Thinking outside the box proved to be a winning solution when the U.S. Forest Service and the Caddo Nation joined forces to investigate and identify archeological sites on national forests in Texas and Louisiana.

In 2009, Barbara Williams, heritage program manager for the National Forests and Grasslands in Texas, faced the daunting task of uncovering evidence of historic and prehistoric artifacts buried in the loamy soil of the Davy Crockett National Forest and Sabine National Forest in the deep East Texas piney woods.

So the forest reached out to the Caddo Nation of Oklahoma, whose historic homeland was in the forests of East Texas. The Tribe partners with the Southern Region for training as heritage paraprofessionals and employment on the region’s national forests. Read more »

Rescue crews from the Ozark-St. Francis National Forest attend to three-year-old Landen Trammel whom they found Wednesday, Sept., 12 in Stone County, Ark. From left are Jamie Martin, Carol Swboni and Bradley Taylor who spotted the toddler playing in a mud puddle. Photo credit: Courtesy of Fox16.com

It was about 8 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 12, in Onia, a small community in Stone County, Arkansas, within the Ozark-St. Francis National Forest. About 24 hours had passed since three-year-old Landen Cade Trammell had wandered away from his home and about 30 Forest Service employees were actively searching for the little boy. Read more »