Southern Sierran
Forest Campaign reaches out to people of faith

By Juana Torres

Wilderness areas, isolated and awe-inspiringly beautiful, have always been used by world religions as havens and retreats to further spiritual journeys and allow individuals to connect with their creator. Today, faith communities are environmentalists’ natural allies in the fight to protect our local mountains. These communities have a deep reverence of and respect for wild lands that need protection.

In the past six months, forests campaign staffer and long-time Catholic youth group leader Juana Torres has been working with faith organizations to bring in new voices, perspectives and ideas on how to care for our forests. To facilitate the connection between churchgoers and their local forests, Torres is offering presentations to church groups and ministries. The presentations include a slideshow of scenic local forest pictures, scriptures that talk about creation, and a discussion of the duty upon people of faith to protect their natural legacy.

For those who would like to experience first-hand the beauty of our mountains, the forests campaign is also offering meditative and reflective walks and hikes into the Angeles National Forest. Later this year, the campaign will extend into the Cleveland and San Bernardino national forests.

Members of the Church of the Epiphany in East Los Angeles will join Torres on a spiritual hike in March into the Angeles National Forest.

“We live in a world of concrete…I hope to have the families who will visit the forest see the beauty that God has created and have them realize that this is a part of their world as well,” said Church of the Epiphany’s reverend, Father Will Wauters.

For churchgoers who want to go a step further and take action in restoring degraded areas of the forests, the campaign will connect them to service and volunteer opportunities both within and outside of the Sierra Club. Planting a tree, restoring a trail, or helping to survey one of God’s threatened animals are all great ways to align belief with action.

If you belong to a religious organization that may be interested in exploring the local forests or in helping to protect them, contact Juana Torres at 213-387-6528 x226 or by email. Your can also visit the forests campaign website for more information.

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