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Park Service OKs new center at Dinosaur National Monument

accorie — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 17:15:29 GMT

This is great news and hopefully the funding will be arranged. The largest collection of dinosaur fossils have not been available for viewing since July of 2006 when the center was closed for structural difficulties and human safety. I, for one, look forward to visiting when the new center is up. You can visit our park page and learn more about this unique park- Dinosaur National Monument. Corie Marks

By Mike Stark
The Associated Press The Salt Lake Tribune

Quarry Visitor Center, photo NPS

Design work will start next month for a new visitor center at the nation's premier quarry of Jurassic-period dinosaur bones.

The National Park Service has signed a decision allowing construction of a new interpretive center at Dinosaur National Monument and rehabilitation of the structure that protects its famous collection of bones.

The Quarry Visitor Center, about 20 miles east of Vernal, has been closed for more than two years because of safety problems. The center was built atop unstable clay. The center houses more than 1,500 dinosaur bones. The closure has frustrated visitors and paleontologists seeking access to what the Park Service calls ''the world's best window" into late-Jurassic fossils.

Mary Risser, the monument's superintendent, said design of the $10 million project will take about a year. Construction money could be available for 2011, according to the Park Service, but so far the project hasn't been funded.

''With that huge bailout bill, I have no idea what that's going to mean for our budget and these kinds of projects," Risser said.

The odds may be long for the project to be immediately funded but at least the Park Service will be ready with a design when Congress acts, said Jim Kirkland, Utah's state paleontologist. ''It's wonderful news, that's the crown jewel of Utah paleontology," he said.

The visitor center was built in 1957-58 to shelter an exposed cliff face full of dinosaur bones discovered by a Carnegie Museum researcher in 1909. But the bentonite beneath the building swells when it's wet, warping the concrete basement floor, and shifts again when the clay dries out. That has meant near-constant shifting and repairs. When engineers cut holes in the floor and ceiling for a closer look in 2006, the problem was worse than previously thought. The center abruptly closed that July. Federal investigators in March said the building's rapid deterioration puts the ''irreplaceable fossils at risk."

It's been frustrating to have the bones out of reach for the public and researchers, Kirkland said. ''Scientists from all over the world want to stop in and see that," he said.

Although fixes have been discussed since the visitor center closed, the process has been slow and complicated. The building is listed as a National Historic Landmark, which means having to comply with an extra set of rules. Under the plan, the Park Service will rehabilitate the existing exhibit hall surrounding the 150-foot fossil wall to make sure the bones are protected. Other parts of the building would be demolished. An interpretive center and administrative offices would be built nearby. Meanwhile, the existing building continues to creak and groan, Risser said. ''The cracks are getting large. It hasn't fallen through, but it's just not in good shape," Risser said.

The monument straddles the Utah-Colorado line, about 150 miles east of Salt Lake City.

Cedar Breaks National Monument 2009 Wildflower Festival Art Competition

accarrie — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 12:10:00 GMT

FESTIVAL INFORMATION:

The Cedar Breaks National Monument Wildflower Festival is an annual event that takes place each July. Activities include guided wildflower walks; kid’s scavenger hunts, guided wildflower photography and guided hikes with Rangers. This year the festival will take place July 3rd --- July 20th. The winner of this competition will appear in the local newspaper and have their artwork used on the poster advertising the Wildflower Festival. The winner will also be pictured on the Cedar Breaks website. The competition will be judged by a committee composed of botanists, college professors, members of the Cedar City Arts Council and representatives from Cedar Breaks National Monument. For information on last years festival go to www.nps.gov/cebr .

SUBMISSION CRITERIA:

- Image should represent flora found in and around the Cedar Breaks National Monument.

- Submissions which best represent the Cedar Breaks flora will be given the strongest consideration by the Committee.

- The original work can be in any format, e.g. 2D --- watercolor, acrylic, oils, photography or 3D sculpture or installation.

- Entries need to be submitted in the form of a CD-R readable by any Windows XP operating system with high resolution and may be included in an online gallery. PLEASE DO NOT SEND your artwork as we are NOT ACCEPTING actual works of art.

- The file name of your artwork must include your last name.

They will accept a digital file of your artwork between March 1st, 2009 and April 30th 2009. You must include the attached form with your submission to be eligible.

By submitting a form you agree that Cedar Breaks National Monument may use all or parts of your work on all print and online media in connection with the 2008 Wildflower Festival. The Committee may also edit or alter the work so it can be used or printed effectively.

http://www.eastziontourismcouncil.org/sb143.htm

The winner will be selected in May 2009. There will be a $100.00 cash prize awarded to the submission selected for festival use!

Please visit the NPS site for your application.

http://www.nps.gov/cebr/parknews/index.htm

Military Flight Exercise Support Death Valley National Park Protect Resources

accarrie — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 03:00:21 GMT

Effective Friday, September 12, 2008, Death Valley National Park will permit a flight exercise in partnership with the US military. This unique opportunity allows the park to obtain detailed aerial photographs and other data that will be used to study and protect park resources.

The exercise will take place in a special military-use airspace complex known as R-2508. The R-2508 Complex does overlap the park boundaries; however the R-2508 airspace managers have worked closely with Death Valley National Park in establishing agreements that have helped minimize aircraft over flights that may impact park resources and its visitors.

During this exercise visitors may observe low flying aircraft photographing and documenting certain areas of the park.

"This kind of partnership with the military is something we have desired since I arrived at Death Valley and we have finally realized this objective," states Superintendent JT Reynolds. When we are able to combine military expertise and technology with resource protection, everyone benefits. We also hope we can get the military’s support for future projects.

The National Park Service

Adventure Sweepstakes from TheGearJunkie

Stu Marks — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 14:50:14 GMT

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Win a dream vacation!

One lucky reader and a guest will be chosen to travel with The Gear Junkie, Stephen Regenold, on an all-expenses-paid REI group adventure this winter.

THIS IS NOT YOUR NORMAL GEAR JUNKIE GIVEAWAY!

TheGearJunkie and REI have geared up to send two people on one of five big winter vacation adventures.

Choose from;
1. Mount Washington Winter Climb
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3. Yosemite Snowshoe Trip
4. Ice Climbing Basics in New Hampshire
5. White Mountains Hut-to-Hut Snowshoe

Holy moly, Brutus! You get two vacations this year. You just took one to Orlando with the family and now this winter, you and the babe get to traipse off with TheGearJunkie on a group adventure, fully geared up from REI. That's right, a head-to-toe outfitting that includes the latest outdoor gear and apparel from REI and other companies.

Click here for details. I am! There's also a slide show at this link and a way to enter the sweepstakes. So, when I say "Click Here", you really ought to!

Editor

Bull Snakes are Beneficial Environmentalists!

accorie — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 20:45:44 GMT

Bull snake texassnakes.com

One of the largest snakes in America, the non-venomous Bull Snake is prevalent in many states and therefore many national parks. A beneficial snake, they can be found throughout much of the western half of United States and northern Mexico. This includes the U.S. states of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Oklahoma, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Colorado, Kansas, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, California, Wyoming, Montana, Wisconsin, and Nevada.

