News

The Forest Service just had to divert another $250 million to fight wildfires

Posted by on Sep 19, 2015 @ 4:19 am in Conservation | 0 comments

Top administration officials wrote Congress this week to urge it–once again–to change the way it budgets for firefighting in light of the disastrous wildfire season in the western United States. The Agriculture Department just informed lawmakers this week that it will have to transfer $250 million to fighting the forest fires now raging, which brings this fiscal year’s emergency spending total to $700 million. Unlike other disaster spending, caused by tornadoes and hurricanes, the federal government must stay within existing budget...

read more

Appalachian Trail not just built for thru-hikers

Posted by on Sep 18, 2015 @ 8:13 am in Hiking News | 0 comments

The entirety of the AT in Great Smoky Mountains National Park goes from Fontana Dam in the south to Davenport Gap in the northeast. While it’s just a small section of the full Georgia-to-Maine trail, the part of the trail in the Smokies is 71 miles long. It usually takes about a week to complete. Backpackers need to get reservations and permits from the park service in order to camp along the Appalachian Trail in designated shelters and campgrounds. But, for people with busier schedules, there are many ways to break the trail up into...

read more

Man sentenced for trashing Uncompahgre National Forest land

Posted by on Sep 18, 2015 @ 5:06 am in Conservation | 0 comments

A southwest Colorado man was convicted and sentenced to six months in prison for trashing Uncompahgre National Forest land, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the U.S. Forest Service and the San Miguel County Sheriff’s Office announced. Benjamin Yoho, 41 of Telluride and Ouray, was convicted after a one-day bench trial before U.S. Magistrate David West in Durango on charges of massive littering in an area north of Telluride. Officials said from October 2014 to April, Yoho lived and had a structure on Forest System land and transported several items...

read more

Truckee time travel: Hiking into history

Posted by on Sep 17, 2015 @ 9:59 am in Hiking News | 0 comments

The fastest way to see California’s iconic Donner Pass is to cruise Interstate 80 between Truckee and Reno. But if you really want to experience the environment and culture of one of the state’s most scenic and historically significant places it helps to get your feet dirty. And one way to get the most out of a trek through the region is to participate in the Donner Party Hike weekend, a two-day event that combines hiking, history and culture. Although Oct 3 and 4, 2015 will mark the 23rd year for the event, organizers have added new wrinkles...

read more

Historic China Creek Trail Restored in Blowing Rock, NC

Posted by on Sep 17, 2015 @ 2:00 am in Hiking News | 0 comments

Historic China Creek Trail Restored in Blowing Rock, NC

The China Creek Trail, located on the Grandfather Ranger District in Avery County, North Carolina is reopened to hikers following trail relocation and restoration work. The 2-mile trail begins in Blowing Rock and passes through both Pisgah National Forest and National Park Service land. The China Creek Trail was relocated to follow portions of the historic Upper Thunderhole Trail. According to the Blowing Rock Historical Society, the Upper Thunderhole Trail was built in the 1920s by the (now demolished) Mayview Manor Hotel to enable guests to...

read more

Court clears Duke Energy plan to clean more coal-ash pits

Posted by on Sep 16, 2015 @ 10:58 am in Conservation | 0 comments

A judge has rejected a bid by North Carolina’s environment agency to block Duke Energy, the country’s largest energy company, from removing toxic coal ash from more plants than required under a new state law. Duke Energy has asked to add three power plants to the list of four plants where they will begin scooping the ash, which is leaking arsenic, lead and other pollutants into waterways. In May, the company plead guilty to environmental crimes over a North Carolina power plant’s coal ash spill into a river and management of coal...

read more

Drought on the Pacific Crest Trail offers harsh lessons

Posted by on Sep 16, 2015 @ 9:53 am in Hiking News | 0 comments

If you couldn’t carry enough water to make it 20 miles, should you be out here? California is in the grips of a severe drought. Creeks that Flash remembered soaking her feet in years before were just rivers of sand now. How long before sections of the Pacific Crest Trail were basically unhikeable? Coming up were 40-mile dry stretches, with handfuls of volunteer caches to punctuate the barren desert. Unlike the ones we had seen today, plenty of hikers were prepared, loading up their packs with seven liters of water – over 15 pounds...

read more

TVA to begin work on Fontana Dam

Posted by on Sep 15, 2015 @ 7:17 am in Hiking News | 0 comments

Tennessee Valley Authority will begin maintenance work on Fontana Dam on Monday, Sept. 21, 2015. Work is planned to continue through March 30, 2016. During this time, the dam will be closed to vehicle traffic. The dam will remain open to foot traffic. Hikers will need to walk behind the visitors center and then up the steps to access the dam. If you are planning a hike along the Appalachian Trail (toward Shuckstack Fire Tower) or along the Benton MacKaye/Lakeshore Trail (toward backcountry campsite #90) in Great Smoky Mountains National Park,...

