Eagles are wickedly cool. When you go to
Alaska you understand immediately why the bald eagle (as
opposed to the Wild Turkey or the Blue Jay) became our national symbol. So let’s say on your next adventure you
wanted to go to where the eagles are. Then
here’s an article that
will explain. The eagle has a made a tremendous comeback in parts of the country after industrial poisoning almost took
them out. Go there now, see our national symbol. Enjoy
and try not to kill anything.
Crown of the Continent
Efforts to stop land development using the blunt sword of the Endangered
Species Act have been largely stymied by this new administration, which has been less favorable to setting aside public
land than his predecessor. So the going mantra in environmental circles (which is not at all new) is to purchase land
and set it aside for protection.
For environmental groups and conservationists, a
corridor of the wild stretching from
Yellowstone to the Yukon, has long been a dream. The area is called the Crown of the Continent, and thanks to the
efforts of some of these groups it is now largely protected through land acquisition and conservation agreements with
private owners. The Nature Conservancy of Canada, it is hoped, will acquire about 98,000 acres across the border in
British Columbia that a forestry company has agreed to sell that will be added to the corridor. The
Nature Conservancy in the United States has also spent some $45 million on the
effort.
Part of Adirondacks Preserved
The highlight of the month for the Nature Conservancy
newsletter is their recently announced co-deal with the Lyme Timber Company to
preserve 104,500 acres of Adirondacks forest. The deal, which
will cover acreage in New York, will help “conserve ecologically-significant natural resources, sustain forestry jobs,
preserve traditional land uses such as hunting and fishing and create new public recreation opportunities”.
This should prove to be a boon to New York residents, who will get some new open space to play in. As for those who
live off the harvests, they will continue to work under “sustainable forestry management”. I suppose it’s a win win for
everyone?
Give a Little Bit: The Alex Lowe Foundation
Before he was killed in an avalanche on Tibet’s Shishipagma in 1999
Alex Lowe was widely
recognized as one of the world’s strongest, most experienced and able climbers.
He made some incredible alpine climbs across the gobe, including new routes on Nepal’s Kwangde and Kusum Kanguru,
and he twice summited Mount Everest.
He also had a big heart and a giving soul. He once carried a debilitated Spanish climber on his back up steep snow
slopes to a waiting helicopter at nearly 20,000 feet.
In his memory the Alex Lowe Charitable Foundation (ALCF)
provides direction and financial support to sustainable, community-based humanitarian programs designed to help the
people who live in remote regions of the world. Give it a look.
Almost Blind at the Iditarod
Rachael Scdoris is an attractive 20-year-old woman from Bend, Oregon, who will be
participating in this year’s Iditarod Race in Alaska. She’s
tough, ready, and experienced. Oh, and she’s
almost blind. Diagnosed with
congenital achromatopsia, Scdoris will be at the starting line on March 5 for the epic annual dog sled race.
Amazing.