On a hot day one hundred years ago this summer, forester Joseph Halm and his crew of firefighters hacked their way through miles of wilderness toward a wildfire burning at Bean Creek near the headwaters of the St. Joe River. Halm noted the withered ferns and grasses and the crisp brown underbrush, parched by drought. […]
5. TRANSFER OF BIG ROCK CLIMBING AREA TO THE DISHMAN HILLS NATURAL ASSOCIATION. In a year that a had several significant conservation wins this transaction stands out because it was completely private—no public money involved—and because the biggest benefit from the acquisition goes to local rock climbers, who have accessed Big Rock/Rocks of Sharon for
Editorial: Top 5 Stories Of The Year Read More »
5. TRANSFER OF BIG ROCK CLIMBING AREA TO THE DISHMAN HILLS NATURAL ASSOCIATION. In a year that a had several significant conservation wins this transaction stands out because it was completely private—no public money involved—and because the biggest benefit from the acquisition goes to local rock climbers, who have accessed Big Rock/Rocks of Sharon for
Editorial: Top 5 Stories Of The Year Read More »
Nature Exploring In Eastern Washington And North Idaho Rich Leon Adventure Trail Publishing, 2009, 68 pages With my initial scan of the Table of Contents of Nature Exploring I knew this book would bring back memories. From Boy Scout camping trips in the environs of the Little Pend Orielle Wildlife Refuge to hikes in the
Autumn is the season best savored perhaps by creative writers, bird watchers and carefree nature lovers. Nineteenth-century writer William Cullen Bryant referred to this season as “the year’s last, loveliest smile,” and novelist Albert Camus said, “Autumn is a second spring where every leaf is a flower.” Crisp mornings with frost, clothed in layers for
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With car-free camping, adventure begins when you leave your front door. Here are 5 Spokane-area destinations to arrive by bike, bus, or hike.
Camping Destinations via Hike, Bike, or Bus Read More »
How about some good news about protecting rivers? This news comes from American Rivers, the group responsible for the annual Endangered Rivers list: 1,000 miles of rivers in seven states to be protected as Wild and Scenic Thursday, January 15, 2009 Senate passes public lands legislation protecting over 270,000 acres along 82 rivers Washington, DC
Wild And Scenic Rivers Gain Protection Support Read More »
If you’ve visited Sandpoint only during the summer, you don’t know what you’ve been missing. There’s a reason this town of nearly 7,000 souls on Lake Pend Oreille has received a swarm of national notice. Sunset magazine labeled it the number eight “dream town” in the west, calling it “a four season outdoorsy resort that’s
Sandpoint Sans Summer Read More »
Lot’s of interesting stuff in the news today: – The Spokesman Review reports “Blue-green algae blooms recently were spotted in Fernan and Hauser lakes and in Lake Cocolalla.” – Ken Burn’s next documentary project “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea” is set to air in autumn 2009 on PBS. – Wolves are protected again. See
SPOKANE WAS NOT UNLIKE hundreds of other cities and towns at the time that discovered the rivers that ran through them were a tremendous source of waterpower. Now, despite the efforts to harness the river-which Avista Utilities and its predecessor Washington Water Power did a thorough job of by placing a half-dozen dams along its
