Get out! No, seriously, June 12th is National Get Outdoors Day.
All posts by mjh
Status Updates
Social networking sites, such as Myspace, Twitter, and Facebook, let you use short messages to update your friends on what you’re doing, your mood, etc. Yes, a status update may say more than anyone cares to know, yet these short “Hello World!†messages do remind everyone you’re still alive.
Visitors to my three blogs may notice – or not – that I’ve incorporated status updates into the header of each blog. (On most blogs, the tagline rarely changes.) The two of you who use RSS to subscribe to my blogs will still, er, get the benefit of these updates, which are like any other posting, only briefer. (Huzzah!)
I expect to update my status no more than once a day and as little as once a week on each blog. If you want to see all status updates for one blog, there’s a link for that. To see all updates and entries for all blogs – you glutton, you – there’s a link for that, too.
I do miss the interaction in Facebook, where a status update often elicits a response from more than one friend. Out here in the wilderness, these updates may only be greeted by the sound of tumbleweeds blowing and coyotes ululating. Do feel free to comment (just click on the status update in the header) or send email.
dwindle and pale
“Without enough wilderness America will change. Democracy, with its myriad personalities and increasing sophistication, must be fibred and vitalized by the regular contact with outdoor growths — animals, trees, sun warmth, and free skies — or it will dwindle and pale.†–Walt Whitman
“In wilderness is the preservation of the world.†-Henry David Thoreau.
Electric ATVs
E-Force
Built in Ellicottville, NY the E-FORCE is the first all electric zero-emission, adult sized ATV with adult sized power and torque for extreme terrain. The E-FORCE ’s Torque on Demand electric drive system has more than three times the torque of similar sized gas ATVs!
Also:
An electric ATV from Doran EV, the e-ATV
I think these are a great idea, even for a tree hugger like me. Anyone have experience with all-electric ATVs?
The Wilderness Legacy of Stewart Udall – markjusticehinton@gmail.com – Gmail
From www.nmwild.org:
You have often heard that the idea of wilderness needs no defense, but that it only needs more defenders.
Such is the case today, when we find ourselves humbled by the passing of Stewart Udall.
Stewart Udall, former Secretary of the Department of Interior during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, passed away peacefully with his children by his side on March 20, 2010.
Mr. Udall was a driving force in helping to define and cultivate a conservation ethic amongst the modern day American consciousness. He was a consistent advocate for the preservation of wilderness and a leader that stood up for the land; recognizing that future generations can only inherit what we pass on to them.
Stewart Udall lived a life dedicated to public service. From 1955-1961 he was a Congressman from Arizona. During his tenure at the Department of Interior, the Wilderness Act was passed and signed into law. New Mexico’s Gila was the first wilderness placed into the new National Wilderness Preservation System. Mr. Udall played a central role in establishing the National Trails System, the Endangered Species Act, the Land and Water Conservation Fund and the Wild and Scenic River System.
During his time as Interior Secretary he also developed the National Seashores and Lakeshores as part of the National Park System. He and his son, New Mexico Senator Tom Udall, took an epic raft trip through Glen Canyon just before a dam was constructed, decimating an iconic American river.
In 1963, Stewart Udall wrote a landmark book, “The Quiet Crisis,†which studied the history of our nation’s tortuous relationship between man and the land.
Mr. Udall retired to Santa Fe and remained active in many conservation efforts, including writing editorials of support for Otero Mesa, the opening introduction to our 2009 Wild Guide, and helping numerous conservation groups with fundraising efforts.
Please join us in sending our condolences to Senator Tom Udall, and to saying thank you for his father’s remarkable and selfless career in fighting for the land.
Senator Tom Udall
(202) 224-6621We may have lost a defender of wilderness, but the idea lives on, and the spirit for wild lands protection will be forever indebted to the perseverance demonstrated by Secretary Stewart Udall.
For Wilderness,
Stephen Capra
Executive Director
New Mexico Wilderness Alliance
UNM Today: Maxwell Museum Sponsoring Excursion to South Chaco Canyon Outliers
UNM Today: Maxwell Museum Sponsoring Excursion to South Chaco Canyon Outliers
Maxwell Museum Sponsoring Excursion to South Chaco Canyon Outliers
Tom Windes will lead a Maxwell Museum sponsored two-day excursion to Chacoan outlying sites found in the general area of Grants, New Mexico on Saturday-Sunday, April 17-18. These early communities span the Pueblo I, II, III and IV periods (CE 900-1400’s) and provide a visible impression of architectural and ceramic change through the centuries during the Chacoan period and beyond.
