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Memorandum

To: Diane Kelly-Riley

From: English 440 Class
Date: February 2, 2018
Subject: Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests Agency Profile and Communication
Analysis

In this memo, we present our Agency Profile, Discourse Analysis, and Style Sheet
for the U.S. Forest Service Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests.

Agency Profile
Basics
Address
Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests
903 3rd St.
Kamiah, Idaho 83536

Facility
The Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests’ headquarters are established in Kamiah,
Idaho, with district offices in Potlatch, Orofino, Kooskia, White Bird, and Elk City.

Target Audience Demographics

The target audience of the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests includes visitors
using the organization for recreation, volunteers interested in helping national
forests, local communities immediately affected by the National Forest, and
professional communities, such as potential partners.

Demographics for Statistics of Counties

The demographics mainly focus on three counties: Idaho County, Clearwater
County, and Shoshone County. Statistics for each county are available at the
following links:

Idaho:
https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/idahocountyidaho/PST045216
Clearwater:
https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/clearwatercountyidaho/PST045216
Diane Kelly-Riley Agency Profile

Shoshone:
https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/shoshonecountyidaho/PST045216

Staff
 Cheryl Probert, Forest Supervisor
 Kurt Steele, Deputy Forest Supervisor
 Zach Peterson, Forest Planner
 Chrysann Jaeger, Resource Manager
 Jennie Fischer, Designated Routes and Areas for Motor Vehicle Use
(DRAMVU)
 Mike Ward, Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Head (CFLRA)
 Diana Jones, Recreation Facility Analysis (RFA)

Board
 Rick Winkel, President
 Dale Bashaw, 1st Vice-President
 Shannon Schrader, 2nd Vice-President
 Deb Bashaw, Treasurer
 Deanna Hamilton, Secretary
 Dale Cox, Board member
 Alex Irby, Board member
 Sharon Baugh, Board member
 Bob Dennler, Board member
 Ron Brown, Board member
 Dave Galantuomini, Board member
 Ken Rea, Board member

Numbers Served
Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests covers an area of 2,612,000 square miles.

Partners
Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests is in partnership with several state and
federal agencies, as well as the Nez Perce Tribe. One of the largest partnerships is
the Inter-Tribal Natural Resources Camp, which successfully works with teenagers
from the surrounding reservations to accomplish tasks such as habitat protection,
fence building, and sign replacements.

Programs
Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests is currently developing nine different
projects, including the Red Moose Divide Beetle project, Major Fenn Side Channel
Reconnection, and the Valuing Outdoor Experiences Demonstration Area project,
which will create digital kiosks that will allow visitors to easily download information
about the site they’re visiting right to their devices. There are currently thirty-nine
projects under analysis for the future.

Awards

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Participation in projects and superior work accomplishments recently awarded the

Nez Perce-Clearwater employees the Heritage Stewardship Orchid Award on May
24, 2016.

History
Origins
The agency originated as a small Special Agent office of the U.S. Department of
Agriculture in 1876, funded by Congress to provide oversight for the forests across
the country. In 1881, the U.S.D.A. expanded the office into the Division of Forestry.
In 1905, the agency was transferred to the Department of Agriculture’s newly
developed United States Forest Service. In 2012, the Nez Perce and Clearwater
National Forests were combined into the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests.

Local, Regional, and National Organization Associations

The agency is a branch of the U.S. Forest Service, a government agency overseen
by the Department of Agriculture. It is the only government agency that oversees
public lands outside of the Department of the Interior.

Purpose
Mission
The agency’s primary goal is to manage and protect our nation’s forests, as well as
the animal and plant species that inhabit it. It also hopes to improve trail and
recreational accessibility for its audiences without disturbing the natural
environment.

Executing the Purpose

The agency hosts the world’s largest forestry research organization, where they
help state and local government agencies, businesses, and private landowners. The
agency works in partnerships to plant trees, improve trails, educate the public, and
overall promote improved biodiversity and ecosystem management. The most
iconic method of fulfilling their mission is through their mascot, Smokey the Bear,
who is a national symbol of wildfire prevention.

Niches the Agency Fills in Meeting Community Needs and Concerns

Before the agency’s inception, there was no major government-funded forestry
service or large-scale government protection laws in place. Filling this niche is
necessary and is very important for our nation’s health and safety.

Funding
How the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests is Funded
The United States Forest Service operates on a budget designated by a
subcommittee on the United States Senate Committee on Appropriations: Interior,
Environment, and Related Agencies. As a government agency, the U.S.F.S. does
not receive outside grants.

