Showing posts with label Conservation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Conservation. Show all posts

Men's Journal Names the 25 Most Adventurous Women of the Past 25 Years

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A couple of weeks back I shared a link from Men's Journal that listed the 25 most adventurous men of the past 25 years, turning the spotlight on some impressive figures that we've followed closely here at The Adventure Blog. That group of impressive guys wasn't without controversy, as I felt there were a few deserving men who were left off the list. Now, MJ is back at it again, this time introducing its picks for the 25 most adventurous women as well.

As with its first list, each of the entires includes a photo of the adventurer in action and a few paragraphs explaining why she has earned a spot in this group. For instance, Sarah McNair-Landry starts things off thanks to her long and impressive resume of polar travel. She's joined by the likes of Kristine McDivitt Tompkins, who has been at the forefront of the conservation movement for decades, and thru-hiker Jennifer Pharr Davis, who once held the speed record for hiking the Appalachian Trail.

Other ladies who make the cut include ocean explorer Céline Cousteau, filmmaker Kathryn Bigelow, and climber Steph Davis. The rest of the list you'll have to discover for yourself, as it is once again filled with some impressive explorers, thought-leaders, and all-around badass women.

Just like with the men's list, there are a few ladies that I think are missing, but with a limit of 25 people, it is impossible to fit them all in. But this is definitely a great group of ladies who deserve the honor, with all of them having no problem standing alongside the men in their field. In this day and age when there simply can't be enough role models for both young girls and boys, these individuals are certainly worth celebrating.

Check out the entire list here.
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Video: Exploring the Wild Owyhee Region of Oregon

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Protecting public lands and wild outdoor spaces has been a hot topic in the outdoor industry and the U.S. government all year long, and while Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante have received the bulk of the attention, there are other places that need preservation too. In this clip, we travel to Oregon to visit Owyhee, a spectacular outdoor playground that is nearly the size of Yellowstone, and yet 95% of it remains unprotected and at risk to commercial development, including mining. This short documentary will introduce you to this extraordinary place and show you why it should be protected.

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This Holiday Gift Could Change Someone's Life Forever

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For the past several weeks I've been sharing all kinds of different holiday gift guides, with suggestions on what to buy your favorite outdoor adventurer. Obviously, those kinds of stories do quite well during the holiday season, as we're all scrambling around looking for ideas on what to give the people we love. Now, with just a week to go until Christmas, I'd like to suggest one other idea for the season of giving. This is a gift that could easily change someone's life in important and dramatic ways.

It is no secret that one of my favorite philanthropic and humanitarian organizations is the Himalayan Stove Project. In fact, I first wrote about the HSP way back in January of 2012, and since then I have posted regular updates on its progress. For those who don't know, the Himalayan Stove Project is dedicated to improving the health and environment of people living in the Himalaya by replacing their old, inefficient, and dangerous stoves with new, modern, and clean cook stoves that use less fuel and give up far less pollutants. These stoves are built by a Colorado-based company called Envirofit, and are an affordable option for replacing the open fire pits and primitive stoves that are common throughout Nepal and Tibet.

To date, the HSP has given out thousands of these stoves, impacting the lives of more than 40,000 people. But of course, there is still plenty of work to be done. Through the holidays, the organization is running a a gift giving campaign, in which supporters can buy Envirofit stoves in the name of others. A single stove costs $150, which includes shipping to Kathmandu and installation in a family home in the Himalaya. All the stoves bought under the gift giving program also include an e-card to the person you're buying it for, sharing details about this special gift and how it is changing lives.

If you're struggling to think of a truly memorable and life-altering gift this holiday season, consider making a donation to the Himalayan Stove Project or buying one (or more!) of the stoves outright. You can bet that your contribution will have a big impact on the lives of those who get the new stove, while providing a bit of extra karma for you in a time when we can all use a little more of that.

Find out more at HimalayanStoveProject.org.
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Video: The Bears Ears - A Living Museum in 360º Video

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There has been a lot of talk about the Bears Ears National Monument this past year, and particularly in the past week. What makes this place so special? Why it is of such importance to so many people? This fantastic video will help you sort it all out, and it does so by giving viewers a 360º view of the surrounding landscape. You'll need a browser that supports that type of video to get the full effect, but even if you watch it and just listen to the narration, you'll get a better understanding of why this is such a special place.

