As our nation’s forests grow older and denser they are at greater risk of attack by pests, which can devastate some of more cherished national wildlands. Healthy forests not only provide a beautiful setting for our outdoor activities, they are at lower risk for catastrophic wild fires, and are more resilient to changes in climate and to insect and disease attack. To address myriad issues facing our nation’s aging landscapes, the U.S. Forest Service Forest Health Protection division recently developed the Forest Health Advisory System, a...
read moreSmokies rangers are looking for tree-lovers who want to try their hand at science to adopt a tree monitoring plot on the North Carolina side of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. A training session will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, March 7, at Oconaluftee Visitor Center just north of Cherokee. Volunteers will take data throughout the growing season to help researchers answer questions like “was spring early this year?” or “when will the fall colors peak?” Volunteers will collect data on their assigned plots multiple...
read moreOn March 3, 1925, roughly two dozen outdoor enthusiasts meeting at the Raleigh Hotel in Washington, D.C., formed an all-volunteer organization charged with building the Appalachian Trail. Though work at first proceeded only in fits and starts, the Trail eventually skyrocketed in popularity, attracting the attention of prominent politicians who protected it from development. Today, an estimated 2 to 3 million visitors walk on it each year, including a few hundred who finish the entire thing, an achievement known as a “thru-hike.” Ninety years...
read moreSaylor Guilliams is only alive today because last year she dyed her hair red. One afternoon last March, the 22-year-old was hiking a trail in Santa Barbara, California, with her friend Brenden Vega, also 22. Their inexperience showed: The terrain was more treacherous than they had planned for, and as it began to grow dark, they struggled to find a way back to their car. Then, Guilliams landed badly when jumping off a rock, fracturing her left leg. Things only got worse from there. Their cell phones were dead, and they hadn’t brought...
read moreHigh school students interested in spending their 2015 summer in a national park and gaining valuable skills have at least three parks to consider for jobs with the Youth Conservation Corps. Shenandoah National Park in Virginia, Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, and Joshua Tree National Park in California all are seeking applications for their YCC programs. At Shenandoah, YCC enrollees work to maintain park trails, roads, buildings and campgrounds while learning about the national parks. This year’s 8-week YCC program begins Monday,...
read moreOver the weekend in China, 175 million people — more than the entire population of Bangladesh — watched a newly released in-depth and well-produced documentary about the country’s debilitating smog problem. Produced by former Chinese news anchor and environmental reporter, Chai Jing, the 104-minute “Under the Dome” has caught the Chinese public at a moment of intense focus on the wide-ranging impacts of air pollution from coal-fired power plants and vehicle emissions. In a country known for spiking any media that paints the government in a...
read moreJim and Will Pattiz are media professionals who have a passion for our national parks. Their More than Just Parks plan is to create short films for each of the 59 US National Parks to give people a completely unique viewing experience. They hope that this will encourage folks to get out there and have a one-of-a-kind experience of their own in our national parks. It is also their hope that these videos can help build a greater awareness for all of the breathtaking natural wonders protected by our national parks system. MTJP | Joshua Tree is...
read moreSedona has often been proclaimed the “most beautiful place in America.” The natural beauty of the tiny town — halfway between Phoenix and the Grand Canyon — nearly escapes description. But, if you put a list together, surely picturesque canyons, rivers, red rock formations met by crimson-colored earth and azure skies paint the splendor of Sedona. Add to that “painting” the allure of the area that challenges mere descriptions: It is a feeling you get when arrive. This elusive, spiritual vibe might be called mystical or metaphysical, whether or...
read moreA 17 percent chance turned into a sure thing Sunday, March 1st in a remote part of Southern California at the border with Mexico. That’s when Shawn “Pepper” Forry and Justin “Trauma” Lichter trudged up a muddy hillside during a desert downpour to reach the southern terminus of the Pacific Crest Trail. The two men had just completed what’s thought to be the first documented, wintertime through-hike of the iconic, 2,650-mile footpath from Canada to Mexico. “My heart is still racing,” said Forry,...
read moreBack in the early ‘90s, then Yellowstone National Park museum technician Lee Whittlesey had the killer idea to compile all the “unnatural” deaths—that is, those not caused by run-of-the-mill car accidents or heart attacks—that have occurred in Yellowstone through the years. There were enough to fill a book, and so Whittlesey’s fascinating Death in Yellowstone: Accidents and Foolhardiness in the First National Park hit shelves in 1995. In 2014, Whittlesey released the second edition of the book, updated with more than 60 new tales of demise....
