15 October 2000

VANCOUVER, BC - A new tree biology website for young kids and their parents and teachers is using fun science online to build long-term support for forest conservation and exploration.

Officially launched today, GFAwesome (www.gfawesome.org) is a non-commercial, free and educational website by non-profit science foundation Global Forest, which is currently funding 50 studies and 100 international scientists uncovering new knowledge in the world's forests.

Visitors to the site can join at no cost the GFAwesome Club to receive a membership certificate, free stickers, newsletters, and other cool prizes for participating in ecological activities. GFAwesome mascots Maurice the Mountain Goat and Lu Lu the Lynx, guide site users through fun science, gruesome factoids and cool articles about tree biology.

Also onsite, school-aged kids from across the United States and Canada, Britain, Israel and Australia contribute real time weather data to gfawesome.org from weather stations donated to them by Global Forest (www.globalforestscience.org).

"If kids are interested in forest science then we can feel confident that forest conservation will have a strong future," says tree biologist Dr. Reese Halter, founder of Global Forest. "GFAwesome is designed to appeal to youngsters, teach them basic forest science in a fun way and get them talking to others committed to forest conservation. Our kid-run weather stations, in particular, are providing new data that will allow science to better understand climate and forest ecology."

Basic forest science -- which explores unknown organisms and systems in the woods -- is woefully underfunded by government, industry and environmental organizations, says Halter. "Without long-term support, basic science is close to extinction," he explains. "We hope that GFAwesome will help motivate kids to learn about the importance to our over all global health of trees and the incredible and delicate ecologies they support."

Teachers can download for free fun and engaging lesson plans about trees and their effect on water, air quality and animals.

Tuscon and Banff-based Global Forest Science (www.globalforestscience.org) is a forest biology research institute. With an international multi-disciplinary team of 165 scientists, Global Forest Science is a world leader in forest science research and has often been likened to the Red Adair's of the forest biology world. Global Forest Sciences' many victories ranging from legislation to protect the threatened westslope cutthroat trout of British Columbia, protection of the world's largest ant colony, opening an international insect quarantine facility and helping to save New Zealand's multi billion dollar forestry and agriculture industries from the Australian painted apple moth. Global Forest Science is also dedicated to children's ecological education - visit GFAwesome.
(www.gfawesome.org)

For more information, please contact:
Email: info@globalforestscience.org
Phone: 818.851.9682