A new study from the Yale School of Public Health links the chemicals used in fracking with potential reproductive and developmental problems. This isn’t exactly new — we’ve known for some time that fracking is connected with lowered sperm counts, as well as premature births and a host of other health issues. This particular study, however, raises concerns about...
Learn MoreThe armed terrorists that are entering their second week occupying a wildlife refuge in Oregon might be in favor of states taking over ownership of public lands, but Westerners as a whole aren’t, according to a new poll. The poll, released January 11, 2016 by Colorado College, surveyed voters in seven western states (Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Montana, Utah,...
Learn MoreTravelers — especially drone enthusiasts — should know that public park policies vary widely when it comes to unmanned aircraft. Before you send anything aloft — or holler in protest about somebody else’s aircraft — it’s wise to do some homework. Besides the Federal Aviation Administration’s restrictions on small unmanned aircraft, many parks have their...
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Although bald eagles live throughout the continental United States, Alaska, with about 50,000 eagles, has the most. Ideal bald eagle habitat consists of mature shoreline forests with scattered openings and little human use, near water with abundant fish and waterfowl. The phrase “eagle eye” describes the highly developed visual ability of bald eagles, which...
Learn MoreThe National Park Service handled a record number of visitors in 2015 and park crowding has achieved epic proportions at some of Utah’s marquee destinations. But crowding can be reduced through smart planning and outreach that spreads use into less busy times and less visited places, according to director Jonathan Jarvis. Not so easily fixed, he said, is young...
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Admission to all national parks will be free on Jan. 18, 2016 in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The discount gives visitors a chance to skirt the $25 fee for entering sites likes the Grand Canyon in Arizona or Yellowstone in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho. The MLK Day promotion is part of events commemorating the National Park Service’s centennial. There will be...
Learn MoreAmmon Bundy and his band of terrorists have pissed off a lot of people since they took over the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge near Burns, Oregon, last week. Liberals, conservationists, and Black Lives Matter activists are all avowed foes. Now add another powerful group to the list: birders. “Just a friendly warning from the birding and wildlife photography community...
Learn MoreMissoulians often mistake Douglas fir trees for elk — a fact that would amuse David Douglas to no end. Had he made it to the Missoula Valley in Montana during his botanical explorations in the 1820s, the elk on Mount Jumbo would have no Douglas fir saplings to mingle with. Salish Indians regularly burned the mountainsides to deny ambush cover to Blackfeet Indians...
Learn MoreThe Discovery Trail is a 4.5-mile trail mosaic comprised of all the Big Bone Lick State Historic Site’s hiking trails combined into continuous circuit. Collectively, the trails pass through grasslands, woodlands, a woody savanna, the salt-sulfur springs and the bison viewing area. Big Bone Lick State Historic Park is just off Ky. 338 not far from Beaver Lick and Rabbit...
Learn MoreFuture generations will look back on our tepid response to global climate disruption and wonder why we did not act sooner and more aggressively. Climate change will adversely impact present and future generations, as well as all species on Earth. Our moral obligation to protect life requires us to act. Yet even after the recently completed United Nations climate...
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Lovers of Canada’s national parks are celebrating the country’s 150th birthday a little earlier than most after purchasing park passes and realizing they don’t expire until 2018. It’s part of an initiative brought in by the Liberal government that will make park access free for all users in 2017 and for youth and new Canadians starting in 2018....
Learn MoreJust like public parks in major cities get crowded as soon as temperatures hit high 60s, national parks get busy during the summer. But consider the possibility of enjoying nature when it’s a lot less packed and just as beautiful in the winter. You may even find trading your hiking boots for new skis or snowshoes refreshing. The colder weather and the snow make going to...
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The Swannanoa Valley Museum will hold a series of interest meetings in the coming weeks to discuss the upcoming 2016 Swannanoa Rim Hike Series and Valley History Explorer Series. The first meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 7 beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the Black Mountain Center for the Arts. Subsequent meetings will be held Tuesday, Jan. 12 at Black Dome Mountain...
Learn MoreThe Helena and Lewis & Clark national forests in Montana have officially consolidated. The announcement comes after several years of combining positions and sharing resources across both forests, most notably in leadership with a shared supervisor and deputy supervisor. The public should notice little difference following the announcement and no offices will be...
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Conservationists in Washington’s Tri-Cities are nearing a deal to secure a trail right-of-way on a scenic peak. That would get closer to the goal of establishing a 20-mile trail that could offer sunny, dry hiking at times of year when most trails elsewhere in the Northwest are muddy or snow covered. This 200-acre purchase would secure a trail up the southeast flank of...
