If Coloradans can brag about one thing, it's superior hunting and fishing. We have more elk and mule deer than any other state in the country, as well as trout streams and high mountain lakes that are world renowned.
Given these abundant outdoor opportunities - Colorado has 4.4 million acres of national forest roadless backcountry - a finer place to experience America's sporting heritage would be hard to find.
When I was approached by Kirk Johnson to become a member of the Board of the Friends of Allegheny Wilderness (FAW), I said I would be honored to serve and that I "will do what I can." For more than 70 years my roots have been in Warren, Pennsylvania. From my home on Park Avenue, with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins up and down the street, my early world was mostly Glade. (I still have vivid memories of getting my head stuck in Glade Run¹s concrete bridge rail on our walk home from church one Sunday.) I spent my formative years exploring along the Allegheny and hiking
As a longtime resident of Central Oregon, and head of a local corporation, I want to echo the sentiments of John Sterling's recent commentary on the Oregon Badlands (Aug.
Re: the anti-wilderness letter by Walt Grabe (July 25): Grabe stated that mechanical devices such as bulldozers, to fight fires will be forbidden, that fire retardant dropped from aircraft will not be allowed and that fire crews hiking in with picks and shovels are the only method of fire fighting.
I have worked fires as a district archaeologist for the forest service. I walked bulldozers into fire lines in the Sierra wilderness to ensure the least amount of impact to culturally sensitive areas as well to achieve a corridor of rapid containment around fires.
My favorite mountain is North Palisade. My personal hero is David Brower. Soon, I hope, the former will bear the name of the latter.
It was 44 years ago that I climbed the mountain. I was 17. That August in 1964, my friend John Ellsworth and I spent six weeks by ourselves in the Sierra Nevada, sleeping in the open under the stars, exploring 500 miles of trails and cross-country routes, finishing the trip with a night atop Mount Whitney, the highest point in the continental United States.
River runners in Idaho enjoy access to some of the nation's best free-flowing waterways protected by Wild and Scenic Rivers System status.
The 1968 National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act designated eight rivers across the nation for immediate protection. Other river segments were later added.
It was well past dark when we finally found the campsite we had been looking for. The directions Chris' plumber had given him were easy to follow until we turned off the main road and began looking for the location he recommended. In the darkness, trees blended together and every clearing began to look the same. I suppose that's why the outdoor gurus always tell you to make camp before dark.
It is unfortunate that Walt Grabe (July 25) is misinformed. He claims that the wilderness is unnecessary because the San Gabriel Mountains are the most rugged and impassable in the Western Hemisphere.
This is precisely what makes these mountains pristine and perfect for wilderness designation. Because Pleasant View Ridge is rugged. That is why there are no roads and it remains pristine. PVR is one of the best examples of wilderness in Southern California.
As a native Oregonian, avid outdoorsman and now executive director of the Outdoor Industry Conservation Alliance, based in Bend, I have a deep appreciation for what our wild lands provide.
From my home in Lancaster, it takes me 30 minutes (with traffic) to reach Pleasant View Ridge in the San Gabriel Mountains, an area with panoramic views, spectacular back country and pristine picnic and hiking spots like those of Yosemite.
For my family of modest means, traveling to some of California's wild places hours away is not always possible; what is possible and affordable for us is to put on tennis shoes and pack some sack lunches and water bottles and drive 30 minutes for a day of hiking and exploring in our local San Gabriels.
Opinion: Washington takes aim at Colorado's backcountry
August 12th, 2008If Coloradans can brag about one thing, it's superior hunting and fishing. We have more elk and mule deer than any other state in the country, as well as trout streams and high mountain lakes that are world renowned.
Given these abundant outdoor opportunities - Colorado has 4.4 million acres of national forest roadless backcountry - a finer place to experience America's sporting heritage would be hard to find.
COLUMN: Backyard wilderness
August 11th, 2008When I was approached by Kirk Johnson to become a member of the Board of the Friends of Allegheny Wilderness (FAW), I said I would be honored to serve and that I "will do what I can." For more than 70 years my roots have been in Warren, Pennsylvania. From my home on Park Avenue, with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins up and down the street, my early world was mostly Glade. (I still have vivid memories of getting my head stuck in Glade Run¹s concrete bridge rail on our walk home from church one Sunday.) I spent my formative years exploring along the Allegheny and hiking
LETTER: Protect the Oregon Badlands
August 12th, 2008As a longtime resident of Central Oregon, and head of a local corporation, I want to echo the sentiments of John Sterling's recent commentary on the Oregon Badlands (Aug.
Letter: Designation doesn’t hinder firefighting
August 11th, 2008Re: the anti-wilderness letter by Walt Grabe (July 25): Grabe stated that mechanical devices such as bulldozers, to fight fires will be forbidden, that fire retardant dropped from aircraft will not be allowed and that fire crews hiking in with picks and shovels are the only method of fire fighting.
I have worked fires as a district archaeologist for the forest service. I walked bulldozers into fire lines in the Sierra wilderness to ensure the least amount of impact to culturally sensitive areas as well to achieve a corridor of rapid containment around fires.
My View: Sierra protector Brower deserves high honor
August 8th, 2008My favorite mountain is North Palisade. My personal hero is David Brower. Soon, I hope, the former will bear the name of the latter.
It was 44 years ago that I climbed the mountain. I was 17. That August in 1964, my friend John Ellsworth and I spent six weeks by ourselves in the Sierra Nevada, sleeping in the open under the stars, exploring 500 miles of trails and cross-country routes, finishing the trip with a night atop Mount Whitney, the highest point in the continental United States.
COLUMN: Follow the rules as you float Idaho's wild rivers
August 7th, 2008River runners in Idaho enjoy access to some of the nation's best free-flowing waterways protected by Wild and Scenic Rivers System status.
The 1968 National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act designated eight rivers across the nation for immediate protection. Other river segments were later added.
In The Outdoors: Wildlife habitats need protection
August 8th, 2008It was well past dark when we finally found the campsite we had been looking for. The directions Chris' plumber had given him were easy to follow until we turned off the main road and began looking for the location he recommended. In the darkness, trees blended together and every clearing began to look the same. I suppose that's why the outdoor gurus always tell you to make camp before dark.
LETTER: Wilderness Welcome
August 6th, 2008It is unfortunate that Walt Grabe (July 25) is misinformed. He claims that the wilderness is unnecessary because the San Gabriel Mountains are the most rugged and impassable in the Western Hemisphere.
This is precisely what makes these mountains pristine and perfect for wilderness designation. Because Pleasant View Ridge is rugged. That is why there are no roads and it remains pristine. PVR is one of the best examples of wilderness in Southern California.
OPINION: Badlands should be preserved
August 5th, 2008As a native Oregonian, avid outdoorsman and now executive director of the Outdoor Industry Conservation Alliance, based in Bend, I have a deep appreciation for what our wild lands provide.
LETTER: Our local 'Yosemite'
August 5th, 2008From my home in Lancaster, it takes me 30 minutes (with traffic) to reach Pleasant View Ridge in the San Gabriel Mountains, an area with panoramic views, spectacular back country and pristine picnic and hiking spots like those of Yosemite.
For my family of modest means, traveling to some of California's wild places hours away is not always possible; what is possible and affordable for us is to put on tennis shoes and pack some sack lunches and water bottles and drive 30 minutes for a day of hiking and exploring in our local San Gabriels.