Just before sunlight hits New Mexico’s Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in November, visitors can hear the squawking of ducks, geese and cranes. In a roar of wings, thousands of these birds take flight at dawn – an event most viewers consider a highlight of the annual Festival of the Cranes. “Then, during the […]
Books
Posted inSeptember 11, 2000: Holy water
ORVs named one of top threats
Off-road vehicle use is one of the most serious threats to wild places, according to a Wilderness Society report outlining the 15 most endangered wild lands in the United States. Jerry Greenberg of The Wilderness Society says that although mining and oil drilling industries can’t be ignored, soil erosion and pollution from ORVs are fast-growing […]
Posted inSeptember 11, 2000: Holy water
Farm Bureau not for farmers
Washington, D.C.-based Defenders of Wildlife wants to expose the American Farm Bureau Federation. In its 98-page report, Amber Waves of Gain: How the Farm Bureau is reaping profits at the expense of America’s family farmers, taxpayers and the environment, Defenders accuses the Farm Bureau of bowing to conglomerates, carrying an anti-wildlife agenda and aligning itself […]
Posted inSeptember 11, 2000: Holy water
Finding fresh flora
A month ago, Scott Sundberg added another plant to his growing list of Oregon flora – kudzu, an exotic vine usually found in the South. With this discovery, the Oregon Flora Project tallies 4,430 species, subspecies and varieties of plants identified in the state. The project was started by Sundberg, a professor at Oregon State […]
Posted inSeptember 11, 2000: Holy water
Conserving connections
Science, government and corporations don’t often find common ground – except when they’re trying to save some. United by a mission to protect and connect wild spaces, the Chatfield Basin Conservation Network, southwest of Denver, has successfully brought together businesspeople, county officials, road builders and environmentalists. “The purpose of the network is to strengthen the […]
Posted inSeptember 11, 2000: Holy water
Sustainable Communities Symposium
A Sustainable Communities Symposium in Crested Butte, Colo., Sept. 22-24, features keynote speaker Randy Udall of the Community Office of Resource Efficiency, workshops on building materials and tours of energy-efficient businesses. For more information on the $50 event, call the High Country Citizens’ Alliance at 970/349-7104 or e-mail hcca@csn.net or visit www.sni.net/hcca. This article appeared […]
Posted inSeptember 11, 2000: Holy water
The Wilderness Awareness School
The Wilderness Awareness School, based in Duvall, Wash., teaches animal tracking, storytelling and the art of mentoring. Classes for the national program are scheduled in several locations including Washington and California, as well as Vermont and New Jersey, from Sept. 22 to Nov. 5. Write to P.O. Box 5000 #5-137, Duvall, WA 98019 (425/788-1301), or […]
Posted inSeptember 11, 2000: Holy water
www.birdsource.com
The call of a golden-winged warblers and the habitat needs of finches are only a click away. A new Web site managed by the National Audubon Society and Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, www.birdsource.com, allows birders not only to gather information but also to record and share bird sightings with other enthusiasts. This article appeared in […]
Posted inSeptember 11, 2000: Holy water
Environmental Performance at the Bench: The EPA’s Record in Federal Courts
A report on Environmental Performance at the Bench: The EPA’s Record in Federal Courts says that unlike most federal agencies, the EPA rarely wins lawsuits. Author Jonathan H. Adler says the agency’s poor record signals a need for management reform because EPA regulations aren’t solving environmental problems. The 22-page report costs $15 from Reason Public […]
Posted inSeptember 11, 2000: Holy water
Voices in the Wind
Inspired by the Waterton Glacier International Peace Park located in southwestern Alberta and north-central Montana, a collection of short stories, essays, poems and editorials depicts life in the mountainous border region. Tales of the Blackfeet tribe, hailstorms, grizzly bears and fur poachers illuminate the history of this wild place. The 236-page Voices in the Wind […]