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American Hiking Society challenges you to make 2016 the year you spend more time getting active outside. In celebration of American Hiking Society’s 40th anniversary, people of all ages are committing to Hike 40 miles, 40 trails, or 40 unique hikes between New Year’s Day and American Hiking Society’s birthday on October 13th. Beyond getting to spend more time outdoors,...
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Jones Gap State Park sits on the Blue Ridge Escarpment in upstate South Carolina very near the state line with its neighbor to the north. Along with Caesars Head State Park, these two share an area known as Mountain Bridge Wilderness. The Jones Gap Trail follows the Middle Saluda River along an old roadway built by Solomon Jones in the 1850s. In this cove backcountry the...
Learn MoreArmed protesters have taken over a building in a federal wildlife refuge in Oregon, accusing officials of unfairly punishing ranchers who refused to sell their land. One of them is Ammon Bundy, the 40-year-old son of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, who is well-known for anti-government action. The group is inside part of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge near Burns, OR...
Learn MoreMinnesota winters are infamous, but ice and snow affected more than just the local culture. They also shaped the very ground on which the Twin Cities are built. The glacial history of the Twin Cities metro, 10,000 years old, can disappear beneath the carpet of roads and buildings covering the region. But a relief map showing the region’s topography leaves the...
Learn MoreUnder President Dwight D. Eisehower, the nation prepared for the 50th birthday of the National Park Service with a spending splurge that refurbished Independence Hall in Philadelphia and helped complete the Gateway Arch in St. Louis and the 469-mile Blue Ridge Parkway. This year, the world-famous system turns 100 and the celebration will be far more modest. The Obama...
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Trees are often referred to as the lungs of the earth, providing not only the oxygen we need to breathe but a filter to clean our air and water. Trees from forested lands provide timber for our homes, food for people and wildlife, protection from weather extremes and, in urban and rural settings, beautify cities and landscapes alike. As the largest steward of forested...
Learn MoreBotanists and backpackers alike know Ojai’s Dry Lakes Ridge to be a lovely and unique destination for finding flora or sweeping views a short, steep climb away from Highway 33. Less considered is the ridge’s worth as a night hike destination. Perched high between the Matilija and Sespe drainages, the Dry Lakes Ridge affords nocturnal adventurers solitude and an owl’s eye...
Learn MoreA group of young British adventurers have come under fire after local volunteer rescuers had to come to their aid three times as they attempted to trek across Iceland for a documentary. Angus Dowie, Charlie Smith, Archie Wilson, all aged 19 and Stefan Rijnbeek, 20, had set out to be the first to ‘cross Iceland unsupported in winter’, with their trip to be...
Learn MoreThe National Forest System includes 193 million acres of National Forests and grasslands and within those lands has identified 325,000 cultural resource sites. According to forest managers, those cultural resource sites are threatened by insufficient funding, too few staff, vandalism, fire, theft and timber harvesting. More than 6,000 archaeological and historic sites...
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Not far from Taos, NM, there is a storied and luminous land called the Piedra Lumbre, or cliffs of the shining stone. One of the most famous parts of this area is Ghost Ranch: 21,000 acres located in the basin of the Rito del Yeso surrounded by red-and-gold cliffs. The Tewa people of San Juan Pueblo call the place T’ibuhu’u, which refers to a low, round place for a...
Learn MoreGazing down from the rim at trails that snake and switchback their way into the canyon, a thought rises to the surface: Could I do this? Should I? The Grand Canyon, one of the seven natural wonders of the world, is beckoning. The answer to the first question — Could I? — is: Probably. Kids do it. Old folks do it. The secret is knowing what you are getting into. Without...
Learn MoreIn January 2013, the city of Phoenix shut down one of its busiest hiking spots because it was too popular. Camelback Mountain’s Echo Canyon Recreation Area had become inundated with hikers and, with it, worn-down trails and overflowing parking that brought a sea of complaints from surrounding residents. The city spent almost a year nearly doubling the number of parking...
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President Obama signed into law a bill phasing out the manufacture of facewash, toothpaste and shampoo containing plastic microbeads by July 1, 2017 and the sale of such beauty products by July 1, 2018. Following in the footsteps of California’s historic microbead ban enacted earlier this year, the Microbead-Free Waters Act (H.R. 1321) bans all plastic microbeads from...
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I am Jeff Clark, founder of Internet Brothers, producer of this blog, and passionate about hiking. I live in Western NC near the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains. Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests are just out my door, so the content will focus on these areas, but let me know what you would like to see on the site. 
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