Thirty-some years ago, before mining companies turned Wyoming’s Powder River Basin into the nation’s most productive coal region, they made a promise: When they finished extracting coal, they would restore the land. Under federal law, companies must reclaim the land they’ve mined. To ensure that cleanup is completed, they must provide financial guarantees — bonds, cash...
Learn MoreWhen household budgets are tight, people tend to put off expensive maintenance projects. So a leaky roof gets patched instead of replaced, or paint is left to peel for a season or two or three longer than a homeowner (not to mention the neighbors) would like. Government agencies do the same thing. And now, after years of putting off less-crucial repairs because of...
Learn MoreThe Aberdares Mountain Range is 160km from “tip to toe” and encompasses over 2,000sqkm of Afro-montane wilderness. There are several ways to tackle this pristine highland. One such hike is to Mt Satima, or Ol Donyo Lesatima, the highest peak at 3,999m and located on the south-eastern end of the range. Leave Nairobi before dawn; on average, the hike takes...
Learn MoreFrom pole to pole the ice is melting. Winter is retreating. And much of life and even the seasons themselves appear to have been thrown off-kilter. In the Southern Ocean near the Antarctic Peninsula, krill populations have dropped by more than 50 percent due to a shortening of the season in which sea ice forms. The North Pole now experiences near or above freezing...
Learn MoreSequoia groves are found throughout the Sequoia, Sierra, Stanislaus, Eldorado and Tahoe National Forests in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Multiple agencies, businesses and non-profits are collaborating to improve management and share scientific results regarding Giant Sequoia. Led by the National Forest Foundation, the Sequoia Work Group members believe better exchange of...
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Several items are essential for exploring the magical Southern Alps mountains that run across New Zealand’s South Island: insect repellent, rain gear and ear plugs. The repellent is to ward off sandflies, those annoying black bugs that are the itchy scourge of hikers in Fiordland National Park. The park, which is bigger than Yosemite and Yellowstone national parks...
Learn MoreIn what environmentalists hailed as a victory for efforts to curb climate change, an appeals panel in Washington on Jan. 21, 2016 rebuffed efforts to delay enforcement of President Barack Obama’s plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions until legal challenges are resolved. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issued an order denying...
Learn MoreAs part of the Interior Department’s reform agenda for a cleaner, more secure energy future, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell has proposed to update 30 year-old regulations in order to reduce the wasteful release of natural gas into the atmosphere from oil and gas operations on public and American Indian lands. The proposed rule on venting, flaring and leaking...
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The Buckeye Trail Association announced, in partnership with the Burr Oak State Park, Burr Oak Lodge and Burr Oak Alive!, the fifth annual Burr Oak Winter Hike will be held at the Lodge on Feb. 6, 2016 starting at 10 a.m. This free event is being hosted by the Little Cities of the Forest Chapter of the Buckeye Trail Association. After the hike, lunch including cornbread,...
Learn MoreDue to snow and ice accumulation across North Carolina from winter storm Jonas, the U.S. Forest Service will be closing some areas on the National Forests in North Carolina. Visitor and Forest Service employee safety is a priority and everyone is encouraged to be prepared for dangerous driving conditions. Visitors are urged to stay off Forest Service roads and reschedule...
Learn MoreIt wouldn’t be fair to call them the “forgotten waterfalls of Silver Falls State Park.” After all, the five cascades smack in the middle of Oregon’s largest state park are still part of the Trail of Ten Falls, one of the most famous hikes in the Pacific Northwest. But the truth is, this quintet of waterfalls get far fewer visitors than the most crowded sections of the...
Learn MoreIf you have been on the Internet in the last 10 years, it’s likely you have seen this iconic turquoise-colored waterfall cascading over bright redwall limestone. This stunning swimming hole is in a remote part of the Grand Canyon and accessible only by a 10-mile hike in or by helicopter. The land is administered by the Havasupai Tribe, which has lived in the area...
Learn MoreAfter one of the many attempts to plug the methane-leaking well at the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility in the Los Angeles suburbs, the thing erupted like a geyser, spewing not only natural gas, but also the muddy slurry that company technicians had pumped into the well. Aliso Canyon is a bit like a gigantic, catastrophic version of the geyser gas well of yore....
Learn MoreHuman beings have replaced nature as the dominant force shaping Earth. We’ve cleared away forests, dammed up mighty rivers, paved vast roads, and transported thousands of species around the world. “To a large extent,” two scientists wrote in 2015, “the future of the only place where life is known to exist is being determined by the actions of...