Windes will show sites on BLM land that are normally closed to the public. There are Greathouses, kivas and spectacular settings at Las Ventanas, Cebolla Canyon, Andrews Greathouse and Casamero Ruin.
There is a $75 per day charge, and UNM Tuition Remission is accepted. For two-day registrants there is $20 van transportation available. Each of the areas to be visited has had some research conducted by archeologists, such as inventory surveys and interested tour members can get a more in-depth look at the sites.
For more information, please contact Mary Beth Hermans at (505) 277-1400 or
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
UNM Today: Maxwell Museum Sponsoring Excursion to South Chaco Canyon Outliers
Bosque del Apache, New Mexico
Bosque del Apache is a magical spot not quite 100 miles to the south from our door. Bosque is located close to the Rio Grande but is a largely artificial wetlands, capably managed to attract tens of thousands of bird in the winter, including massive flocks of snow geese and sandhill cranes. The cranes and geese, in particular, fly out at dawn and in at sunset in wave after wave of birds. Even without the birds, the bosque is beautiful, surrounded by mountains in every direction.
Merri and I went to the bosque at the beginning of December, 2009, with our neighbors, Joe and Sally. We didn’t take our annual expedition and moveable feast with other friends at the end of December. We did return to the bosque on a perfect day, February 1st, 2010. For the very first time in 25 years of trips several times per year, we walked one of the 6+ mile loops, which offered us even more birding opportunities than the bosque does on a slow drive. Of the 300 plus pictures I took, here are 35.
 |
| Bosque del Apache click for 35 pix & fullscreen slideshow |
The confessions of an off-road-vehicle outlaw – Salt Lake Tribune
ATVers, snowmobilers, motocross riders, and, to some extent, mountain bikers, don’t seem to care that their wild ride through the woods *DESTROYS* the peace and quiet. It is a selfish, self-centered theft. It’s not about equal rights – their rights supersede the right of quiet enjoyment.
The confessions of an off-road-vehicle outlaw – Salt Lake Tribune By Garrett Veneklasen
I love ATV riding, but the truth is that my ATV and the millions like it have made severe and cumulative impacts on our public lands and wildlife. The impacts of off-road vehicles are probably even more profound and far-reaching than we think they are. It’s sad but true that future generations — including my 3-year-old daughter’s — will find our public lands roaded and devalued beyond repair if this problem is not addressed.
When I told my fellow ORV riders of my change of heart, most replied that I was "nuts." They said that even if I decided to alter my behavior, most other ATV riders would not.
Luckily, that has not been the case. My transformation into an advocate for responsible off-road vehicle riding has led other riders I know to rethink how they behave in the national forest. And as more of us set examples of prudent off-road use, we can become a powerful force to protect our key national forest lands.
It couldn’t happen at a better time. Forest managers across the country are drafting long-term plans that will change how off-road vehicles are dealt with for decades to come.
Now is the time to urge our land managers and lawmakers to set aside large segments of America’s national forests, preserving them for clean water, wildlife habitat and the vast majority of us who visit the backcountry seeking peace and quiet. This means accepting fair and reasonable restrictions on ORV use. After all, everyone has a right to enjoy our forests, but no one has the right to abuse them.
The confessions of an off-road-vehicle outlaw – Salt Lake Tribune
[hattip to Southern Rockies Nature Blog]
Initiative to study wildlife corridors along Colorado, New Mexico border
Durango Herald News, Initiative to study wildlife corridors along Colorado, New Mexico border
Wildlife migration corridors between New Mexico and Colorado will be identified and protected as part of an initiative announced Friday by the governors of both states.
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and Gov. Bill Ritter of Colorado finalized a memorandum of understanding pledging to protect corridors used by elk, deer, pronghorn, bighorn sheep and other species.
“A rich wildlife heritage is one of the great treasures our states share, and it must be protected," Richardson said. Ritter said the effort “should be part of our legacy."
The agreement stems from an initiative by the Western Governors Association to identify and protect wildlife corridors across the West.
The WGA has said the issue is complicated because decision-makers must deal with unprecedented population growth, energy development and associated land-use impacts while working across federal, state, tribal and private lands.
Durango Herald News, Initiative to study wildlife corridors along Colorado, New Mexico border
Friends of the Monticello Box, New Mexico
Dear Friends of the Monticello Box,
New Mexico Mining and Minerals has announced the public meeting and comment period on the proposed Beryllium exploration permit near the Monticello Box and Warm Springs.
[See mjh’s slides: the Monticello Box in New Mexico]
The question at hand is whether to allow drilling of more bore holes above the beautiful Monticello Box, to a depth of 2000 ft in order to further establish the extent of the Beryllium containing deposit.