Posted inSeptember 11, 2000: Holy water
Drowning in Noise: Noise Costs of Jet Skis in America
The authors of a new report conclude that the only solution to noise annoyance from motorized water skis is an outright ban. Charles Kamanoff and Howard Shaw found that at an average beach, recreationists say they’d pay $47 to shut up one noisy machine for the day. To order a free copy of Drowning in […]
Posted inSeptember 11, 2000: Holy water
Natural History and Environmental Issues School
To kick off the Colorado Mountain Club’s new Natural History and Environmental Issues School, on Sept. 19, HCN publisher Ed Marston will speak about collaboration in the West and on Sept. 26, nature photographer John Fielder will discuss sprawl in the Southern Rocky Mountains. Contact Sean or Kirstin Pack at 303/279-3080, ext. 6, or e-mail […]
Posted inAugust 14, 2000: Meth invasion
Environmental education takes a ride
With only a bike to call his home, Mike Kahn is on a mission this summer. He wants to educate children about nature and the environment – while he pedals almost 4,000 miles from California to Maine. Kahn is the former office manager for Environmental Volunteers, a nonprofit group based in Palo Alto, Calif., and […]
Posted inAugust 14, 2000: Meth invasion
After Lewis and Clark: Explorer Artists and the American West
The journals and paintings of four artists, including George Catlin, who explored the Rocky Mountains after Lewis and Clark, will be featured at the Sun Valley Center for the Arts in Ketchum, Idaho. After Lewis and Clark: Explorer Artists and the American West is on display until Sept. 29, and then moves to the Boise […]
Posted inAugust 14, 2000: Meth invasion
14th Annual National Forest Reform Rally
Forest activists unite at the 14th Annual National Forest Reform Rally in Romayor, Texas, from Sept. 15-17. Participants will attend workshops on maintaining roadless areas, restoring ecosystems and ending old-growth logging, among other topics. Registration fees received before Aug. 28 are $35; late registration costs $45. Contact the Forest Reform Network, c/o Texas Committee on […]
Posted inAugust 14, 2000: Meth invasion
Learning from the Monument
Agency managers, environmentalists, lawyers and legislators hope to shed light on land protection in the West by analyzing the designation of Grand Staircase-Escalante as a national monument. Learning from the Monument is from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 15, at the University of Utah College of Law in Salt Lake City. To […]
Posted inAugust 14, 2000: Meth invasion
Nature Writers Retreat
Northwest authors Tim McNulty, Stephanie Mills, Robert Michael Pyle and Susan Zwinger will teach their writing secrets at the Nature Writers Retreat near Leavenworth, Wash. From Sept. 24-27, participants will learn the tools of observation, metaphor and character development. For more information, call the North Cascades Institute at 360/856-5700 ext. 209; e-mail: nci@ncascades.org or visit […]
Posted inAugust 14, 2000: Meth invasion
Critter-watching etiquette
If you’ve ever wondered why it’s hard to see raccoons at night, or why Lassie’s favorite meal didn’t include broccoli, a new children’s book called On the Trail of Colorado Critters can help. “Have you ever been hiking and seen a deer? Have you heard an owl hooting at night? Does a woodpecker live in […]
Posted inAugust 14, 2000: Meth invasion
Farm workers’ kids exposed to pesticides
Some children of farm workers in Washington state show elevated levels of pesticide exposure, according to a study by University of Washington researchers. In 1995, urine samples from 109 children in agricultural counties in eastern Washington – almost all children of farm workers – were tested for two pesticides known as organophosphates. Results show 56 […]
Posted inAugust 14, 2000: Meth invasion
Migrating with the monarchs
Trying to unlock the secrets of the West’s monarch butterflies, writer and naturalist Robert Michael Pyle logged over 9,500 miles in his beloved 1982 Honda Powdermilk. In his Chasing Monarchs travelogue, Pyle starts by the Similkameen River in Canada, traveling south along the Columbia and Snake rivers, through the Great Basin, up onto the Colorado […]