Bears Ears - A Living Museum from Patagonia on Vimeo.
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Patagonia Sues Trump Administration Over Bears Ears Reduction

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Earlier in the week we talked about the Trump administration's plan to reduce both the Bears Ears and the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments in size. That proposal was officially announced on Monday, calling for the greatest reduction of public lands in the history of the U.S. Now, a coalition of activist groups that includes gear manufacturer Patagonia is banding together to sue the President to prevent this move from happening.

The day after the announcement was made to reduce the size of the monuments the lawsuits started to be filed. At least three came on Tuesday alone, with others following throughout the week. By Wednesday, Patagonia had replaced its usual website homepage with a warning message saying "The President Stole Your Lands," which remains in place as of this writing. The company has also created a second page with information about this topic, including maps showing the new monuments before and after the reduction. There are also links that allow concerned visitors to express their concerns by sharing the info on social media, although those efforts have done nothing to convince Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke to change course. In fact, he may be preparing to announce reductions to to other monuments as well.

Patagonia has been at the forefront of the movement to protect Bears Ears for years, and applauded the efforts of the Obama administration to protect the area last year. The company was also one of the first to step up to fight the President's move to review national monuments when it was announced earlier this year. Patagonia was also instrumental in getting the industries Outdoor Retailer trade show to relocate from Salt Lake City to Denver in large part because of Utah's actions against public lands.

The outdoor apparel manufacturer wasn't alone in filing lawsuits this week. A number of conversation groups, including The Wilderness Society, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Sierra Club and seven other groups are all part of one lawsuits, while at least five Native American tribes are taking part in others. These lawsuits are expected to take years to sort out, with the potential to go all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court as judges decide where the limits of executive powers lie. That will be a matter of debate for some time, with some arguing the President doesn't have the authority to make this move, while others say it is well within his jurisdiction.

For now, Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante will remain unchanged while this issue gets sorted. What they will look like when it is all said and done will be very interesting.
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Video: Let the Tiger Go - Saving Wild Tigers in Sumatra

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The once thriving population of tigers in Sumatra have raced to the edge of extinction. These magnificent big cats have been hunted by poachers, who sell their skins and bones on the black market, where they remain in high demand. That has caused the Sumatran tiger population to fall to under 400 animals remaining in the wild. In this short documentary, we'll travel to Sumatra to see the team that is working to keep these creatures from vanishing. In the clip, we'll witness their efforts to rescue once such tiger first hand, as they battle ruthless hunters looking to make a quick buck at the expense of an entire species.

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Trump Will Cut Size of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante National Monuments

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One of the big political stories that the outdoor industry has been watching closely is how the current presidential administration will handle several national monuments. Shortly after taking office earlier this year, President Trump issued an executive order to have Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke review a number of monuments designated by his predecessors. Today, the results of those reviews will be officially announced, although we already know whats coming.

Trump is headed to Utah today where he will announce that he is cutting the size of the Bears Ears National Monument by 85% and Grand Staircase-Escalante in half. Both monuments sit on land that is ripe for development with a number of commercial interests ready to move into those areas. Trump supporters say that this would allow much-needed economic development for those parts of the U.S.

Today's announcement is likely to trigger legal action by local Native American tribes and environmentalists. There has been an outpouring of support from a number of different groups calling for the U.S. government to leave these monuments alone. Those pleas have been largely ignored as the Trump Administration moved ahead with undoing much of the work done by President Obama over the previous eight years. Obama designated the Bears Ears as a national monument using an executive order as the end of his term grew near, which was also controversial at the time.

At the moment, just Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante seem to be on the chopping block, but Secretary Zinke reviewed as many 27 monuments as per the President's orders. Those monuments stretch as far back as the Clinton Administration, with more potential cuts to their size coming. For now, we'll just have to wait to see if some of those other areas will get reduced in size too.

The controversy behind Bears Ears and other monuments isn't an easy one to sort out. While nationwide there is plenty of support for keeping these areas untouched, within the state of Utah plenty of people are in favor of doing away with the national monuments and having the state manage those lands instead. The feeling is that they can do a better job locally than the federal government has done thus far. Of course, there are also plenty of locals who favor commercialization and development of these areas too.