A subspecies of the gopher snake, it ranges from 50 to even in rare cases, 100 inches. Males are larger than females. Many color variations have been found, including albinos and white varieties. The coloring ranges yellowish with a series of black, brown, or reddish-brown blotches down the back; the darkest, most contrasting colors are near the head and tail. The blotches are shaped as rings around the tail. Its head resembles a turtle's in shape, with a protruding scale at the tip of the snout and a dark band extending from the top of the head through the eye to the lower jaw. The scales have keels on them making them feel rough to the touch.

Since snakes cannot regulate their own body temperature, they often live in burrows during the hottest parts of the day, and also hot nights. The bull snake is diurnal, coming out early mornings, late afternoon and early evening. It eats small rodents, a behavior that gave the gopher snake its nick-name. They also eat ground nesting birds, lizards, and the young of other snakes. Juvenile bull snakes depend on insects, small lizards and baby mice. The idea that bull snakes occasionally eat rattlesnakes is sometimes touted as a reason for humans not to harm bull snakes when encountering them in the wild, although a better reason is the bull snake's role in controlling warm-blooded vermin such as rodents. Bull snakes customarily kill their prey by constriction before consuming it whole.

Bull snakes hibernate in cold weather places below the frost line in communal dens. Often there are other snake species in these dens. The snakes all emerge at different times. As the days warm, the bull snake will come out during the day and return at night to the den. After the days stay warm, they leave the den, but will return to the same place again during cold weather. After their bodies adjust to the warm weather, they shed their skin. The males come out of hibernation before the females. Once they have mated, they separate. The females lay from 3 to 24 eggs beneath large rocks or logs or in sandy soil. The eggs are creamy white in color and 2-4 ½ inches long. They will hatch in 64-79 days. The young are 12-18 inches when hatched and capable of hunting. Raptors and skunks can feed on the young.

photograph by W. Perry Conway/Corbis

Bull snakes are often confused with rattlesnakes through their own behavior. They are usually gentle, but when threatened will coil up like a rattler and shake their tail against the brush sounding like a rattlesnake. They can also make loud snorting sounds like a bull, thus the reason for their name. But how can you tell the difference between the two species? Well, a bull snake has a long, lithe body and pointed tail where rattlesnakes have chunky bodies and blunt tails with a rattle. A bull snakes head and neck are the same size whereas a rattlesnake’s neck is smaller than its head. If you are ever close enough, you will see that a bull snake has round pupils and a rattlesnake has vertical pupils. The bull snake is non-poisonous, but will strike and bite if cornered and threatened. It is this behavior, meant to ward off harm that often gets them killed unnecessarily by humans.

Bull snakes are very beneficial in keeping rodent numbers down especially around farms and rural areas. They are excellent mousers and many farmers allow them to live in their barns. If you see one while out trekking in the wild, try to avoid harming this environmental helper. They may appear big and scary, but they are a most useful member of the animal kingdom.

Corie Marks, Staff Writer

Source: NPS, Wikipedia, www.northern.edu

Dolly Parton named Smokies ambassador

accorie — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 18:42:30 GMT

Picture courtesy of www.themusicage.com

Our favorite national park is celebrating 75 years in 2009. How appropriate that Dolly Parton who has been a big supporter of the Smoky Mountains heritage should be the official spokes person. We are definitely going down for some of the activities scheduled next year! Look for our article telling you about just a few of the many events planned. Corie Marks

GATLINBURG, Tenn. (AP) — Dolly Parton, who often refers to her Smoky Mountains upbringing, will serve as the ambassador for the 75th anniversary of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

There will be events throughout 2009 celebrating Congress' approval to form the park on June 15, 1934.

Park Superintendent Dale Ditmanson said Thursday that Parton emerged as the obvious choice for the ambassador selection.

Parton, who grew up in the foothills of the Smokies in Tennessee's Sevier County, said she's always been an advocate for the park, but she is honored to become "official."

The 62-year-old country singer will lend her endorsement through media announcements and publications and has written an album titled "Sha-Kon-O-Hey" — the phonetic spelling of the Cherokee words for "Land of Blue Smoke."

Human remains found at crash site of US adventurer

accorie — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 18:06:29 GMT

Adventurer Steve Fossett vanished 13 months ago after taking off from a Nevada airstrip. [Reuters]

ABC news Updated October 3, 2008

Authorities in the US say human remains have been found in the wreckage of the small plane of wealthy adventurer Steve Fossett in California's Sierra Nevada mountains.

Mr Fossett vanished 13 months ago after taking off from a Nevada airstrip.

The search for his plane resumed yesterday after a hiker found the adventurer's pilot's license and other I-D near Yosemite National Park.

Wildfires force $400M in cuts at Forest Service

accorie — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 18:48:05 GMT

By Bob Pennell, (Medford, Ore.)

By Trevor Hughes, USA TODAY

The cost of fighting summer wildfires in California and the West has forced U.S. Forest Service officials to slash more than $400 million in spending, causing closures of some campgrounds and limiting access to some forests.
While the number of fires and acreage involved is down, the amount spent to contain those fires is up. That's because the cost of fighting fires varies depending on where the fires are burning, said Forest Service spokeswoman Donna Drelick.

The Forest Service cut $200 million in 2006 and $100 million in 2007 to cover wildfire costs, the agency's budget documents show. Forest Service administrators say the reductions will have a broad impact across the country:

• In Vermont and other northeast sites hit by heavy rains, washed-out trails and bridges aren't being repaired, and campgrounds are being closed, said Kristi Ponozzo, spokeswoman for the Green Mountain National Forest.

• In Georgia, Louisiana, Virginia and Arkansas, road and trail maintenance will be halted or delayed, limiting access into forest areas and increasing the amount of sediment washed into lakes, rivers and reservoirs, said Mike D'Aquino of the U.S. Forest Service in Georgia.

• In Montana, research about how wildfires behave, conducted in partnership with the University of Montana, is being cut, said Dave Tippets, a spokesman for the service's 14-state Rocky Mountain Research Station.

G. Sam Foster, head of the Rocky Mountain Research Station, said the cuts will impact research into the pine bark beetle epidemic in the Rockies. Rangers will close campgrounds and declare some roads and trails off-limits because of the danger of dead, falling trees, he said.

"The impacts will be far reaching and will affect all parts of the Forest Service's budget, making it hard for the agency to accomplish much beyond the most minimal aspects of its many responsibilities," said Rep. Mark Udall, D-Colo., who serves on the House Natural Resources Committee.

Chris Lancette, a spokesman for the Wilderness Society, urged the Forest Service and Congress to consider creating a firefighting account structured in the way Congress funds hurricane and other disaster-recovery projects. Udall said he supports that idea.

As of Sept. 14, the National Interagency Fire Center reported 67,269 fires had burned 4.67 million acres this year. This year, the Forest Service expects to spend $1.6 billion containing wildfires.