read moreSteven Fuller is Yellowstone’s longest-serving winterkeeper. He might also be the park’s last. His photography portfolio will, however, remain a monument to one of the world’s most unique jobs and also to Yellowstone itself. “Most snow in our contemporary world is plowed, piled, fouled, and messed with as it falls or soon thereafter,” Fuller says. “Here in Yellowstone, I have the great pleasure of enjoying snow as the gods made it and as they intended that we should marvel at the perfection of their creation.” In Steven...
read moreAfter Casey Nocket traveled throughout the West to deface several national parks last year, a notable European street artist has been caught tagging Joshua Tree National Park. André Saraiva, better known as just André, posted a photo to his Instagram account showing him having tagged a boulder with the ‘eyes’ of his trademark “Mr A” stick figure character. His photos revealed he was enjoying a trip in the park. On Instagram, André replied, “This mr was made with love at friends privet back yard and not in your...
read moreBeginning in March, the Swannanoa Valley Museum will launch the sixth year of its Rim Hike Series, which features 11 hikes across the ridges and peaks surrounding the Swannanoa River valley in North Carolina. The series sprang from museum founder Harriet Styles‘ popular wildflower hikes along many of these same paths. After Styles passed away, the museum decided to continue the tradition and expand it to include various portions of the rim surrounding Swannanoa, Black Mountain, Ridgecrest and Montreat. “It was a way to remember and...
read moreAnyone who has trekked in New Zealand truly understands that this beautiful, rugged country offers several opportunities to explore a fantasy realm. The nine Great Walks – designated inconic hikes in New Zealand – feature an unparalleled diversity of color that highlights the unique landscape and sets your imagination adrift; it’s like actually living a work of fiction. One of those nine is the four-day, 46-kilometer (28.5-mile) Lake Waikaremoana Great Walk, where you can do a little trout fishing and take in the sights along this enormous...
read moreJustin Lichter and Shawn Forry are 180 miles from the Mexican border and the completion of their remarkable winter thru-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail. They started in October 2014 and have been snowshoeing, skiing and hiking ever since. Journeys on the PCT are remarkably personal. The trail is truly a place to see what makes you tick, from physical to emotional to spiritual. Trauma and Pepper (the duo’s trail names) are longtime PCT hikers and wonderful ambassadors, showing the way for how to use, advocate for and love the Pacific Crest...
read moreInvasive hogs can be aggressive, especially when defending their young. They may weigh up to 300 lbs, have sharp tusks, and can charge very quickly. Be alert! Know the signs and tracks of hogs and avoid heavily used areas, especially at dusk or dawn when hogs are most active. Avoid water sources that have been used by invasive hogs – humans can contract multiple diseases from water sources contaminated by hogs and their feces. Hogs will generally try to avoid contact with humans, but may become aggressive if surprised, especially if piglets...
read moreOur National Forests contain countless special areas – landscapes with awesome vistas, habitat for key wildlife species, areas with boundless recreation opportunities, and grounds that hold important historic artifacts. Last week, President Obama recognized a part of our National Forest System that has all of these attributes and more when he designated Browns Canyon National Monument in Colorado. Situated two and a half hours southwest of Denver, in the Arkansas River Valley, Browns Canyon is perhaps best known for its whitewater rafting and...
read moreWhen you picture the mountains that span the Appalachian Trail, what comes to mind? Massive, majestic, daunting peaks? Likely not—and you’d be right. It is for this reason that the uninitiated confuse the 2,189 miles that make up the United States’ original long trail as easy hiking. Some of it is. Most of it, however, is excruciatingly difficult. In fact, of the three long trails in the United States (the Pacific Crest Trail, Continental Divide Trail, and Appalachian Trail), the AT offers the most elevation change on average. Compare some of...
read moreIn the middle of last summer came news of a bizarre occurrence no one could explain. Seemingly out of nowhere, a massive crater appeared in one of the planet’s most inhospitable lands. Early estimates said the crater, nestled in a land called “the ends of the Earth” where temperatures can sink far below zero, yawned nearly 100 feet in diameter. The saga deepened. The Siberian crater wasn’t alone. There were two more, ratcheting up the tension in a drama that hit its climax as a probable explanation surfaced. Global warming had thawed the...
read moreAfter Duke Energy reached a plea agreement over its mishandling of coal ash that spilled into the Dan River, Duke CEO Lynn Good said in a statement, “We are accountable for what happened at Dan River and have learned from this event.” What Duke Energy has learned is that it’s expensive to be cheap. The giant utility put off the cost of properly storing the millions of tons of coal ash its coal-burning plants produce. The result was regular leakage at most of Duke Energy’s storage sites at 14 power plants in North...