read more

Use of Electronic Cigarettes to be Subject to Same Rules as Smoking Tobacco in National Parks

Posted by on Sep 15, 2015 @ 3:44 am in Conservation | 0 comments

National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis issued a policy memorandum prohibiting the use of electronic smoking devices in all places where tobacco smoking is prohibited in national parks. “Protecting the health and safety of our visitors and employees is one of the most critical duties of the National Park Service,” said Director Jarvis. “We are therefore extending the restrictions currently in place protecting visitors and employees from exposure to tobacco smoke to include exposure to vapor from electronic smoking devices.” Vapor...

read more

Week of free access to South African national parks

Posted by on Sep 14, 2015 @ 9:21 am in Conservation | 0 comments

From Tuesday until Saturday, September 15-19, 2015 South African citizens will have free access to most of the country’s national parks. This is in celebration of the 10th annual South African National Parks week currently running under the theme “Know your national parks”. The week was officially inaugurated by Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa at Limpopo’s Marakele National Park. South African National Parks (SANParks) has partnered with First National Bank and Total South Africa to promote access to 19 of the 21...

read more

Colorado hiking trail closed because too many people are taking selfies with bears

Posted by on Sep 14, 2015 @ 9:11 am in Hiking News | 1 comment

Waterton Canyon, near Denver, is closed because of bear activity. The popular trail was closed Aug. 28, 2015 because two momma bears, each with twin cubs, and other bears were actively foraging in the canyon. Part of the problem is not the bears, but people trying to get the perfect picture of them. “We’ve actually seen people using selfie sticks to try and get as close to the bears as possible, sometimes within 10 feet of wild bears,” said Brandon Ransom, Denver Water’s manager of recreation. “The current situation is not...

read more

Tips on getting your four-footed friend ready for hiking

Posted by on Sep 13, 2015 @ 8:37 am in Hiking News | 0 comments

October is national adopt-a-dog month, according to the American Humane Association, the perfect time to pick up a new hiking partner. But before you hit the trail it’s vital that you prepare your pup. Start with a simple 5-mile stroll. A test hike. He passed, and now you’re on to something a little tougher. This, say veterinarians, is a good approach. “You need to bring them along slowly.” Not only do dogs need to get into shape, but they need to toughen up their feet to handle the rigors of longer and tougher trips....

read more

Mount Monadnock a hiking challenge despite its looks

Posted by on Sep 13, 2015 @ 8:30 am in Hiking News | 0 comments

From a distance, New England’s beloved Mount Monadnock looks distinctly unthreatening. Veteran hikers seeking a challenge might be dubious at first, but this balding geezer of a mountain is plenty rugged. Monadnock rises 3,165 feet in Cheshire County, near the town of Jaffrey in New Hampshire’s southwestern corner. The name comes from a Native American term for “mountain standing alone.” Its approachability makes Monadnock one of the nation’s most popular climbs, drawing more than 100,000 hikers yearly. Those who...

read more

Scotchman Peak hiking trail closed due to aggressive goats

Posted by on Sep 12, 2015 @ 9:36 am in Hiking News | 0 comments

The popular trail to the summit of Scotchman Peak north of Clark Fork, Idaho, has been closed temporarily because of recent incidents with aggressive mountain goats, the Idaho Panhandle National Forests has announced. The news is no surprise to groups that have been posting signs and trying to educate hikers for several years regarding the consequences of feeding the peak’s mountain goats and letting them lick hikers’ arms and legs for salt. “The temporary closure is intended to allow time for the goats to find other sources of food beyond...

read more

2015 Appalachian Trail Family Hiking Day set for Saturday, Sept. 26

Posted by on Sep 12, 2015 @ 9:32 am in Hiking News | 0 comments

2015 Appalachian Trail Family Hiking Day set for Saturday, Sept. 26

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy, its Appalachian Trail Community partners and 31 AT maintaining clubs invite families to take a hike on the AT during the fifth annual Family Hiking Day on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2015. Held trail-wide on National Public Lands Day, Family Hiking Day is a program developed by the ATC to introduce and welcome families of all ages and abilities to the AT. “The Appalachian Trail Conservancy is proud to host Family Hiking Day for the fifth year,” Julie Judkins, the ATC’s director of education and outreach, said in a...

read more

80 Years Ago, Construction Began on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Posted by on Sep 11, 2015 @ 1:26 pm in Hiking News | 0 comments