Hughes reports for the Fort Collins Coloradoan

Harsh Review of Restoration in Everglades

accorie — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 18:34:09 GMT

Barbara P. Fernandez for The New York Times

By DAMIEN CAVE
Published: September 29, 2008

MIAMI — The eight-year-old, multibillion-dollar effort to rescue the Everglades has failed to halt the wetlands’ decline because of bureaucratic delays, a lack of financing from Congress and overdevelopment, according to a new report.

The 287-page study by the National Research Council, a biennial review required by Congress, warned that South Florida’s stunning river of grass was quickly reaching a point of no return. Without “near term progress,” the report said, more species will die off “and the Everglades ecosystem may experience irreversible losses to its character and functioning.”

William L. Graf, chairman of the committee that wrote the report, put it more simply. “There is no other place like this,” Mr. Graf said. “It’s existed for 5,000 years this way, and we’re in danger of losing it for our kids and their kids.”

The harsh review of the federal effort, known as the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, or CERP, comes in the midst of what could be a major shake-up. Florida is negotiating a proposed $1.75 billion purchase of nearly 300 square miles of farmland from the United States Sugar Corporation to add storage space for millions of gallons of water south of Lake Okeechobee.

The plan, which is expected to be finalized by the end of the year, was praised by the National Research Council. But with the acquisition’s impact at least a decade away, the report’s authors concluded that it would not be a panacea.

“The bottom line,” said Mr. Graf, a professor of geology at the University of South Carolina, “is I don’t think we can wait and see what happens.”

He emphasized that there were larger problems that needed to be fixed. Money remains the most obvious. The restoration plan, finalized in 2000, made the federal government and Florida equal partners, but Congress has failed to match the state’s commitment of more than $2 billion.

Behind the shortfall, the report found, is a planning and appropriations process that requires the Army Corps of Engineers to show the benefits of each project individually, making it difficult to get money for the interconnected plumbing and environmental components of the Everglades effort.

Mr. Graf said progress could be forthcoming because the corps and Congress seemed open to rewriting the rules so projects could be clustered. And an amendment in the stopgap spending measure the House passed last week could, 19 years after Congress approved it, create a $225 million, one-mile bridge on the Tamiami Trail to let water flow south toward Florida Bay, alleviating a significant clog.

Adventure-Crew eNewsletter is released for October 2008 Issue 1

Stu Marks — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 21:06:34 GMT

To sign up for our FREE eNews simply enter your contact information in the box on the left. You can unsubscribe at any time.
You'll enjoy bi-weekly updates on our latest video releases, feature Adventure-Space blogger posts, Adenture Tips, National Park News, and help planning your next vacation with help from our exciting Adventure-Zone features.

In This Issue;

Adventure-Zone:
Adventures in a 200 mile radius of Los Angeles

Adventure-Space.com Update:
See Featured Posts on Adventure-Space.com

Feature Story posted on Adventure-Space this week:
Quieter Yellowstone Welcome, but Illegal

Adventure Tip of the Week:
How to identify pesky bugs; part 1

Trail of the Week:
Pfeiffer Beach Trail; Pacific Ocean Splendor

Did you know:
Facts about Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Gear Junkie Update:
Critical Mass gains momentum; but at what price?

National Parks in the News:
New species discovered in Yosemite

Wildlife Education:
Marmots in Alaska

From the Desk Of:
Stu Marks Editor-in-Chief

American Alligators, a Prehistoric Wonder

accorie — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 21:23:05 GMT

Alligator sunning at Everglades National Park

Fewer animals can cause fear in the hearts of men (and women) like the American Alligator. And it is no wonder since this prehistoric looking creature, described as 'a living fossil from the Age of Reptiles’, has enormous jaws with really big teeth. The name alligator is an anglicized form of the Spanish el lagarto (the lizard), the name by which early Spanish explorers and settlers in Florida called the alligator. There are two living alligator species: the American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) and the Chinese Alligator (Alligator sinensis), but we will discuss the American Alligator.

The adult alligator usually ranges from eight to thirteen feet in length, estimated by the distance from the front edge of the eyes to the snout. Eight inches equals about eight feet. They weigh approximately 800 lbs (360 kg) to as much as 1000 lbs (454.5 kg). The largest alligator ever recorded measured 19 feet 2 inches (5.8 m) and was found on Marsh Island, Louisiana, but it has been estimated that the large ones that weren’t measured could have weighed over a ton. The largest alligator ever recorded in Florida was 17 feet 5 inches long (5.3 m). In captivity, it may live up to fifty years; however in the wild thirty to thirty-five years. There have been a few cases where the alligators in zoos have lived to be over 70 years old.

Alligators are native to only two countries: the United States and China. In the Southeastern U.S., alligators are found in most freshwater and brackish areas. American Alligators are found in the Southeastern United States: all of Florida and Louisiana; the southern parts of Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi; coastal South and North Carolina; Eastern Texas and in the southeastern corner of Oklahoma and the southern tip of Arkansas. The majority of American Alligators inhabit Florida and Louisiana, with over a million alligators in each state. American Alligators live in freshwater environments, such as ponds, marshes, wetlands, rivers, lakes, and swamps, as well as brackish environments. Southern Florida is the only place where both alligators and crocodiles live side by side.

Although alligators have heavy bodies and slow metabolisms, they are capable of short bursts of speed, especially in very short lunges. Their eyes have enhanced night vision and a transparent membrane to protect the eye and allow clear underwater vision. Moveable skin flaps protect the eardrums while special muscles close the nostrils when submerged.

The flat and elongated head has enormous jaws with muscles powerful enough to crush large animal bones. They have eighty hollow pointed teeth. Most of the muscle in an alligator's jaw is intended for biting and gripping prey. The muscles that close the jaws are exceptionally powerful; however the muscles for opening their jaws are relatively weak in comparison. As a result, an adult man can hold an alligator's jaw shut with his bare hands. In general, a strip of duct tape is enough to prevent an adult alligator from opening its jaws and is one of the most common methods used when alligators are to be captured and/or transported.

Alligators' main prey is smaller animals that they can kill and eat with a single bite. They eat everything small enough for them to kill, including fish, turtles, antelope, snakes, birds and even other alligators. They snack on dogs. In some cases, larger alligators have been known to hunt the Florida panther and black bears, making it the apex predator throughout its distribution. Alligators may kill larger prey by grabbing it and dragging it in the water to drown. Alligators consume food that cannot be eaten in one bite by allowing it to rot or by biting and then spinning or convulsing wildly until bite-size pieces are torn off. This is referred to as the "death roll." Baby alligators eat insects, frogs, small fish, snails and small crustaceans.

