Skip Newman, who runs a family ranch about 50 miles west of Great Falls, Mont., recently fenced off the banks of Muddy Creek, drilled a well and set up water troughs away from the stream for his cows. “There is an erosion and water quality problem, and I just wanted to do my part,” Newman […]
Books
Posted inFebruary 1, 1999: Saving the Platte
Ski the Butte?
Since the 1960s, some locals in Klamath Falls, Ore., have eyed Pelican Butte and dreamed of outfitting its snowy, timbered slopes with chairlifts and challenging ski runs. Past attempts fell flat when financiers ran out of money. Now, a Klamath Falls-based company with deep pockets is leading the effort to build a ski resort in […]
Posted inFebruary 1, 1999: Saving the Platte
Damning report on dams
Spawning chinook salmon would be better off if they didn’t have to swim the gantlet of four dams on Idaho’s Snake River, says a panel of independent scientists. By testing that hypothesis with a computer model, the scientists found threatened spring and summer chinook salmon would have a greater than 80 percent chance of restoration […]
Posted inFebruary 1, 1999: Saving the Platte
Fees feed volunteers
Years of budget-cutting have taken their toll on the trails and roads of the national parks, and the Park Service is using a windfall from increased user fees to clean up its act. Two million dollars in park user fees have jump-started the Public Land Corps, a program administered by the nonprofit Student Conservation Association. […]
Posted inFebruary 1, 1999: Saving the Platte
National Land Trust Census
The last decade has been a good one for the West’s land trusts. A census conducted by the Washington, D.C.-based Land Trust Alliance reveals the number of land trusts that serve the Rocky Mountain states has risen from 20 to 52, and the Southwest shows similar growth. Nationwide, these private nonprofits, whose primary purpose is […]
Posted inFebruary 1, 1999: Saving the Platte
Connecting Ecosystems – Connecting Peoples
The Environmental and Outdoor Education Council of Alberta, Canada, holds its annual conference April 22-24 at Waterton Lakes National Park, just north of Montana’s Glacier National Park. “Connecting Ecosystems – Connecting Peoples’ is the theme, and topics include the proposal to link the Yukon-Yellowstone wildlife corridors. Contact Keith Roscoe at 403/329-2446 or keith.roscoe@uleth.ca. This article […]
Posted inFebruary 1, 1999: Saving the Platte
College scholarships
The Sierra Club will award four-year college scholarships of $1,000 per year to 10 students from small communities in the Sierra Nevada region. Applications must be postmarked no later than March 5; for more information, write to Jackie McCort of the Sierra Club at 85 Second Street, Fourth Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105-5500, call her […]
Posted inFebruary 1, 1999: Saving the Platte
San Juan National Forest Artist in Residence
The San Juan National Forest Artist in Residence program offers artists the chance to stay at the historic Aspen Guard Station in exchange for producing a creative piece that represents their experience in the former ranger station. All types of artists are encouraged to apply by March 1 for the one- to two-week fall stay. […]
Posted inFebruary 1, 1999: Saving the Platte
Stegner Center Symposium
Two of the country’s experts on water policy will speak at this year’s 4th Annual Stegner Center Symposium, “Where the Rivers Flow: Sharing Watersheds and Boundaries’ in Salt Lake City, Utah. On hand April 16-17 will be Dan Beard, former commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation, and Marc Reisner, author of Cadillac Desert: The American […]
Posted inFebruary 1, 1999: Saving the Platte
Society for Ecology Restoration
When members of the Society for Ecological Restoration meet next September in San Francisco, they will focus on moving stewardship of the land back to the community – away from government or large corporations. To submit abstracts for a talk or poster by March 15, contact Deborah Amshoff, program chair, 2489 Whitney Dr. #1, Mountain […]
Posted inJanuary 18, 1999: Desert sprawl
Bibliography of Native American Literature
A bibliography of Native American literature is now available on the Web at www.anpa.ualr.edu. The site, developed by the Native American Writers Archival Project, includes over 10,000 annotated citations of Native American fiction, poetry, journalism and technical writing published before 1945. For more information, contact James Parins at anpa@ualr.edu or write to the Native American […]
Posted inJanuary 18, 1999: Desert sprawl
Gila National Forest
Though jobs in fire management, trail maintenance, guiding and research won’t be available on the Gila National Forest in southwestern New Mexico until summer, the application deadline is Jan. 29. For details, call Joan E. Hellen, 505/539-2481, at the Glenwood Ranger Station. This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline […]
Posted inJanuary 18, 1999: Desert sprawl
The Future of Our Public Lands II: A Work in Progress
The Andrus Center for Public Policy, led by its namesake, former governor of Idaho Cecil Andrus, who also served as secretary of the Interior, is sponsoring its second symposium on federal land policy, The Future of Our Public Lands II: A Work in Progress, in Boise on March 24, 1999. The heads of the Fish […]
Posted inJanuary 18, 1999: Desert sprawl
Crust course coming
Although they resemble bits of black rubber, clumps of lumpy soil crust found throughout the arid West prevent erosion. This slow-growing community of microscopic plants, however, is feeling the effects of cattle grazing, off-road vehicles and outdoor recreation. Next month, the Bureau of Land Management will sponsor an intensive training course on the biology and […]
Posted inJanuary 18, 1999: Desert sprawl
ATV revolt
ATV revolt A proposal to close 400 miles of forest roads and 200 miles of trails to motorized vehicles on the Targhee National Forest has raised a storm of protest. The road closures are intended to decrease road densities in a grizzly bear recovery area – a move recommended by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife […]
Posted inJanuary 18, 1999: Desert sprawl
Keeping hikers and habitat happy
-Most hikers think of their hobby as low-impact, a way to enjoy nature without harming it, but a new publication from Colorado State Parks suggests they’re only partly right. Planning Trails with Wildlife in Mind: A Handbook for Trail Planners shows how trails can interfere with wild areas. The guide suggests routing trails along ecological […]
Posted inJanuary 18, 1999: Desert sprawl
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers wants to lure volunteers to work in a number of positions ranging from trail crew workers to campground hosts. Volunteers choose the region and the Corps matches them with a project. Call the Volunteer Clearinghouse at 1-800-VOL-TEER, write to P.O. Box 1070, Nashville, TN 37202-1070, or check out www.orn.usace.army.mil/volunteer. […]
Posted inJanuary 18, 1999: Desert sprawl
Western Forest Activists Conference
Environmentalists favoring wilderness protection for ancient forests will convene at Headwaters’ 8th annual Western Forest Activists Conference in Ashland, Ore., Feb. 5-7. Speakers include Agnes Pilgrim, a Rogue Band Takilma elder, who works to preserve the role of native women in traditional land management. Call the Headwaters office at 541/482-4459 or e-mail headwtrs@mind.net Send pre-registration […]
Posted inJanuary 18, 1999: Desert sprawl
Another dog done gone
BOULDER, Colo. – Maybe it was the buzz about the arsonist fires on the Vail ski hill; for whatever reason, the scene at the Boulder Theater in Boulder, Colo., seemed dramatic. More than 250 people gathered for the premiere of Varmints, the latest of Doug Hawes-Davis’ films sponsored by the Missoula, Mont., based Ecology Center. […]
Posted inDecember 21, 1998: Grand Canyon Gridlock
A river rat remembers
As we round a bend and come over a small rise, I feel like I’ve been hit in the middle of my everything. I grab for Frank’s arm and say, “Wait a minute, Bigfeets, I don’t think I can take much more of this. It’s too beautiful!” Suddenly, I’m crying. He nods, takes my hand, […]