Learn MoreThe Board of Review with the National Park Service reissued safety recommendations for hiking in bear country after a Montana man was mauled to death in Yellowstone National Park last summer. The report states most hikers are not following the precautions, despite warning and education. Of the six fatalities caused by grizzly bears in Yellowstone since 2010, five...
Learn MoreHikers and backpackers love the High Peaks Wilderness. The 203,500-acre tract is the largest state-owned wilderness areas in New York’s Adirondack Forest Preserve. The preserve itself covers 6 million acres and is a patchwork of private and public lands that was created in 1885. It was one of the first public parks created in the United States. Only Yosemite and...
Learn MoreIf there’s one thing Canada is good for, it’s winter and winter activities. Introducing the Ice Skating Trail in the Muskoka Forest in Arrowhead Provincial Park. It’s definitely one of the most unique opportunities you could ever enjoy. It’s one thing to hike through a forest, and quite another to skate through one. The trail is less than a mile long in its entirety and...
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This year Great Smoky Mountains National Park is celebrating the Centennial of the National Park Service. To honor the first 100 years of the National Park Service and launch into the next century, the Park Superintendent has committed to hiking 100 miles of park trails during 2016 – and he invites you to join in on this challenge. Whether you are new to hiking in...
Learn MoreIllinois Wesleyan University physics professor Linda French has hiked to the top of all 48 peaks above 4,000 feet in the White Mountains in New Hampshire and along paths nearly 200 years old in England, but she also finds beauty in Central Illinois. “My current favorite is Clinton Lake State Recreation Area’s North Fork Trail,” French said at a Lunch and Learn...
Learn MoreThey call him “Elusive,” at least on the hiking trails. And that’s pretty much where Dave Roberts spends his time these days, crisscrossing the country by foot, by bike, even by kayak. Mr. Roberts, a retired teacher and software engineer, is on a mission to navigate the United States powered only by his two legs and two arms. Hotels and lodges are out of the question; he...
Learn MoreA day long awaited, since that first opportunity for the public to witness bison at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie (Midewin) in Illinois, the herd is doing well and adjusting to their new home. Several of the bison appear to enjoy wallowing in select pasture areas. This shows how the bison can create areas where prairie grass seeds can become established and help...
Learn MoreA high-quality tract of land has been added to Lake James State Park, east of Asheville, NC with the help of The Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina and grants from two conservation trust funds. The property, in two parcels totaling 129 acres, features 8,900 linear feet of shoreline and a stunning view of the Linville Gorge. The Foothills Conservancy aided in...
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Secretary Sally Jewell announced today that the Interior Department will launch a comprehensive review to identify and evaluate potential reforms to the federal coal program in order to ensure that it is properly structured to provide a fair return to taxpayers and reflect its impacts on the environment, while continuing to help meet our energy needs. This is another...
Learn MoreAccording to Cole’s “History of Washington and Kent Counties,” the name Fisherville came from Schuyler Fisher, who manufactured “jeans and check flannel” in a Rhode Island mill until giving up the business to head west. Even in 1889, Fisherville was remote; “there is at present no business done at the place,” Cole wrote. You may think of horse-and-buggy days as you...
Learn MoreOver the last decade, the exotic forest pest, Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA) has ravaged our southern Appalachian forests. Since the “arrival” of HWA in our area, Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy (CMLC) has been working to protect our native Eastern and Carolina hemlocks from this attack. Hemlock Woolly Adelgid is a destructive pest that gravely threatens the eastern...
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On December 23, 2015 the Conservation Trust for North Carolina purchased two forested properties on the slopes of Saddle Mountain in Alleghany and Surry counties. To expand public recreation opportunities, CTNC intends to convey the properties to the state for inclusion in the Saddle Mountain portion of the Mitchell River Game Lands managed by the NC Wildlife Resources...
Learn MoreMount Qua Qua is one of the tallest mountains of Grenada, a Caribbean country known as the “Island of Spice” for its production of nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger and mace. Rising about 2,300 feet above sea level in the rainforest of Grand Etang Forest Preserve, the mountain’s long ridge is often obscured by shifting rainclouds, but when the clouds clear, the mountain offers...
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Get out and explore YOUR Big South Fork! In celebration of the 100th birthday of the National Park Service, Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area is holding the Centennial Challenge. From January 1, through December 3, 2016, participants will have a the opportunity to get out and experience the many unique cultural and natural features of this park along...
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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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