Alligators generally mature at a length of six feet (1.8 m). The mating season is in early spring. The female builds a nest of vegetation where the decomposition of the vegetation provides the heat needed to incubate the eggs. The sex of the offspring is determined by the temperature in the nest and is fixed within 7 to 21 days of the start of incubation. Incubation temperatures of 86 °F (30 °C) or lower produce a clutch of females; those of 93 °F (34 °C) or higher produce entirely males. Nests constructed on levees are hotter than those constructed on wet marsh therefore, the former tend to produce males and the latter, females. The natural sex ratio at hatching is five females to one male. Females hatched from eggs incubated at 86 °F weigh significantly more than males hatched from eggs incubated at 93 °F. The mother will defend the nest from predators and will assist the hatchlings to water. She will provide protection to the young for about a year if they remain in the area. The largest threat to the young is adult alligators. Preying on the young by adults can account for a mortality rate of up to fifty percent in the first year. In the past, immediately following the outlawing of alligator hunting, populations rebounded quickly due to the suppressed number of adults preying upon the new recruits, increasing survival among the young alligators.

Baby on board, Shark Valley, Everglades

Alligators are generally timid towards humans and tend to walk or swim away if one approaches. Unfortunately, this has led some people to approach alligators and their nests in a way that may provoke the animals into attacking. Aggressive behavior by alligator males can increase in the spring during mating season. There are federal laws that prohibit feeding of the alligators in several locations where they can be found; however, some people choose to ignore these. If fed, the alligators will eventually lose their fear of humans and may, in turn, choose to approach human settlements rather than moving away. It is definitely unlawful to feed wildlife in the national parks.

Alligator farming is a big and growing industry in Georgia, Florida, Texas and Louisiana. These states produce a combined annual total of some 45,000 alligator hides. Alligator hides bring good prices and hides in the 6-7 foot (1.8-2 m) range have sold for $300 each, though the price can fluctuate considerably from year to year. The market for alligator meat is growing and approximately 300,000 pounds (140 000 kg) of meat is produced annually. According to the Florida Department of Agriculture, raw alligator meat contains roughly 200 calories per 3oz (85 g) serving size, of which 27 calories come from fat. Alligator meat is sometimes used in jambalayas, soups, and stews.

North Adventure-Loop Los Angeles

Stu Marks — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 20:27:21 GMT

Los Angeles is probably the most target rich Adventure-Zone in its endless list of attractions. One could spend ten years researching any one of its many-faceted tourist profiles. But, Adventure-Crew endeavors to mix it up in each Adventure-Zone and Adventure-Loop by offering cross platform adventuring.

There are some of the most famous and exotic national parks within driving distance of L.A., as well as including some of the world’s most famous and pioneering entertainment industry enclaves. Because of the region’s varied and rich entertainment environment, Adventure-Crew will only highlight a few top venues in each Adventure-Loop presentation; revisiting the Los Angeles Adventure-Zone continually in order to do it justice. Remember, Adventure-Crew was born out of the need to promote America’s national parks; so outdoors will always be our main focus.

If you want more of a Hollywood/Film Making/Night Life/Glamour vacation planner, then just do a Google search for your desired poison and off you go. But, the Adventure-Zones are mostly about the great outdoors.

The Los Angeles Northwest Adventure-Loop.

Heading towards the northwest out of Los Angeles, find where the I-10 terminates at The Pacific Ocean.

Southern Terminus of the Pacific Coast Highway GoogleEarth

This is a great starting place for an Adventure-Loop for a few reasons; 1) everyone in the area knows where that is, so you won’t get lost. 2) It doesn’t matter whether you’re coming from The Holiday Inn one block away, Dodger Stadium in the center of the city,

Dodger Stadium GoogleEarth

or all the way from Jacksonville, Florida where the other end of the I-10 is attached, The Pacific Ocean is a pretty hard “land-mark” to miss, and 3) the western terminus of Interstate 10 just happens to be the very beginning of the famous Pacific Coast Highway.

1. Santa Monica is where you really are, and this is truly the beginning of the northern beaches of L.A. On your left, as you exit the tunnel of the Santa Monica Freeway and head north on The PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) is Santa Monica State Beach and Will Rogers State Beach.

2. In about 10 miles you’ll enter the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area near Malibu.

Santa Monica Mountains NRA NPS

Malibu is one of the most unique and elite towns in the world. Truly, just getting out of your car to get a latte at Starbucks on Cross Creek Rd, one could run into one of the hundreds of stars and dozens of superstars that live near the beach or up in the canyon.

Malibu californiaimage.com

3. As you drive north out of Malibu on hwy 1 (still the PCH) you’ll notice The Channel Islands out in the Pacific. There is a visitor center on the mainland at Ventura.

Channel Islands Adventure-Crew.com

Continuing north on 101/1/PCH, in just a couple of miles, there is the Ojai (Oh'-hy) Freeway heading east, up into Ojai Valley. Ojai is an interesting place to visit including the Ojai Valley Inn and Spa and the Lake Casitas Recreation area, all just outside of the southern reaches of Los Padres National Forest.

4. In 20 miles or so is another elite enclave called Santa Barbara, or “The South Coast” as many locals call it. You are now 100 miles north of L.A. and are at a great place for the wealthy to live and the rest of us to watch them. The Paparazzi love to hang out here. Sometimes the best way to find a superstar’s home is to just look for the photogs camped out in front of some white, stucco, castle looking mansion. There is also the winter film celebration called the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

Santa Barbara alearneralways.blogspot.com

But, the best thing about Santa Barbara is the photo ops. From the 101 take exit 98a or 99 and head west towards the water. You’ll find Shoreline Dr and Cliff Dr. From here, there are numerous places from which to shoot the sunset, or just the awesome views of the Pacific and its beaches and cliffs.

5. Also near Santa Barbara is the Lake Cachuma Rec Area up Hwy 154.

Within 10 miles north of Santa Barbara, is Goleta and Naples. Then, in another handful of miles you can choose between staying on Hwy 1 or shooting up 101. These two highways overlap and run parallel all the way up into the redwoods coast at Legget, California roughly 400 miles to the north where Hwy 1 is no longer necessary as the 101 stays as close to the coast as reasonably possible from there to Canada.

6. So, at this fork in the road near Lompoc, Hwy 1 takes you through Vandenburg Air Force Base and Lompoc, California, while 101 bypasses it all. Both highways are scenic, but Hwy 1 is just slower and more scenic.

7. Staying on Hwy 1 will take you to the ocean side of Pismo State Beach, which is a little ways south of the town of Pismo Beach, and Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area.

8. A few miles up the 101 at San Luis Obisbo, you need to get off at exit 202a which is Marsh Street. Follow it for ten blocks and turn left on Santa Rosa Street which becomes Hwy 1.

9. You will be driving some of the most scenic coast line in western America on your way to Big Sur in about 80 miles. On the way you’ll pass through Morro Bay…

Morro Bay pics4.city-data.com

… many angles of which have produced award winning photos for locals as well as visiting shooters.

Big Sur is a true outdoor gem.

Big Sur deetjens.com

Big Sur is one of the world's premier destinations for outdoor adventure that includes outdoor game, fishing and photography. There are many good places to stay in the Big Sur area.