read moreAuthors Robert and Martha Manning have produced a masterful work in “Walking Distance: Extraordinary Hikes for Ordinary People,” a large format, full-color treasure trove of dream hikes from around the globe. As the subtitle of the book suggests, each of the 30 treks described are indeed extraordinary hikes for ordinary people – super hiker status not required. Amazing scenery, interesting history and rich culture are the rewards for those who follow these very doable pathways. “The trails we describe in this book are well marked and well...
read moreThere’s a new map created by the National Park Service’s (NPS) Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division that shows where the country’s loudest—and quietest—places are located. Not surprisingly, the loudest spots are clustered around cities, while the quietest are relatively wild–but the map also shows that even some rural locations have fallen victim to sound pollution. The map represents 1.5 million hours of sound data from 546 park sites around the country. After recording sound levels at the sites using sound meter gauges,...
read moreThe pre-season lottery for Yosemite’s coveted Half Dome hiking permits opens March 1, 2015. Those who submit applications in the month of March will be in the pool when Yosemite National Park issues 225 day-hike permits for each day of the hiking season. Lottery winners will be notified by mid-April. Preseason applicants can request permits for up to six people and up to seven dates, ranked by preference. After the preseason round of permits is assigned, about 50 additional permits per day will be available by lottery. Hikers can apply...
read moreSpanning the country’s northernmost to southernmost tips, the Israel Nature and Parks Authority has launched 50 new or improved hiking paths for members of all population segments to enjoy. The paths are divided into four categories: those tailored for families, those meant for hikers, those for cycling and 4×4 travel and those accessible to people with disabilities, the INPA said. All of the routes are set to be inaugurated during Nature Conservation Week, which will be celebrated on the weekends of February 27 and March 6, 2015....
read moreOver the last five winters, scientists have been trapping and fitting GPS collars to wolverines in Idaho and Wyoming while also affixing them to snowmobilers and backcountry skiers. Then they’ve tracked the movements. Preliminary findings show that wolverines move faster and more often on weekends when people are playing in their mountain habitat. That may mean trouble for these animals during the brutal winters of the high Rockies, where every calorie counts. When we think of injuring nature, it is easy to point an accusing finger at mining...
read moreJoin Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy (CMLC) Thursday, Feb. 26, 2015, for a presentation featuring the Headwaters State Forest. Learn how the 8,000-acre conservation project at the East Fork Headwaters got its start, the history of the property, and how its benefits will impact residents and visitors of Transylvania County, NC. Project stakeholders will give an update on the current status of acquisition at North Carolina’s newest State Forest as well as plans to complete the project. The program is the February edition of...
read moreEight members of the Over the Arroyo Gang gathered at their regular meeting place, a parking lot off Hyde Park Road, dressed for one of their thrice-weekly hikes. The youngest was 63, the oldest, 83. All fit in mind and body. Three dogs came along. Some of the gang brought snowshoes, expecting to be hiking in deep snow. Others sported microspikes, traction devices that allow hikers to safely walk on ice and hard-packed snow. They decided to start at Aspen Vista, just below the Santa Fe, NM ski area, but high enough to avoid the mud. Earlier...
read moreThe U.S. Department of State and the EPA announced their intent to launch a new partnership to monitor air pollution at embassies, consulates and other diplomatic missions around the world. Secretary of State John Kerry and EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy attended the signing ceremony, which highlighted the links between local air pollution and global climate change. In speaking about the new air quality monitoring program, Kerry said the goal is to increase awareness of the health risks of outdoor air pollution as well as to create...
read moreBeginning with an obsession for trees and long-distance hiking, Michael Kauffmann, Humboldt County-based author, envisioned a route that could connect the isolated wilderness areas of Northern California and reveal the numerous conifer species within them. Kauffmann spent just under three weeks hiking the 360-mile route in 2009 and as the long-distance hiking movement surges nationwide, Kauffmann wants others to have the opportunity to explore the Northern California mountains via trail. Inspired to open the route up to other hikers by...
read moreCould New Mexico have a 500-mile long trail stretching from the state’s northern border with Colorado to its southern frontier? Several lawmakers said they’re serious about making the Rio Grande Trail idea a reality, though they acknowledged the ambitious project could take years to materialize. “This trail would be in the style of the Appalachian Trail or the Continental Divide Trail and some of the great, historic trails of our country,” said Rep. Jeff Steinborn, D-Las Cruces, who’s spearheading the bipartisan effort at the Roundhouse. The...
read moreHistorical reenactors portraying the U.S. Army’s legendary Buffalo Soldiers will be among the attractions when Black History Month is celebrated at the Ravenswood Open Space Preserve in East Palo Alto, CA from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21, 2015. Hosted by the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, the event includes guided hikes, activities and crafts for kids, bird watching, environmental education, free food and a chance to explore one of the Bay Area’s lesser-known Bayside open-space preserves. The celebration is...
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