I am weary of politicians who “gut” the rules and regulations intended to protect human health and the environment (HCN, 7/23/12, “(Not so) quiet canyon”). They all seem to play the jobs/economy card, when in fact the deterioration of the environment leads to situations that cost the taxpayers money and citizens their health (and therefore […]
Recreation
Posted inAugust 6, 2012: Of Birds and Men
Political pawns
Posted in response to Emily Guerin’s blog “Grand Cacophony National Park?“, at hcn.org, an expanded version of the snapshot “(Not so) quiet canyon,” which ran in our 7/23/12 issue. I was backcountry packing in the Grand Canyon in 2010 and subjected to relentless fixed-wing overflights echoing off the canyon walls (HCN, 7/23/12, “(Not so) quiet […]
Posted inAugust 6, 2012: Of Birds and Men
The Continental Divide Trail gains new protectors
At 3,100 miles, the Continental Divide Trail is the most rugged and least used of the country’s three major long-distance hiking trails. In January, when financial troubles forced the Continental Divide Trail Alliance to close its doors, it also became the only long-distance trail without a formal advocacy group. Since then, nonprofits throughout the Rockies […]
Posted inAugust 6, 2012: Of Birds and Men
Where there’s a will, there’s a way
Paul Larmer’s editor’s note and the feature article by Greg Hanscom each present a valid point: The multibillion-dollar outdoor industry makes a minuscule contribution to conservation (HCN, 7/23/12, “The Hardest Climb”). But take a look on the other side of the fence: The Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act, passed in 1938 in the middle […]
Posted inWotr
It’s all about the aircraft, not the Grand Canyon
Thanks to successful lobbying by Arizona Republican Sens. John McCain and Jon Kyl, with some help from Nevada Democratic Sen. Harry Reid, aircraft will continue to swarm over the Grand Canyon and are even likely to increase in number in the future. Tour operators are being offered more flights as incentive for adopting “quiet technology” […]
Posted inJuly 23, 2012: The Hardest Climb
Can the outdoor gear industry wield its power for conservation?
For the people drifting in rafts and kayaks through the vast silence of Desolation Canyon, the circling plane must have been a puzzle. A King Air turbo prop, it flew low over the canyon rim, dipping its wings to make wide loops over the Tavaputs Plateau and the Green River. Below, boaters slid along the […]
Posted inRange
Harvesting versus hunting
One interesting effect of spending three weeks in the bottom of the Grand Canyon is the fresh view you bring to the “rim world” outside the canyon afterwards. Some of the novel experiences are pleasing (“oh yeah! Getting around is so convenient!”) while others are puzzling. One such moment occurred while I was catching up on […]
Posted inWotr
Is the outdoor industry really a green giant?
Last February, the CEO of Patagonia, perhaps the world’s most conservation-minded outdoor gear and clothing company, spoke to eager business students and outdoor-industry professionals at the University of Colorado at Boulder. CEO Casey Sheahan’s message was simple: Companies can do right by the environment and society and still turn a profit. Sheahan’s talk was peppered […]
Posted inJuly 23, 2012: The Hardest Climb
Conservation Alliance Grants, 2011-2012
In 1989, four outdoor companies – REI, Patagonia, The North Face and Kelty – founded the Conservation Alliance to increase industry support for efforts to protect wildlands used by recreationists. Since then the alliance has grown to include more than 180 member companies and has disbursed more than $10 million in membership dues to conservation groups. […]
Posted inJuly 23, 2012: The Hardest Climb
Dueling Letters: Utah’s Governor versus Black Diamond’s CEO
In March 2012, Black Diamond CEO Peter Metcalf wrote an op-ed in the Salt Lake Tribune criticizing Utah Governor Gary Herbert for supporting legislation that would transfer ownership of federal public lands to the state of Utah and potentially open up protected wild lands to motorized recreation and energy developers. Soon after, the governor wrote […]
Posted inJuly 23, 2012: The Hardest Climb
Congress thwarts effort to reduce Grand Canyon noise pollution
Helicopter noise is a fundamental — but annoying — part of most Grand Canyon experiences. In 1987, Congress directed the Interior Department to quiet the airborne sightseeing cacophony. After years of public debate, the National Park Service was due to release final recommendations for reducing noise this month. But a last-minute provision snuck into an […]
Posted inRange
Wheels of change
By Heather Hansen, Red Lodge Clearing House Many people who’ve hiked or run on mixed-use trails have experienced that moment when, lost in your mind, a mountain biker comes tearing down the slope from behind, scaring the spit out of you. I’m not fond of that particular sensation but, while I’ve been on umpteen trails […]
Posted inRange
Disney’s Unlikely Heroine: The Huntress
For decades, Disney cartoons have reliably produced two stereotypes: brutish, cruel hunters and dizzy, passive princesses. But, holy daughters of Diana, times have changed. Maybe Disney’s anti-hunter bias is just the natural result of having a cast full of talking animals. But think about it: there’s Clayton, the evil hunter who nets Tarzan’s family of […]
Posted inJune 25, 2012: Special travel issue
Three days in the Four Corners
The Four Corners country — the point where sage plains, mesas and desert canyons radiate out from the intersection of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah — is a land of friction. The cultures of the Ute, Apache and Navajo tribes rub up against the Hispanic and Anglo cultures. The ancient rudely bumps into the […]
Posted inJune 25, 2012: Special travel issue
Three days in eastern Montana
The bull erupted from its pen, plunged toward the dirt, kicked its hooves into the air and sprayed grainy shit across my face. None of the bull-riders and cowboys winced like I did. Cow crap is as common in their lives as sunlight and coffee. “It’s just something you’ll have to experience for yourself,” the […]
Posted inJune 25, 2012: Special travel issue
The Quileute Reservation copes with tourists brought by “Twilight”
Five Quileute boys emerge from a phalanx of drummers. Barefoot and bare-chested, they wear black cloaks and wolf headdresses, and dance, crouch and crawl within the center of a large circle. On the outskirts, women and girls move rhythmically to a chant and steady drumbeat, several of them sporting red and black capes emblazoned with […]
Posted inJune 25, 2012: Special travel issue
Three days in western Nevada
Think Reno is merely a smaller, tamer stepchild of Las Vegas? Think again. Spend three days here, and you’ll get a taste of a modern Western city that’s still both quirky and affordable. It’s a great base for side trips, too: within easy reach of a classic Western tourist trap, a historic state capital, two […]
Posted inWotr
Why I never hike alone
The boulder was the tallest in a field of tabletop-size stones, seemingly undisturbed by the passage of centuries. It had the stature to have borne witness to a solstice ceremony at Stonehenge, a human sacrifice at Teotihuacan. I must have brushed it with my right elbow when I looked back to check on my friend, […]
Posted inJune 25, 2012: Special travel issue
Ray Ring’s Nevada route
The travel route the author took when touring around Reno, Nevada.
Posted inJune 25, 2012: Special travel issue
Western travel tips
If you decide to go running on a BLM backroad near Bisbee, Ariz., consider taking a couple of large friends or some dogs as insurance against getting chased (twice) by emaciated-yet-speedy longhorn Mexican bulls. —Sarah Gilman, associate editor Park the car and take public/mass transit. I know this sounds crazy, as we’re talking about the land […]