This terminates the northern most point of our Northern Adventure-Loop Los Angeles. One of the beauties of an out and back Adventure-Loop along California’s coast is that there are so many things to see and do along the way, it doesn’t matter whether you are continuing north up to the San Francisco Loop (coming soon) or, just heading back to the L.A. area, you won’t be disappointed. Each turn offers a new adventure. Each day begins a fresh look at California’s coast.

Another unique element of America’s west coast is that either travel direction, north or south is equally mysterious and exciting. Heading north uncovers the thrill of the Northwest wilderness of which Big Sur is one of the furthest southern stars. The gold rush years, early pioneering, native American culture and the fishing industry are all there to uncover. Heading south journies towards the homes of the rich and famous, Hollywood stardom, theme parks, southern beaches, palm trees and surfing, Spanish-American architecture and culture.

Either direction brings you close to some of the best national parks in the world. From the north coast redwoods and Mt.Lassen to The Channel Islands, Yosemite, Death Valley and the gate way to The Grand Canyon among several others. The west coast has got to be one of the most exciting places to vacation or live.

Marmots in Alaska

accorie — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 20:37:51 GMT

Photo from wikimedia.com

The hoary marmot (Marmota caligata), the Alaska marmot (M. broweri), and the woodchuck (M. monax) are the three species of marmots that live in Alaska. The hoary marmot can be found at the bases of active talus slopes in the mountains of central, southeastern, and southwestern Alaska. It also occurs down to sea level along some areas of the coast. The Alaska marmot lives in similar talus habitat throughout much of the Brooks Range. The woodchuck digs its den in loess (wind-deposited soils) along river valleys in the dry lowlands of east-central Alaska.

Large relatives of the squirrel, the hoary and closely related Alaska marmots weigh 10 pounds (4.5 kg) or more and may exceed 24 inches (61 cm) in total length. The woodchuck weighs between 2 and 6 pounds (.4-2.7 kg). They may grow to be 20 inches (50.8 cm) long. The animals attain their maximum weight in late summer, when they accumulate thick layers of fat that will sustain them through winter hibernation. Body shape is similar in all three species: head short and broad, legs short, ears small, body thickset, tail densely furred, and front paws clawed for digging burrows. Hoary and Alaska marmots are predominantly gray with a darker lower back and face and a dark, reddish tail. The hoary marmot has a white patch above its nose and usually has dark brown feet, giving it the Latin name caligata, meaning “booted.” The Alaska marmot does not have a white face patch, its feet may be light or dark, and its fur is much softer than the stiff fur of the hoary marmot. A uniform reddish brown, the woodchuck has an unmarked brown face. The name woodchuck originated as a Cree Indian word used to describe a number of similar-sized animals and does not describe characteristics of the woodchuck's behavior or habitat preference.

In Alaska, all marmots mate in April or May. About a month later, two to six young are born hairless and blind. The young disperse two months after birth and may breed for the first time when they are 2 or 3 years old. Marmots may live to 5 years or more. They feed on grasses, flowering plants, berries, roots, mosses, and lichens.

Hoary and Alaska marmots make their summer homes on the bases of active talus slopes, where the rocks protect them from predators and provide lookout stations. Woodchuck dens may be up to 30 feet long, are dug in the loamy soils of river valleys in Interior Alaska, and end with a chamber containing a large grass nest. Most marmot dens have a main entrance with a mound of dirt near the hole and a number of concealed entrances. Marmots are social animals. Although each family has a separate burrow, these burrows are located near each other, forming a colony.

True hibernators, marmots enter a state of torpor in winter during which all bodily functions are reduced. Hoary marmots and woodchucks hibernate alone in the same burrows in which they spent the summer. To protect themselves from the cold, they plug the tunnel leading to the nest chamber with a mixture of dirt, vegetation, and ***. They emerge from their winter hibernation in April or early May to find food and mates. Adapted to the harsher winter climate of the Brooks Range, Alaska marmots create a special winter den which has a single entrance and is characteristically located on an exposed ridge that becomes snow-free in early spring. The entrance is plugged after all colony members are inside, and no animals can leave until the plug thaws in early May. Consequently, Alaska marmots mate before they emerge from their winter den. These dens are relatively permanent for each colony, and some are used for more than 20 years. Because hibernation begins in September, most marmots in Alaska spend two-thirds of each year locked in their winter dens.

Marmots are most active in early morning and late afternoon, although they may leave their burrows during other daylight hours. Marmots need wind to control mosquito levels and rarely venture out on calm days. The Alaska marmot marks its territory by rubbing its face and glands on rocks and along trails. The hoary marmot probably marks its territory in the same way.

The pelt colors of marmots help them blend with the lichen-colored rocks or rusty-brown soil of their surroundings. Nevertheless, marmots remain alert for predators including eagles, foxes, coyotes, wolves, and bears. When the Alaska marmot is alarmed, it produces a slurred, low-pitched warning call. The alarm call of both hoary marmot and the woodchuck is a loud whistle. They also hiss, squeal, growl, and yip. In areas where marmots are hunted by humans, they have learned to remain quiet when humans approach. Good climbers and swimmers, woodchucks may also take to trees or water to avoid predators.

Marmots often secondarily benefit other animals and plants. Abandoned marmot holes can become homes for small mammals. In moderation, their digging and defecation loosen, aerate, and improve the soil. Alaska Natives have long relished marmot meat and used its thick coat for warm clothing. Although these wary animals are difficult to approach closely, persistent observers are rewarded by the fascinating sight of a marmot community.

New species discovered in Yosemite

accorie — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 16:05:06 GMT

It is really amazing that all these years everyone thought the colored streaks down the wall of Vernal Falls in Yosemite were mineral deposits when in fact they are lichen!

By Tracie Cone
updated 1:25 p.m. CT, Wed., Sept. 24, 2008

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. - After exploration by millions of visitors over the past 100 years, it's hard to imagine anything left to discover amid the majesty of Yosemite's glacier-cut granite cliffs and giant Sequoia groves.

But, by thinking small, scientists have discovered new species of lichen clinging like microscopic starfish to Yosemite icons such as El Capitan, Half Dome and Vernal Falls, and countless slabs of less famous rock. And they are trying to determine whether the species exist anywhere else.

The chance to collect and study the lichen that give the Yosemite's granite faces their distinctive black and rust-colored striping enticed world-class climbers to the park last week. Dangling from ropes with chisels in hand, they gave earthbound scientists access to the microcosms that exist at their fingertips.

"We hear about new species of life being discovered in the remote Amazon, but here in Yosemite?" said extreme mountaineer Carlos Buhler, a member of the only team to ascend Mt. Everest's 29,000-foot east face. "This world of lichen is something that climbers see up close every day without knowing very much about it, so it's a chance for me to learn more about the world in which I live. I doubt I'll ever look at lichen the same way again."

National Park Service scientists look at lichen — a combination of fungus and algae — as one of nature's best harbingers of air pollution and climate change, so they are in a race to determine exactly what species are growing in the 1,169-square-mile park.