President Trump will be in Utah later today to officially make the announcement on the changes that he recommends. Those changes will have to first clear congress before they become official, but it seems as if there will be little opposition in the Republican controlled House and Senate. The legal battles are just about to start however.
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Video: Cyclists Ride Across the U.S. Collecting Trash as They Go

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In this video, we join friends Seth Orme and Abby Taylor as they set off across the U.S. by bike, riding from Georgia to Washington State. But, this wasn't just an amazing way to see the country, but it was also a way for the two riders to leave their mark as they went. Their route took them through a number of national forests, scenic byways, and campgrounds, where they hosted trash clean-ups and conservation events as they went. The entire trip took five months to complete, during which Seth and Abby managed to pick up more than 2100 pounds (952 kg) of trash. Check out their story below.

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Tomorrow is the Opening Day for Trails!

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Need yet another excuse to get outside and hit a trail this weekend? Than let the Rails to Trails Conservancy provide one. The non-profit has declared Saturday, April 16 Opening Day for Trails in celebration of all of the great trails that are available to outdoor enthusiasts in the U.S.

The Rails to Trails Conservancy is an organization that is dedicated to taking unused railway corridors and converting them to trails for use by hikers, mountain bikers, trail runners, or anyone else is looking for a good place to enjoy nature. Their goal is to have 90% of all Americans living within 3 miles of a trail system by 2020. That's an ambitious, but noble goal for sure and one that I'm sure Adventure Blog readers can relate to.

For Opening Day for Trails there are over 140 free events taking place across the U.S. to celebrate the arrival of spring and our ability to hit the trail once again. Some of the great events on tap include organized bike rides, group hikes, bird watching excursions, and more. Events are scheduled in 25 states and the District of Columbia.

Of course, you don't have to attend one of these outings, as you can also just organize one for you and your friends locally too. The point is to head out on a trail and enjoy the benefits that those routes provide in terms of health and well being. But, if you head over to the Rails to Trails website and take the pledge to get outside, you can also be entered to win one of two Fuji bikes as well.

Seems like as good of a reason as any to get outside this weekend. Find out more at RailstoTrails.org.
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Rare Sumatran Rhino Dies Days After Being Found

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A few weeks back I shared a story that had conservationist feeling optimistic about the potential future for a rare species of rhino. Now, a short time later, that story has turned tragic, as it was revealed that the rhino has now died in captivity.

Back in March, it was revealed that a rare, and highly endangered, species of rhino was discovered in the wilds of Sumatra. Those creatures were believed to be totally extinct, as none have been spotted there in more than 40 years. In order to protect the animal, she was captured in a pit trap and taken to a sanctuary where it was believed that she would be well protected from poachers.

But over the past few days, the rhino – who was named Najaq – saw a down turn in her health as she struggled to fight off an infection. On Tuesday, it was announced that she lost the fight, and passed away due to complications from the infection. There is a pending investigation to learn more about the situation, but it is believed that Najaq suffered an injury from a snare set by poachers prior to her being discovered. Wounds from that injury grew infected, leading to the death of the rhino.

This is obviously sad news. A few weeks ago the discovery of this creature brought hope that perhaps the species could be brought back from the brink of extinction, but this is a setback that makes those efforts even more difficult. Najaq does give us hope however that there are rhinos still out there in the wilds of Sumatra just waiting to be discovered. Hopefully conservationists find them before the poachers do.
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Open Access Journal: CeROArt: Conservation, exposition et Restauration d’Objets d’Art

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Video: GoPro Captures The Life Of An Elephant

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Ever wondered what it is like to see the world through the eyes of an elephant? Well, you can wonder no more thanks to this video, which was shot on GoPro cameras in the David Sheldrick elephant orphanage, located in Kenya. The footage not only gives us a glimpse into the life of an elephant, it shows us their more playful side as well. These creatures are amazing, and seeing them up close in the wild has been one of the greatest joys of my many travel experiences.

I, Elephant from Cristian Dimitrius on Vimeo.
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Watch This Video To Earn $1 For Polar Bear Conservation

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It's not often that we can do some good just by watching a video. But for every person who watches the short clip below, Causes will donate $1 to the World Wildlife Fund to be used in the creation of an Arctic home for polar bears. Those amazing animals are finding themselves increasingly threatened by climate change as their habitats grow smaller on an annual basis. We can help the WWF and its partners to raise funds, just be enjoying the beautiful video which features polar bears still roaming their natural environment. And really, who doesn't enjoy images of polar bears anyway?

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