Taking the Pulse of our Planet: Volunteers Needed to Track Seasonal Signs of Climate Change

Volunteers across the nation are being recruited to get outdoors and help track the effects of climate on seasonal changes in plant and animal behavior.

The USA-National Phenology Network (USA-NPN), a consortium of government, academic and citizen-scientists, is launching a new national program built on volunteer observations of flowering, fruiting and other seasonal events. Scientists and resource managers will use these observations to track effects of climate change on the Earth's life-support systems.

"This program is designed for people interested in participating in climate change science, not just reading about it," said USA-NPN Executive Director and U.S. Geological Survey scientist Jake Weltzin. "We encourage everyone to visit the website (www.usanpn.org) and then go outside and observe the marvelous cycles of plant and animal life."

Phenology is the study of the seasonal cycles of plant and animals, such as plants sprouting, flowering and fruiting, and animals reproducing, migrating and hibernating. Changes in these patterns, caused by climate change or other factors, can significantly affect human economies and health. In some areas, such changes have already imperiled species, such as in the disappearance of some wildflowers from near Walden Pond, home of the famed 19th-century naturalist Henry David Thoreau.

The USA-NPN monitoring program harnesses the power of people and the Internet to vastly increase the data available to scientists and the public alike, Weltzin said. The program provides easy-to-use methods to track the life cycles of nearly 200 species of plants, and will begin monitoring animals next year. Mark D. Schwartz, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and chair of the USA-NPN board of directors, said monitoring changes in seasonal events across large areas helps researchers forecast the effects of global climate change on plants, animals, and ecosystems.

Among other uses, data collected by USA-NPN will help resource managers predict wildfires and pollen production, detect and control invasive species, monitor droughts, and assess the vulnerability of various plant and animal species to climate change.

The USA-NPN, based at The University of Arizona in Tucson, is built upon partnerships among citizen scientists, government agencies, nongovernment organizations, academic researchers, educators and the public. The rapidly
expanding network includes collaborations among the U.S. Geological Survey, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, The University of Arizona, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and The Wildlife Society. Project BudBurst, a major partner of the USA-NPN, is launching its second season of plant phenology monitoring at www.budburst.org.

Outdoor Industry Applauds President's Commitment to Fund Public Land

Boulder, Colorado, February 26th, 2009 — Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) praised President Obama’s focus on public lands in his FY 2010 budget released today. The president’s budget proposes to increase funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), the U.S. Forest Service and the Department of Interior, which manages the National Park Service (NPS) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). It also sets up a dedicated fund for fire suppression at the BLM and the Forest Service, a leading priority for OIA.

The budget increases the LWCF by more than $114 million for a total request of $420 million in 2010. That will put the administration on track to fully fund LWCF programs at $900 million by 2014, the budget says.

The budget includes $12 billion for the Interior Department, which includes a $100 million increase for NPS operations. It also designates an additional $25 million in dollars to be matched by private donations to help the Park Service undertake signature projects in advance of the Park Service’s centennial in 2016.

President Obama’s budget would set up a contingency fund for firefighting costs that would be available as a reserve if the Forest Service or BLM deplete their regularly budgeted firefighting dollars. This scenario happens almost every year and the recreation budget at the Forest Service is one of many agency budgets that have been raided as a result. The budget also provides a $50 million increase for national forest operations.

“President Obama’s budget proposal is welcomed by the outdoor recreation industry and the millions of Americans who hike, bike, ski, camp and paddle. A robust and well-directed budget for our public lands is certain to drive economic growth for companies in the outdoor industry,” said Frank Hugelmeyer, president of OIA. “We are especially pleased to see a strong commitment to the LWCF, which funds close-to-home recreation opportunities. This has long been the number one funding priority for OIA and we are encouraged by the president’s pledge to return the program to full-funding,” said Hugelmeyer.

Source: Outdoor Industry Association

Extreme Hiking: Scariest Hiking Trail In The World

This video is reportedly taken at "El Caminito Del Rey" in Ardales, Spain (near Malaga). Since it's not in the US, I (fortunately) won't be reviewing it.

Keep watching, it gets better and better:

Scariest Hiking Trail In The World - Watch more Funny Videos

For those of you that want to check it out in person, I found the trail on Google Maps:

View Larger Map

And an article on it at Wikipedia.

Ladies Hiking Web Site Inspires Women to Embrace the Great Outdoors and Walk in the Woods

When times get tough, women take to the hills, or so says a new women’s Website, Ladies-Hiking.com, a City Girl’s Guide to Walking in the Woods. The outdoors site brings women together to talk about the best free vacation there is: hiking.

The young site provides expert advice on hiking, encouraging women to overcome their fear of the forest and get out on the trails. Ladies Hiking also brings women together to talk about their favorite hikes, fashions and gear, to share their photos and, more than anything, to make their own hiking rules.

“We’re in the early stages, I have to tell you,” says the site’s editor, Judith Harlan, a Website writer and journalist. She and a team of hiking enthusiasts out of Reno, Nevada, launched the site just this month. “We’re still new and open to all kinds of fresh ideas. Underlying all, though, is a core commitment to encouraging women to go hiking.” She wants women to break free of the idea that hiking is just for the hardy. Hiking is for everyone.

And why hiking? “For the healthy exercise, for the connection to nature, for the beauty,” says Harlan. It’s one of her first loves and Ladies-Hiking is her way of giving back, of sharing some of that enthusiasm for nature, introducing other women to one of the joys of her life. Her company, Harlan Editorial, Inc., Website Words that Work, is sponsoring the site.

Ladies-Hiking.com encourages women to share their experiences on the trail, as well as their favorite GORP and trail food recipes, and their latest fashion advice. The site’s attitude is one of acceptance. Hiking is for all ages and levels of fitness. In this economy, too, it doesn’t hurt that hiking is virtually free.

Source: www.prlog.org

Updated "Essential Hiking Supplies And Equipment" Article

I've updated the article "Essential Hiking Supplies And Equipment" on the US Hiking Trails site to include a more comprehensive clothing list and other additions. Please edit the article or leave a comment on this blog with any suggestions, additions or deletions you would make to this list. Your input is valued and appreciated!

Bark Beetles Kill Millions of Acres of Trees in West

From New Mexico to British Columbia, the region’s signature pine forests are succumbing to a huge infestation of mountain pine beetles that are turning a blanket of green forest into a blanket of rust red. Montana has lost a million acres of trees to the beetles, and in northern Colorado and southern Wyoming the situation is worse.

Those of us that spend time in the mountains and forests of the Western United States have seen it firsthand. But for an insightful article on the infestation, see the New York Times web site.

Environmentalist Subverts BLM Land Auction

In an act of "guerrilla politics", environmentalist Tim DeChristopher purchased over 10 parcels for $1.8 million in a recent BLM auction. The parcels that DeChristopher snapped up stand near two national parks and a national monument that environmentalists and the National Park Service warned might be endangered by drilling. In addition to removing the parcels from the bidding, DeChristopher's actions ran the price up on numerous other parcels being bid on by oil and gas developers.

A web site, www.bidder70.org, has been set up to solicit dontations to help fund his legal defense. As of last Friday, the site raised over $45,000, the amount needed for a down-payment on the leases he purchased, and should further delay legal action against him.

As stewards of our lands, I applaud the fact that Mr. DeChristopher's actions have helped bring to the public's attention the selling off of our public lands to developers at a fraction of its true value.

For more information:

Guerrilla Tactics At Oil-Lease Auction on washingtonpost.com;

Why I Disrupted A Fraudulent Action by Tim DeChristopher;

Article In Deseret News

www.bidder70.org