"It's important to know what our baseline flora and fauna are before we lose it, and lichen are a good baseline," said Martin Hutten, a Yosemite lichenologist who entered the field after discovering that air pollution had destroyed all but the most hardy lichen in his native Netherlands.

Hundreds of species of slow-growing lichen in the Sierra Nevada cling to everything from trees and shrubs to metal handrails over Merced River tributaries. Like tiny sponges, they suck from the atmosphere both the water and nutrients that feed them — and the pollutants that kill. Yosemite scientists are beginning to use the lichen as an indicator species for the amount of polluting nitrogen and sulfur in the forests.

"There is a tremendous amount of biodiversity that hasn't been discovered here in Yosemite," said Niki Nicholas, the park's chief of resources management and science. "People probably think that Yosemite has been around forever so everything must have been discovered."

Last year, scientists cataloged a new orchid unique to Yosemite, and two years before that found three new species of bees.

"If we have it now, we can see if we still have it 15 years from now," said Linda McMillan, the chairman of the American Alpine Club's Yosemite Committee who has been recruiting members to work on similar projects in parks and nature preserves around the world. "No one group in the world can understand something as complex as an ecosystem."

The lichen study is part of an ongoing public-private effort funded by the federal government and the nonprofit Yosemite Fund to take a biological inventory of the park's resources in a rapidly changing environment.

"I can think of worse ways for my tax dollars to be spent," said Steve Mackison, visiting from Maryland, as he watched Hutten rappel down Vernal Falls, a 317-foot waterfall.

Already the research has led to new discoveries in Yosemite, where scientists had assumed the vivid black, gray and rust-colored bands that run down the face of Vernal Falls were oxidized minerals washed there over centuries by falling water. "One thing we have definitely established since getting close is that a lot of these streaks are different things that are alive," Hutten said

The search for new lichen species in Yosemite paid off when scientists found one pollution-intolerant species, Altectoria sarmentosa, which was thought to exist in only one place in California. They say some of the approximately 100 unfamiliar species they are sending to Oregon State University for further testing could turn out to be unique to the park and, perhaps, the world.

"Already we have doubled the number of species known to be here," Nicholas said, "but we know we have lots more."

original article : New Lichen

New Breed Hit's Washington Surface Streets

Stu Marks — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 16:23:23 GMT

What do you get when you cross an ingenious machinist with another gas price hike? The Grocery Getter.

Photo by Jim E. Washington State

This combo is not something that can be found at a motorcycle shop nor Wal-Mart, but with their help, my step-dad put together this 50 mpg grocery getter on which he runs around his southwest Washington town for mail runs and grocery store trips.

He’s had it up to 40 mph just for kicks.

Some questions might be coming naturally to your mind. His age? I’m 50, and the youngest of three. Do the math.

Actually, he bought this 1980s Honda new, sold it to a friend who put 4k miles on it before rebuilding it. He recently sold it back to my step-dad, who fabricated a special hitch bracket to which he attached the Wal-Mart accessory.

OK class. So, what have we learned here today? When gas prices go up it’s time to accessorize.

Ahk. Zose clevah Amedicans!

Quieter Yellowstone Welcome, but Illegal

Stu Marks — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 00:00:45 GMT

National Park Service, photo by Jim Peaco, 2000

According to The U.S. Constitution and The Bill of Rights, federal judges do not have the authority to create laws that govern through automatic caveat. Yet, that is exactly what has happened yet again. In the article below, the current scenario playing out in the case of the loud snow machines in Yellowstone describes someone's point of view. Unfortunately, the article completely forgets to mention the legal issue.

A dully appointed federal agency (The National Park Service operating under the authority of The Department of the Interior) has set forth some boundaries of land use within its purview. Then, a federal judge has struck them down. This makes it evident that governing from the bench is the accepted form of government in this land. The main problem with that is that it is a form of government that operates outside of a Republic form of government.

The United States of America is a republic. We do not get our governing laws from judges. We get them from elected officials. There are several words for the current form of government under which we are currently operating by default; and republic or democracy are not two of them.

Editor

It could be a very quiet winter in Yellowstone National Park

from The Yellowstone Insider

With a federal judge throwing out the latest winter use plan for Yellowstone National Park, one big question looms for potential visitors: How should they proceed with a potential winter sojourn?

No one seems to know, including the National Park Service. In fact, under current guidelines, no snowmobiles or snowcoaches will be allowed inside the Park this winter. Here's the key paragraph from a press release issued Friday by the Park Service:

"A 2004 rule originally implemented to support a temporary three year winter use plan remains valid and is the rule which currently governs oversnow motorized travel in the parks. Under that rule, the authority to operate snowmobiles and snowcoaches in the parks expired at the end of the 2006-2007 winter season. Unless some change occurs, neither snowmobiles nor snowcoaches will be allowed in Yellowstone or Grand Teton this winter."

That, of course, is a stunner: without any way to get in, there will be no winter visitors to Old Faithful Snow Lodge and the greater Old Faithful area. (The Mammoth Hot Springs area is accessible via automobile.) And given the recent rise in popularity of snowshoeing and cross-country skiing in the Old Faithful area, a prime Now, there are absolutists who would rather see Yellowstone untouched by human during the winter months; similarly, there are those who yearn for the old days of two-stroke snowmobiles and access unfettered by mandatory guides.

The uncertainty was caused by a decision handed down last week by U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan, who rejected the new winter-use plan (which would have raised limits on four-stroke snowmobiles to 540 per day) because it was at odds with findings by NPS staff that the higher limits would negatively impact wildlife in Yellowstone National Park. He wrote:

"According to the NPS’s own data, the [winter-use plan] will increase air pollution, exceed the use levels recommended by NPS biologists to protect wildlife, and cause major adverse impacts to the natural soundscape in Yellowstone, Despite this, NPS found that the plan’s impacts are wholly 'acceptable,' and utterly fails to explain this incongruous conclusion."

Whatever happens had better happen soon. We're now less than 90 days away from the start of Yellowstone's winter season, and Park officials say they're working with U.S. Department of Interior and U.S. Department of Justice lawyers to come up with a game plan for the winter. Presumably there will be some sort of emergency rules that basically conform to guidelines set forth in the previous 2004 rules. And, in theory, a federal judge in Cheyenne could make some sort of ruling that could clarify -- or muddy -- the situation.

In the meantime, you should be careful about making any reservations. The rules concerning reservations during winter months are considerably more restrictive than during the summer: reservations must be cancelled 14 days in advance during the winter months to receive a refund. Presumably concessionaire Xanterra will waive this should snowcoaches and snowmobiles not be allowed back to Old Faithful Snow Lodge during the winter season, but you should be warned.

Javelina

accorie — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 14:40:58 GMT

The javelina or collared peccary, Tayassu tajacu, is found as far south as Argentina and as far north as Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. Collared peccaries are in the even-toed, hoofed mammal order of Artiodactyla. Javelinas are often called pigs but they really are not. They are in a different family altogether than pigs.