Funding Issues

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The Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests has an issue with controlling wildfires,
given the portion of funding the U.S.F.S. budget has allotted. The budget overall
has remained steady, but fire seasons have worsened. This has caused the needed
appropriations for this part of the budget to rise drastically, consuming much of the
overall budget.

Discourse Analysis
Audience
Target Audience
The texts gathered from the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests address visitors,
the local community, various professionals, and the Nez Perce tribe.

Visitors
Visitors include individuals and groups who visit for recreation, leisure, and
sport. The most common activities people engage in are traveling, camping,
angling, and hunting.

Local Community
Local residents surrounding the national forest have an interest in
maintaining public lands. They also have a continued awareness of upcoming
plans and projects that will be carried out by the Nez Perce-Clearwater
Forestry Department. The local community exploits forest resources such as
firewood, posts, and Christmas trees, as well as non-timber resources such
as wild mushrooms and berries.

Professional Community
The professional community includes potential future employees, volunteers,
partners, sponsors and committee members, professional outfitters, and
forest guides.

Nez Perce Tribe

The Nez Perce Tribe is also included among the audience addressed by the
organization’s texts.

Audience’s Needs and Values

The audience has a variety of needs and values.

Activities
The audience requires information concerning where to camp, hike, fish,
purchase permits, ride off-highway vehicles, or acquire maps and other
assistance. Visitors come to satisfy practical interests, such as procuring
firewood or wild mushrooms.

Costs
Visitors want to know what costs are associated with the various activities
offered through the Nez Perce-Clearwater Forestry Service.

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Travel and Safety

Visitors are looking for travel information, like current weather, road and trail
conditions, and information on natural disasters. The public needs to be
informed concerning possible forestry dangers, important safety precautions,
and how to conduct themselves while visiting the lands in order to preserve
and protect the present ecology.

Agency Involvement
Some audiences seek employment with the Nez Perce-Clearwater Forestry
Department or wish to partner with the agency through volunteering,
donating, or sponsoring.

Ecological Concerns
These visitors are concerned with the ecological health and preservation of
public forest lands as natural and historical sites. They are interested in
protecting the land from pollution, natural disasters, and irresponsible human
behavior.

Audience Knowledge
The website serves experienced audiences as well as visitors who may only have a
rudimentary knowledge of the Forest Service offerings. The information is vast,
detailed, and far-reaching. Some texts are specifically geared towards regular
recreationists while other information is aimed at younger audiences with limited
knowledge of the agency and national forests.

Audience-Company Relations
The agency’s relationship with the audience is positive, informative, and
encouraging. The Forest Service focuses on garnering community involvement via
presentation of available upcoming events, projects, employment, and volunteer
opportunities. The agency bolsters the quality of its relationship with the public by
preserving the historical and ecological value of the lands and informing the public
of its history and diversity.

What the Texts Discuss

Purpose of Texts
The agency values the topics of conservation, learning, and recreational
opportunities. The Nez-Perce-Clearwater National Forests’ vision is to “enhance and
protect the ecological and economic health of forests, rivers, and communities”.
This reflects the value of retaining the beauty and health of the forest and its
inhabitants. It also considers National Forests to be the “ultimate outdoor
classroom,” and offers learning opportunities about nature, science, climate
change, plant and animal species, and outdoor safety. Finally, the Nez Perce-
Clearwater National Forests offer several campsites as well as information on trail
conditions, outfitters, and guides.

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What kinds of arguments do the texts employ?

The texts on the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests do not necessarily employ
arguments, but instead are used to inform the reader of what the Forest Service
has to offer. This includes learning outdoor safety skills as well as what recreational
opportunities are available.

Sources
The sources used depend on what information the audience is seeking. The website
consistently provides links to a variety of available sources.

Using Texts to Reflect the Agency’s Values

The text reflects the agency’s commitment to preserving and maximizing the use of
the land to accommodate a variety of interests for both the audience and forest
habitat by focusing on protecting the forests and by offering information on various
outdoor activities.

Using Texts to Aid User Needs

The four million acres of Nez-Perce Clearwater National Forests has something to
offer to everyone interested in recreational activities and involvement opportunities.
The agency lists resources that inform and inspire audiences based on their
interests and needs.

How the Agency Writes the Texts

Brand Design, Arrangement, and Style
The designs are appealing to users, the colors are earthy, and the texts are
consistent in format and font. A search column is on the left side of the screen,
allowing the reader to access information quickly. Information is organized into
block paragraphs, with headings, subheadings, and left-aligned body content.
Related material is embedded in content as links that direct audiences to other
pages. Some pages contain visuals and maps related to the content.