80 Years Ago, Construction Began on the Blue Ridge Parkway

The project began when President Franklin Delano Roosevelt visited the newly constructed Skyline Drive in Virginia in 1933. Then U.S. Senator Harry Byrd of Virginia suggested to the president the road should be extended to connect with the recently established Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Roosevelt convened the governors of Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee and asked that a planning team be created. On November 24, 1933, Interior Secretary Harold Ickes approved this “park-to-park” highway as a public works project. Construction...

read more

Dothan, AL Forever Wild hiking, biking trails to open Oct. 3, 2015

Posted by on Sep 10, 2015 @ 7:48 am in Hiking News | 0 comments

The winding, shadowed, natural trails on Dothan, Alabama’s new Forever Wild property are exactly what city officials envisioned when they began putting together the complex land deal a few years ago. Part of Dothan ’s Forever Wild trails will be open to the public Oct. 3, 2015 with a grand opening and a few planned activities. Work is still being done that will eventually link 11 miles of natural trails together, but walkers, hikers and bikers will still be able to enjoy the land next month. Eventually, about 400 acres were secured and...

read more

Evidence Found of Climate Change Positive Feedback

Posted by on Sep 9, 2015 @ 7:12 am in Conservation | 0 comments

A new study has confirmed the existence of a positive feedback operating in climate change whereby warming itself may amplify a rise in greenhouse gases resulting in additional warming. The study, published in the journal Nature Climate Change, shows that in addition to the well understood effect of greenhouse gases on the Earth’s temperature, researchers can now confirm directly from ice-core data that the global temperature has a profound effect on atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations. This means that as the Earth’s temperature rises,...

read more

NC rangers charge four people for poaching plants

Posted by on Sep 9, 2015 @ 3:06 am in Conservation | 0 comments

State park rangers in western North Carolina apprehended four people recently for plant poaching at the Yellow Mountain State Natural Area in Mitchell County. It was the first such incident in state parks in recent years, though officials say poaching of galax, gensing and other plants is becoming more of an issue. Four people were given citations Aug. 28, 2015 by Ranger Luke Appling and Superintendent Susan McBean of Grandfather Mountain State Park, which manages the nearby state natural area. McBean said the poachers were caught leaving the...

read more

Wild horses out West in conflict with National Forests

Posted by on Sep 8, 2015 @ 9:24 am in Conservation | 0 comments

Threat to Arizona’s Salt River Horses Spurs New Battle Over Western Lands Soon after federal officials announced the imminent capture of 100 or so horses within the boundaries of a national forest near here — to be sold at auction, “condemned and destroyed, or otherwise disposed of” — a resourceful cadre of self-appointed guardians issued a desperate call for action. “Salt River Wild Horses To Be Eliminated,” they wrote on a Facebook page created for the horses, which has more than 200 pictures and 220,000 likes. “EVERYONE AROUND THE WORLD —...

read more

Enjoy solitude by hiking to high-elevation Marjorie Lake

Posted by on Sep 8, 2015 @ 9:09 am in Hiking News | 0 comments

The hike to beautiful Marjorie Lake includes a network of lakes and trails all within a mile or two of each other that all start from one trailhead next to Washington Lake in Utah. The Lakes Country Trail is located at an elevation of 9,680 feet. The trailhead can be located from the parking lot near Washington Lake and its campground facility. The rolling, rocky, easy hiking trails lead to lakes such as Crystal, Cliff, Marjorie, Weir, Long, Divide and others. The trail makes for perfect day-hike treks with the entire family. However, because...

read more

Glacier’s popular Highline Trail gets a facelift

Posted by on Sep 7, 2015 @ 8:37 am in Hiking News | 0 comments

The first mile of the Highline Trail is unforgettable. It’s also heavily used. “The Highline is probably one of the most popular trails in the park,” said Denise Germann, spokeswoman for Glacier National Park. All that use is leading to some wear and tear on the trail, which is why it will be having some work done to it this fall. The Highline Trail starts at Logan Pass and follows a cliff side with a steep drop-off on one side, traversing the west slope of the Continental Divide. A series of handrails offer something for...

read more

Hiking is a perfect form of exercise

Posted by on Sep 7, 2015 @ 4:25 am in Hiking News | 0 comments

Hiking is essentially walking and walking is considered to be one of the most perfect forms of exercise for your body. The fact is hiking helps to shed pounds, maintain mental health and prevent heart disease, all while allowing the experience of the outdoors rather than being stuck in the basement or at the gym. It’s really true – a beneficial exercise does not have to involve an endless, agonizing and boring workout. While many sports activities and games require special equipment or training to get started, hiking is relatively simple....

read more

Shocking study finds there are fewer trees now than at any point during human civilization