Javelinas are built low and close to the ground, standing about 18 inches tall and are between 32 to 36 inches long. An average adult weighs 40 to 60 pounds. They have tiny hooves with four toes in front and three in back. Their fur is coarse salt and pepper colored with a white band around the neck, making it look like a collar. A mane of darker hair on the back of the neck and shoulders will sometimes bristle up when they face danger.

The Javelina has an excellent sense of smell, average hearing, and poor eyesight. It is possible to get as close as ten feet of a Javelina before they smell you, if you are quiet enough, because their eyesight is so poor! They have pink, sensitive noses that help them locate underground roots as well as a nearby predator. A scent gland located above their short tail gives off a strong, musky odor. They rub against each other to help quickly identify members of their herd. The herd sizes can run between 2 and 30, with the average being 12 individuals. They mark their territory by rubbing their scent glands on rocks.

Javelinas thrive in a variety of habitats and are able to adapt easily to different areas in their territory. The javelina is an herbivore (plant eater) and frugivore (fruit eater). They eat a wide variety of fruits, tubers, rhizomes, bulbs, acorns, grass, green shoots of annuals, stems of prickly pears, lupines, mesquite beans, and lechuguilla. They are also opportunistic and take animal matter as food when it is easily available or accidentally ingest it while foraging for other things. Succulent prickly pear pads make it possible for the javelina to survive until rainfall brings many new annual food plants and water sources. Javelina will drink when water is available, but it is not essential if succulents are available. When the collared peccary feeds it will often dig with its nasal disk to uproot plants and tubers. They often use their feet to hold the pads of a prickly pear and then peel back the skin and spines to eat the juicy insides. They prefer the younger pads which have the fewest spines and lowest level of fiber. Squabbles can arise among the herd when feeding on the same plant.

The herd feeds by spreading out in a loosely knit group. As the day heats up the javelina seek shelter in cooler canyons, caves, and areas of dense shrub. They will feed again in late afternoon until dark. Feeding time increases in cooler months and resting time increases in the summer. Javelina may even feed at night during the hottest months. After feeding, the herd will bed down under rocky overhangs, in caves, and in shallow depressions with heavy brush cover to hide from predators. They will huddle together in a group for warmth and protection when bedding down.

Javelinas also enjoy wallowing in the mud or dust. They prefer to "bathe" in mud rather than water. The javelina does some mutual rubbing, nose touching, and nuzzling as greetings, but spend little time grooming each other. Javelinas have many different vocal sounds. They issue a bark as a togetherness call to find other herd members. A woof is sounded for an alarm usually as the javelina runs away. Grunts are also used to communicate with the young. Tooth clicking and a low grumble are produced in times of aggression and fighting. Their sense of hearing generally allows them to hear herd communications from far away.

The collared peccary can breed any month of the year, but most births occur in May, June, or July, after a five-month gestation period. This may be to correspond with the summer rainy season. They first breed at about one year of age and only death or disease ends the ability to breed and bear young. Females can have two litters a year. Collared peccaries live in groups, but do not form long-term pair bonds. The female gives birth standing up and nurses the young for two months. The average litter size is two, but occasionally is as high as five. The babies weigh one pound at birth and can walk and follow the herd after just one day. They are reddish-brown miniatures of the parents. By six weeks of age the young are eating solid food like their mother. By forty weeks the young are full-grown. There is typically a 50% or higher mortality rate for the young. The entire herd will defend the young against predators, but a baby who strays from the safety of the herd may become a bobcat or coyote meal. Coyotes, bobcats, black bears, and mountain lions prey upon Javelinas. On average they live 7.5 years in the wild.

They were once heavily hunted for their hide for gloves and hairbrushes in the late 1800's and early 1900's. The hides were used as barter in many trading posts along the U.S.-Mexico border. Since the 1940's the javelina has been considered a sporting game animal in Texas. It provides a source of income for landowners and the State of Texas for the hunter's fee. The meat is typically baked or barbecued. In the national parks, the Javelinas are protected. You can see them in Big Bend NP in Texas and Saguaro NP in Arizona, to name a few.

Outdoor Adventure Photo Contest - get featured on our home page!

Clint Pollock — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 13:18:41 GMT

Do you have great outdoor adventure photos? Post them to Adventure-Space.com and be featured on the home page of www.Adventure-Crew.com and www.Adventure-Space.com for 1 week. Thousands of our viewers will see them! Winners are notified by email.

Simply signup by clicking Join.

Then, click Post Photos on the right navigation.

Next, click the Select Files button. Upload as many pictures as you like!

That's it. We will checkout your pictures and pick a winner weekly.

Sept 27 Free Day at National Parks

Stu Marks — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 19:58:46 GMT

According to the National Park Service, Saturday, September 27 is a free day. No standard fees will be collected in honor of National Public Lands Day.

Other national agencies under the Department of the Interior also not charging fees on that day include U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Reclamation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Forest Service.

Adventure-Crew strongly suggests calling ahead to your National Lands destination before making plans around particular camp sites, parks, recreational areas and monuments.

Get out there and hike on your favorite trail, or try a new one.

Editor

Famous Travel Guru, Frommer; Under-Visited but Fascinating Sites (photo)

Stu Marks — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 16:19:28 GMT

Trips to Little-Known National Sites Can Be Eye-Opening
By Arthur Frommer in TheLedger.com

Every American vacationer is familiar, at least in name, with most of the national parks, but the national park service doesn't limit its activities to those well-known areas.

This overburdened wing of the Department of the Interior also manages several other classes of irreplaceable American tourist sites. While Yosemite, Yellowstone and the like are endlessly feted and become packed with patrons, the national historic sites and national monuments are lightly visited.

Some of these sites feature natural beauty, but just as many highlight a neglected aspect of American life or art, such as the Carl Sandburg Home in North Carolina, the Spanish fort Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine. (built more than 100 years before American independence), and the home and principal office of playwright Eugene O'Neill in California.

Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine, FL
photo from StAugustine.com Visitor's Guide

Many of these sites illuminate patches of history that our culture has all but forgotten. For example, in Andersonville, Ga., you can see the remains of a Civil War prison camp where an astonishing 13,000 soldiers died in confinement - sometimes at a rate of 100 soldiers a day. It was America's concentration camp, but few Americans today are aware of it.

Likewise, in Johnstown, Pa., nearly the same number of people were killed by a man-made flood as were killed on Sept. 11, 2001, and yet the tragedy is barely known. And at the smallest park in the system, the home of Thaddeus Kosciuszko in Philadelphia, you'll learn about a Polish-born immigrant who played a pivotal role in the American Revolution.

These places have much going for them, particularly in a period when vacationers are trying to spend less. For example, they often cost half of what car entry to a national park does. Yellowstone today is $25 a car, but San Marco is just $6. They are also easily seen in a single day, or a fraction of a day, requiring less preplanning and fewer advance reservations for nearby lodges. And they are everywhere - in every state but Delaware.

Always check your vacation destinations for the sites that are available. You will rarely fight crowds, and yet you will likely be enriched by a gripping story. The National Park Service's Web site (www.nps.gov) makes no distinction between the busy national parks and its smaller, worthy attractions (national seashores, national scenic trails, among them), listing them all by state on its Web site. They make for worthwhile detours.