The agency website follows the U.S. Government Printing Office Style Manual, and
content also follows the AP style guide. Both styles are direct and concise with
several distinct formatting aspects that omit excess wording.

Specialized Terminology
Specialized terminology on the site primarily relates to the names for regions within
the district like native landmarks, forest regions, and waterways.

Most Effective Elements

The writing style is compact and uses strong and descriptive words. The summaries
about each landmark make each subject intriguing and provide the audience with
photos for each area.

Least Effective Elements

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Some content is more difficult to read due to choices in page colors and fonts.
There are several unnecessary hyperlinks that provide irrelevant information. Links
open in the same page rather than a new tab and so draw visitors away from the
agency site. The occasional scramble of photos and blocks of small-font text make
relevant content more difficult to find.

Style Sheet
The following table is a style sheet showing how the agency’s website uses design,
grammar, mechanics, and visual elements.

Design
The color scheme consists of green, tan, brown, and yellow. Hyperlinks are
Style in blue.
Information is left-aligned and text is wrapped around pictures.

Left column directory and top tab navigation is used to categorize pages of
Layout information.
Photographs, maps, and graphs included with text-based content. There
are no advertisements.

Nez Perce-Clearwater title: Verdana, white.

Type and Font Headers and sub headers: Helvetica, white.
Links: Verdana, blue.
Body content: Verdana, grey.

Hex Colors RGB Colors

 Green: 0, 80, 47
 Yellow: 255, 227, 99
 Brown: 97, 55, 34
CMYK Colors
 Green: 90, 40, 91, 43
 Yellow: 1, 7, 73, 0

Grammar and Mechanics

Abbreviations Acronym is first spelled out with acronym in parenthesis, then acronyms
are used from then on.

Capitalization Capitalize the names of highways, wilderness and national forests, and
recreational facilities.
"Visitor center" is not capitalized, unless part of a specific center’s name
(e.g. Lolo Pass Visitor Center).
"Ranger Station" is always capitalized, but "station" is never capitalized
when it is used alone, even when referring to a specific Ranger Station.

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Commas Separate independent clauses joined by coordinating conjunction with a

comma.
Use comma to set off opening dependent clause.
Place commas and periods inside the quotation marks.
Inconsistent in use of the Oxford comma.

Credit Owns the copyright on most pictures.

Sources cited in italics at the bottom of the page where the cited content
appears.

Dash Use of dashes are inconsistent with the AP Style Guide.

Hyphens Hyphenate most compound adjectives that precede a noun but not those
that follow a noun.

Lists Lists include hyperlinks to aid in navigation of the site.

Lists without hyperlinks are made with bullet points.

Numbers Use for years (e.g. 1975), for acreage, for 24-hour clock (e.g. 2200
instead of 10:00 pm), and names (e.g. Highway 14).

Paragraphs Formatting varies.

Bolding used sporadically throughout headings, paragraphs, and links.
Paragraphs broken into blocks.
Some paragraphs begin with page title, while others begin with a picture.

Quotation Used to reference outside sources or handouts.

Marks Place commas and periods inside end quote marks.
Usually accompanied by hyperlinks.

Ellipsis Use is minimal, if not non-existent.

Standard use—no spaces in between periods.

Nonsexist Language lacks gender specification; neutral nouns commonly used (e.g.
Language “our”).

Style Informal/professional tone. Content is concise and direct.

Visual Elements
Photographs Employs color photographs of landmarks and activities to accompany
webpages giving information about the park and its facilities.
Accompanied captions are inconsistent in placement and font, if used at all.
No notable use of alt-text or photographer credit.

Charts and Maps and PDF links reference specific areas of the forest for accessibility.
Graphs Infographic charts used to provide information about funding and allocation
of resources.

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Agency U.S. Forest Service is listed within U.S. Department of Agriculture agency
Listing listing.
Right-justified search engine on upper right screen and on the right column
search engine with two search options: by state and by forest/grassland.

Page Website PDF’s have page numbers in a black font color, centered on the
Numbers bottom footer of the page.

Conclusion
This memo report details the Agency Profile we made for the U.S. Forest Service
Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests. In the profile, we included basic information
about the organization and its operations, and we reviewed its history, purpose,
and funding. We analyzed its discourse with its target audience, and we compiled
technical information about its website into a style sheet. The information found
here will be used to aid in future projects undertaken with Nez Perce-Clearwater
National Forests.