When Doug Tompkins first went to Argentina’s Perito Moreno National Park in 1992 to investigate the unclimbed south face of Cerro San Lorenzo, he and his climbing partners were blown away by the beauty and primeval rawness of the Lácteo River Valley — and shocked that it wasn’t part of the park. He vowed to [...]
conservation
Sharks might have more sympathy on their side if their gave birth to cute, furry, photogenic offspring, like lions. But, alas for them, they don’t. There’s all those teeth, the feeding frenzies, Jaws, and, dang it, shark fin soup. Not much warm and cuddly there. But sharks are apex predators, critical to the health and [...]
The Elwha River, which tumbles through Washington’s lush Olympic Peninsula, is not the prettiest place in the world right now. Instead of running clear and cold, the water is muddy with sediment. And instead of flowing past inviting beaches, the river cuts through dry lakebeds and other sediment. But to many, it’s a beautiful sight. [...]
The idea that protecting wildlife habitat does good things for the wildlife might sound like Animal Conservation 101. But to many fishermen along the California coast, the amount of protection needed to link up a statewide network of undersea parks was just too extreme. And for some, it was an issue worth fighting for — [...]
For the past 20 years, 20 environmental activists have waged a battle to preserve the last 20 miles of undeveloped shoreline in Southern California, the Gaviota Coast, from residential development and urban sprawl. A new film called, appropriately, The Twenty will explore both the past and future of this final pristine pocket, which stretches north [...]
Note: Yesterday, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced his highly anticipated decision over the lease of an oyster farm in Point Reyes National Seashore, California. The lease, which expires today, will not be renewed, giving the core of the park full wilderness protection. This story, written by Susan Ives, was compiled prior to the decision, but [...]
It covers 23.5 million acres and is home to several Inupiat Eskimo communities, half a million caribou, ancient archaeological sites, and the largest polar dinosaur fossil bed on earth — and it’s completely open to oil and gas development. Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve is the largest parcel of public land in the United States, and [...]
The Migrating Mural is the invention of conservation artist Jane Kim. Kim’s work has been commissioned by the likes of The Nature Conservancy, the Smithsonian, and Yosemite National Park. But the Migrating Mural is different: The idea is to paint on derelict buildings and barns and put up works in places where animals, often endangered [...]
Grassroots work to protect marine habitat is paying off in Fiji, which is making progress toward the goal of protecting at least 30 percent of its inshore habitats. A new study by researchers from the Global Change Institute at the University of Queensland, the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook [...]
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 [...]
In a dirt parking lot near Many Farms, Arizona, a Navajo farmer sold me a mutton burrito. He hasn’t used his tractor in two years. He has to cook instead of farm because, he says, “There isn’t any water.” He pointed east at the Chuska Mountains, which straddle the New Mexico border. In a normal [...]
Thanks to successful lobbying by Arizona Republican senators John McCain and Jon Kyl, with some help from Nevada Democratic senator 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 incentives for adopting “quiet technology” [...]
UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI TO PAY $482K FOR DAMAGING NATIONAL PARK REEF There are better — and less expensive – places to park your boat than on top of a fragile coral reef in a national park. But in 2007 the University of Miami’s 96-foot research catamaran, the R/V Walton Smith, ran aground on a reef [...]
HURLEY SUES, SAYING OLD NAVY STOLE ITS BOARDSHORTS DESIGN Hurley’s Phantom boardshorts have won countless awards and brought the SoCal company bazillions to its bottom line, so it should be no surprise that the brand, backed by parent Nike, is aggressively protecting its Phantom patents with a lawsuit against Old Navy. In particular, Hurley says [...]
The Daily Bike, May 24, 2013
Boy Scouts to Allow Gay Members
The Daily Bike: Mountain Bike Enduro World Series Kicks Off
Overlandia: Driving a 1936 Rolls Royce Across India
15 Seconds: Driving Indian Creek, Utah
The Man Who Skied Down Everest Climbs it at 80
National Avalanche Legend Doug Abromeit Passes Away
Smokey Is Fighting Fracking and the Feds Don’t Like It
Prickly, Beloved Mountain Gazette Print Version Shut Down
Historical Badass: Alpinist Alex Lowe
Volunteer Fired at Saguaro National Park for Reporting Graffiti
Sierra Club Joins Lawsuit Against Mountain Bike Park
Driver Busted After Bragging on Twitter About Hitting Cyclist
The Daily Bike: Les Granges du Galibier, Giro d’Italia 2013