[ Arthur Frommer is a travel guide, author and columnist. ]

Parks Prepare For Hurricane Ike in the South East Region

Stu Marks — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 20:25:12 GMT

Tuesday, September 09, 2008

Southeast Region
Parks Prepare For Hurricane Ike

South Florida parks are closed today as Hurricane Ike passes by to the south, while Gulf Coast parks are keeping a close eye on its forecast path:

Everglades NP/Dry Tortugas NP – Dry Tortugas closed yesterday and will remain closed today. Most employees have already evacuated to Orlando, where they are expected to remain through Wednesday. Four employees remain at Fort Jefferson to await passage of the storm.

The M/V Fort Jefferson moved yesterday to safe harbor in the Miami River. Gulf Coast Visitor Center at Everglades closed at noon yesterday, Shark Valley closed at 3:30 p.m., and Flamingo remained closed. At the time of the report yesterday, the main park road was closed from Mahogany Hammock to all points south. Staff from Flamingo, Key Largo and Gulf Coast completed evacuations late yesterday. All areas of the park will be closed to visitation today.

The Ernest Coe Visitor Center will continue to be staffed solely as a contact station for wayward visitors.

Biscayne NP – Preparations continue for Ike. The park shutdown at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday.
Big Cypress – The park remains open, but storm monitoring continues.
Parks in Mississippi and Louisiana are monitoring Ike’s path, which is currently on a track toward Louisiana and Texas. Gulf Islands is preparing for a possible storm surge emanating from Cuba. The Western IMT concluded Hurricane Gustav recovery operations in the Mississippi District yesterday.
[Submitted by Larry Perez, EVER; Saudia Muwwakkil, SERO]

Rare okapi photographed in Congo

Stu Marks — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 16:45:18 GMT

The so-called Wild African Unicorn has been photographed for the first time. This zebra/gazelle/deer has been seen by pretty much only indigenous tribes, but never by modern civilization. The photo was from a photo trap camera that operates automatically when something of a determined size passes in front of it. There are captive okapis in zoos, but the wild okapi has been eluding researchers for many years.

In the below photo, it is difficult to get a clear idea of what the okapi's hide looks like due to a mixture of the actual zebra/giraffe like striping mixed with the mottled sun light.

The okapi is said to be related to the giraffe.

Editor

This undated image provided by the Zoological Society of London, Thursday, Sept. 11, 2008, shows an okapi in Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo proving that the species is still surviving there despite over a decade of civil conflict. The Zoological Society of London says cameras set up in Congo have snapped the first photos of the rare okapi roaming wild. Okapi have characteristics like a deer and a giraffe but is most notable for its zebra-like leg stripes. Zoologists found evidence of an okapi population in the park through tracks a few years ago. Experts say the photos indicate a second group also exists there. The animal previously had only been glimpsed only in passing in the wild, but captive okapis are found in many zoos. (AP Photo/The Zoological Society of London/ho)

Source; AP

A Tribute to My Freedom on 9-11-2008

Stu Marks — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 15:27:17 GMT

Adventure-Space is not a political forum. But, today is 9/11, 2008. And on this day and every 9/11 from here forward, I believe it our American duty to remember, in order to give back a small part in gratitude for those who protect us, both foreign and domestic.

No more do we ask, “Do you remember what you were doing the day JFK was shot and killed?” We now say, with passion “I know exactly where I was and what I was doing the minute I heard about the towers on 9/11."

The cowardice attack on innocents by Muslim terrorists was a defining moment, not just for Americans or individuals, but whether realized or not, for every human on planet Earth.

Adventure-Crew salutes those who lost family members and loved ones, and have survived to live through the pain, and of course, the heroic individuals who fought to save as many as possible on that day and the days that followed.

I can not empathize with those who lived in or near New York City and suffered loss. I can only imagine the shock and horror experienced. Images and narratives are only a shadow of being there.

May our armed forces and intelligence community continue to keep harm’s way at a continental distance as they have managed to do since 2001.

How did the events of 9/11 change your life?

Photo from TheWeblicistOfManhatten.com.

Clouds are explosively lit as they pass over the light columns in place at the site of the Twin Towers in NYC in this 2006 photo.

My story is pretty simple. I was driving from my town to another nearby on some mundane shopping errand. My wife, who is a nurse, was at work in her hospital that morning. I had been laid off from my store management job and was currently collecting unemployment for the second time in my life.

After calling a couple of people to confirm that what I was hearing on WLS radio in Chicago around 9:10 am wasn’t some hoax, my entire life took a radical shift. I realized that our country was under attack once again, and this time it was not on someone else’s soil, but our own; not a ship in some foreign harbor; not some obscure but tragic train station bombing in a far away town that I wouldn’t remember five minutes after hearing of it; but, a blatant, calculated plan of attack designed to kill as many innocent citizens as possible. And therefore, things would never again be the same.

No American president could push this event under the political carpet for career or party expediency. No; this would have to be dealt with decisively.

Architect Libeskind's original design to replace the towers.

At the age of forty something I was too old to enlist. I was already an individual who voted, and wrote letters to my elected officials. But, it just didn’t seem enough on that day. I wanted to do something significant.

The only thing that kept coming back to me was the massive losses happening right then. How all of those families that were right then losing wives, husbands, sons, daughters, fiancés, moms, dads, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles and cousins were going to have to just keep living every day with their loss. How, the people in those buildings wouldn’t only be losing jobs and places of business, but would be losing friends, co-workers, employees and bosses.

I went through the emotion of losing my wife, and how I’d feel. And then I realized my guilt; guilty of so much selfishness in just living my day to day life without proper perspective.

It was on that day that I decided to go back to college and obtain a degree; something that I had promised my wife that I would do some day. For me, at that moment, it was some day.

2008 satelite photo from Google Earth of the tower's site.

Three years later, I graduated with a BFA from the Illinois Institute of Art/Chicago Art Institute in the fall of 2004, just a few days before the third anniversary of 9/11.

The interesting and rewarding work that I do for Adventure-Crew is an indirect result of the attack on 9/11. I am forever reminded of my finite place in the universe.

I am glad that I can not be in Iraq or Afghanistan carrying an M14 or driving a Hummer over bomb ridden roads. All though I would be proud to if required, I can’t imagine any man enjoying leaving his family for months or years, carrying the threat of death or dismemberment.

God bless you brave men and women of the American armed forces.

My work may not save a life; I may not be treading through the streets of an Iraqi village seeking out murderers who make it their business to steal the lives of others through theft, kidnapping, imprisonment and outright torture and killing. But, I am endeavoring to care for my own family and help effect political change locally and on my own national soil in an effort to keep my family safe within the sphere of my influence; a way of life made possible by those who are serving in our military by choice.

I take my role as an American citizen quite seriously and never cast my vote frivolously.

How did the 9/11 attack affect you? Reply below.