Posts Tagged ‘outdoors’

Create Holiday Memories in Nature

For Release on December 16, 2009
Contact: Valerie Fellows (703) 358-2285

The weather may be chilly, but it’s still a great time to get outside and see birds, mammals and a host of other wildlife species in your own neighborhood. This holiday season, create lifetime memories and establish new family traditions by getting outdoors with your camera and capturing photos of yourself and your family and friends exploring nature.

Visit a national wildlife refuge, a national fish hatchery, or even a stream or woods in your own neighborhood. Then share your best photos of you and your family enjoying the natural world with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and its Let’s Go Outside photo project, which already includes more than 4,000 images. Your photos will become part of an online image mosaic being compiled from thousands of photos.

Here’s all you have to do:

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Four Rivers RMP – Preliminary Alternatives Released For Public Comment

BLUERIBBON COALITION LANDUSE UPDATE!

The Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Four Rivers Field Office, located in southwestern Idaho, will be holding a series of public meetings during the month of October. The purpose of these meetings is to introduce the public to the preliminary alternatives for its new Resource Management Plan (RMP) and to solicit comments. (See meeting schedule below)

Meeting Schedule

Tuesday, October 13, 2009 — 6:30-8:00 pm — Fire Department, Mountain Home
Thursday, October 15, 2009 — 6:30-8:00 pm — Forest Service/ District Ranger’s Office, Council
Tuesday, October 20, 2009 — 6:30-8:00 pm — District Court Room, Payette
Thursday, October 22, 2009 — 6:30-8:00 pm — Ray Robison Community Hall, Idaho City
Monday, October 26, 2009 — 6:30-8:00 pm — County Courthouse, Emmett
Thursday, October 29, 2009 — 6:30-8:00 pm — BLM District Office, Boise

Below is a brief description of the preliminary alternatives.

Alternative A: No-Action
Required as a baseline against which to compare the effects of the other alternatives

Alternative B: Emphasize Resource Conservation
Emphasizes protecting natural resource values on BLM land from the potential negative impacts of population growth and increased growth
⇔ Protective measures, for plants and wildlife, to address increasing use of public lands

Alternative C: Accommodate Growing Demand for Public Land Uses
Recognizes population growth as the leading factor for land management decisions in the Four Rivers Planning Area
⇔ Management actions, focused in “core areas” that accommodate population growth (recreation, community expansion, etc.)

Alternative D: Maximize BLM Management Efficiency
Proposes focused, multiple use of “core areas” for efficient and effective management
⇔ Efforts would concentrate on blocks of BLM land where resources could be more effectively managed

For more information, contact Jon Beck, Planning Team Lead, at (208) 384-3305 or by email to jonathan_m_beck@blm.gov.

JUST REMEMBER, PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT IS CRUCIAL TO KEEP RECREATION AREAS OPEN; PLEASE GET INVOLVED!

Thanks in advance for your support,
Ric Foster
Public Lands Department Manager
BlueRibbon Coalition
208-237-1008 ext 107

The BlueRibbon Coalition is a national (non-profit) trail-saving group that represents over 600,000 recreationists nationwide The Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) season is beginning. Federal employees, please mark BlueRibbon Coalition and Check #11402 on your CFC pledge form to support our efforts to protect your access.

Join us at 1-800-258-3742
http://www.sharetrails.org

Trip Report: Scouting the Whiskey Dick Road Management Area – 05.16.2008

Who would have thought that a Friday trip to the Whiskey Dick Road Management Area near Ellensburg, Washington would bring out more participants than most weekend trips.

Well Jerry (aka SoggyMountain) picked a wonderful day for a Backroad Drivers Northwest tour of the Whiskey Dick. Hands down, this was the warmest day of 2008 to date.

The meeting place that morning was the Bar 14 restaurant in Ellensburg. In attendance for the days trip was of course Jerry from Yakima driving his full size Jeep SJ Wagoneer; (and if I get the names wrong, please forgive and let me know to correct them) Phil and his son Travis from Newcastle, driving the white Ford Explorer; Paul from Tacoma driving the other Ford Explorer; Jim (stucky) driving the white Chevy Pickup (I forgot to ask where Jim was from); Trish and Tammy from Bothel driving a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon; John and Cindy from Monroe driving a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon; Sid from Renton driving his Jeep Wrangler, Peter and Don (I forgot to ask where they were from or if I did, I didn’t write it down) driving the Sportsmobile van; myself in my 80-series Toyota Land Cruiser; and Bill from Ellensburg who joined us for breakfast but had to supervise a fencing property today so he couldn’t join us.

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Photos from the Scouting the Whiskey Dick Tour – 05.16.08

The photos I shot during the Backroad Drivers Northwest trip to the Whiskey Dick Road Management Area are now posted for your viewing. You can view them at Exploring the Whiskey Dick

Enjoy.

Bear Awareness Week in Washington State

May 12-18, 2008 has been proclaimed “Bear Awareness Week” by Washington state Governor Christine Gregoire.

As reported by the The Grizzly Bear Outreach Project (GBOP):

Governor Gregoire established Bear Awareness Week to encourage people to learn more about our ursine neighbors, how to avoid conflicts with them, and to appreciate these majestic creatures in Washington – one of just four states that is wild enough to still support both species of bear.

This is great information for all of us who spend time enjoying the outdoors. If you haven’t encountered a bear yet, you eventually will.

Read more about Bear Awareness Week Activities at Governor proclaims official Bear Awareness Week

Photos from Capital State Forest Run – 02.26.2008

Here are some photos from a run to the Capital State Forest near Olympia, Washington on Tuesday, February 26, 2008. You can view the photos at Capital Forest Run Photos

Christmas Tree Run – 12.08.07

Even though we never found that perfect Christmas tree, we had a great time with some great people under beautiful blue skies on this year’s Christmas Tree run to the Cle Elum, Washington area.

We all met for breakfast at the Cottage Cafe in Cle Elum. Already seated upon our arrival were Jerry (aka soggymountain) and Evelyn from Yakima, Brian (aka Photog) and Cindy from Gig Harbor, Valerie and her mother Ellen from Bothell and Kent, and friends of Ellen’s (whom I did not get their names). Of course I can’t forget to mention my wife Martha, daughter Korinne and our dog Tareva.

After breakfast, we headed out of town to the Roslyn Cyclery in Roslyn to purchase our tree permits. We were the only family on the hunt for a Christmas tree, everybody was out for the fun of it. After getting the permit, we headed out of town, past Ronald towards Salmon la Sac.
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