Posted by on Sep 6, 2015 @ 7:18 pm in Conservation | 0 comments

In a blockbuster study released in Nature, a team of 38 scientists finds that the planet is home to 3.04 trillion trees, blowing away the previously estimate of 400 billion. That means, the researchers say, that there are 422 trees for every person on Earth. However, in no way do the researchers consider this good news. The study also finds that there are 46 percent fewer trees on Earth than there were before humans started the lengthy, but recently accelerating, process of deforestation. “We can now say that there’s less trees than at any...

read more

Bugs Mean Warmer Arctic May Be Methane Sink

Posted by on Sep 6, 2015 @ 1:12 am in Conservation | 0 comments

In addition to melting icecaps and imperiled wildlife, a significant concern among scientists is that higher Arctic temperatures brought about by climate change could result in the release of massive amounts of carbon locked in the region’s frozen soil in the form of carbon dioxide and methane. Arctic permafrost is estimated to contain about a trillion tons of carbon, which would potentially accelerate global warming. Carbon emissions in the form of methane have been of particular concern because on a 100-year scale methane is about 25-times...

read more

Trail Connecting Montana To The Pacific Closer To Completion

Posted by on Sep 5, 2015 @ 9:35 am in Hiking News | 0 comments

Trail Connecting Montana To The Pacific Closer To Completion

In the wilds of the Northwest, a trail is taking shape. Designated by an act of Congress in 2009, the Pacific Northwest Scenic Trail, founded by Ron Strickland, winds 1,200 miles from Glacier National Park in Montana to Cape Alava on Washington’s Pacific coast. Along the way, the trail passes through the Rocky Mountains, Eastern Washington, the North Cascades, and the Olympic Mountains. It crosses three national parks and seven national forests. Like such well-known western routes as the Pacific Crest Trail, it passes largely through...

read more

Appalachian Trail murder ‘reverberates still’ after 25 years

Posted by on Sep 5, 2015 @ 9:18 am in Hiking News | 0 comments

In September 1990, a couple hiking the Appalachian Trail planned to celebrate a birthday at the Thelma Marks Shelter on the trail on the mountain overlooking Duncannon, Pennsylvania. However, when Biff and Cindi Bowen arrived at the shelter on Sept. 13 after a meal in Duncannon, they immediately turned around and headed back into town. The couple had discovered the bodies of Geoff Hood and Molly LaRue – known on the trail as Clevis and Nalgene. Sept. 13, 2015, marks the 25th anniversary of their gruesome murders. It is a quiet, restorative...

read more

Obama proposes $1.5 billion for national parks

Posted by on Sep 4, 2015 @ 9:53 am in Conservation | 1 comment

The Obama administration sent to Congress a $1.5 billion proposal to upgrade national parks, using a combination of tax money, fee increases, donations and commercial partnerships for a three-year improvement plan marking the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service. The National Park Service Centennial Act would seek $100 million in private donations each year for three years, matching them dollar-for-dollar with tax money for special “challenge” projects. It would spend another $900 million to address a maintenance backlog...

read more

Environmental NGO unveils Israeli-Palestinian-Jordanian hiking, cycling trails

Posted by on Sep 4, 2015 @ 9:47 am in Hiking News | 1 comment

Environmental NGO unveils Israeli-Palestinian-Jordanian hiking, cycling trails

Providing a first-time experience for nature lovers, the cross-border environmental organization EcoPeace unveiled four new guided treks that each traverse Israeli, Palestinian and Jordanian territory. Among the treks are two hiking trails, a bike tour and a walking trip, according to EcoPeace, which has offices and directors in Israel, the Palestinian Authority and Jordan. Realized through special funding from the United States Agency for Development (USAID), the project has brought together tour guides, tourism experts and trails in all...

read more

France decrees new rooftops must be covered in plants or solar panels

Posted by on Sep 3, 2015 @ 7:36 am in Conservation | 0 comments

Rooftops on new buildings built in commercial zones in France must either be partially covered in plants or solar panels, under a law approved this week. Green roofs have an isolating effect, helping reduce the amount of energy needed to heat a building in winter and cool it in summer. They also retain rainwater, thus helping reduce problems with runoff, while favouring biodiversity and giving birds a place to nest in the urban jungle, ecologists say. The law approved by parliament was more limited in scope than initial calls by French...

read more

Climate Change Means One World’s Death and Another’s Birth

Posted by on Sep 3, 2015 @ 3:41 am in Conservation | 0 comments

A few years ago in a lab in Panama, Klaus Winter tried to conjure the future. A plant physiologist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, he planted seedlings of 10 tropical tree species in small, geodesic greenhouses. Some he allowed to grow in the kind of environment they were used to out in the forest, around 79 degrees Fahrenheit. Others, he subjected to uncomfortably high temperatures. Still others, unbearably high temperatures—up to a daily average temperature of 95 F and a peak of 102 F. That’s about as hot as Earth has ever...

read more