, you'dthe Arts program to connect communitiesto nature through the arts. The program usesartists, dancers, writers, musicians, storytellers,have spotted dog [i.e., oatmeal] along with whateverelse you had. And with a couple of the oldpackers, the only variety you'd ever have fromand poets to tellthe story of the growth ofbacon, eggs, and hotcakes was eggs, bacon, andconservation policy in the United States. "It'snot enough just to manage our resourceswherever they might be, separate from thecommunities," Cantu maintains. "The essentialhotcakes. It all the animals were in and breakfastwas ready, we'd have one old boy that'd hollerout, 'The dog's gut a spotl'That meant breakfastwas ready and you'd better be getting up."FOREST SERVICE, CULTURE, AND COMMUNITY