What is at stake is the unacceptable risk to the abundant perennial Alamosa River and geothermal warm springs. As we know, impact to the water could devastate wildlife including the federally endangered Alamosa Springsnail which occurs no where else on earth and the federally threatened Chiricahua Leopard Frog. Two others species, the Ovate Vertigo snail and Wright’s Marsh Thistle are critically imperiled. Knowing the extent of the ore deposit only serves to strengthen the sense of entitlement the mining corporation will have to open a full bore mine which will change forever the character of this area. The farming community downstream, the riparian corridor the stream supports and the vibrant and diverse wildlife that depend on it could all be lost to say nothing of the breathtaking beauty.
Please mark your calendar and show with your presence this place is too special to degrade for the sake of profit. We need to fill the room!
Hearing Date: December 1, 2009
Place: Civic Center, 400 W. 4th Street, Truth or Consequences, NM
Time: 6PM
Written comments are also needed by December 1, 2009. Please edit the letter below to add your personal stories and send by US Mail to:
Bill Brancard, Director
Mining and Minerals Division
NM Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department
1220 south St. Francis Drive
Santa Fe, NM 87505
Or by e-mail to:
joe.vinson@state.nm.us Remember to include your name and physical address.
Deadline for written comments is also December 1, 2009
For the Box,
Mary Katherine Ray
Wildlife Chair
Rio Grande Chapter Sierra Club
Sample letter:
Dear Mr. Brancard,
I am opposed to the drilling of additional test holes to search for Beryllium adjacent to Monticello Box, the Alamosa River and the historic Warm Springs. Questions regarding the appropriateness of any mining activity in this location are profound and serious. Even exploratory holes to the depths indicated in the application threaten the functioning of the springs. The hydrology of the area is not well-understood and placing it at risk is foolhardy. The vibrant riparian habitat supports a diverse wildlife community which all depends on the water in what is otherwise very a dry surrounding. Moreover, the federally endangered Alamosa Springsnail is perfectly adapted to the water temperature and chemistry of the Warm Springs which could be altered by drilling. It occurs nowhere else on earth and it imperiled status reflects how easily it could be lost. Evidence of human occupation goes back over a millennium.
The Monticello box and warm springs complex are treasures for their beauty, abundant water and natural and cultural uniqueness. Please don’t allow them to be despoiled. Put a stop to beryllium exploration.
Sincerely,
Don’t forget to include your name and address.
Southern Rockies Nature Blog: The Ecological Value of Top Predators
Southern Rockies Nature Blog: The Ecological Value of Top Predators
More evidence on top predators and overall health of the land, this time from Isle Royal National Park. Research at Yellowstone NP showed similar conclusions.
More broadly, losing top predators means more "meso-predators," which different, more negative effects on the ecosystem.
Some findings:
- Primary or apex predators can actually benefit prey populations by suppressing smaller predators, and failure to consider this mechanism has triggered collapses of entire ecosystems.
- Cascading negative effects of surging mesopredator populations have been documented for birds, sea turtles, lizards, rodents, marsupials, rabbits, fish, scallops, insects and ungulates.
- The economic cost of controlling mesopredators may be very high, and sometimes could be accomplished more effectively at less cost by returning apex predators to the ecosystem.
Posted by Chas S. Clifton at 11:17 AM
Southern Rockies Nature Blog: The Ecological Value of Top Predators
Lucky Timing (from the Photo Archive)
I go to Chaco Canyon every year (except for this one). In 2008, I also traveled to a couple of outliers west of Chaco. The road into Kin Bineola (“where the wind whirls,†Navajo) crosses a dirt dam. I had never seen any water on either side of that dam before, but on this trip in May, there was a small pond near the dam, well below the road. I saw something circle over the pond. I stopped on the dam to consider taking a picture. The two adult avocets were cute enough – and seemed out of place enough – to warrant a photo. I just got lucky that the babies flew in just as I clicked. I respect photographic skill, experience, and equipment, but lucky timing is the most valuable asset a photographer can’t buy. I never expected to photograph shorebirds in the desert.
www.flickr.com
|
The Builder (from the Photo Archive)
I watched this robin gather grass for nesting material in our small sideyard a few years ago. It was a windy day and the robin kept dropping what it already had in its beak as it tried for more. (Called to mind Aesop.) After numerous attempts, the robin gathered up a good bundle. It took off from the grass and paused just long enough in a gap in the fence. Click. Thank you. With all the wind, I didn’t expect this photo to be in focus.
Robins love to bathe, perhaps moreso than any other birds I’ve seen in our yard.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mjhinton/tags/robins
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mjhinton/tags/birds
[From the Photo Archive is an irregular series of photos I’ve taken some time ago but want to revisit.]
www.flickr.com
|