For 'Travel Tuesday', let's look at some of America's Great Outdoors. We Need to Cherish Them.
Our victory for Idaho’s Salmon-Challis National Forest. By Brad Brooks
"Earlier in February, a magistrate judge in Idaho issued an important decision on a lawsuit filed by The Wilderness Society and our partners over destructive off-road vehicle use on the Salmon-Challis National Forest in Idaho. The judge agreed with us that the Forest Service had violated environmental laws in developing its plan to designate where motor vehicles were allowed to travel. This decision was the culmination of several years of work on behalf of TWS and our partners to halt unauthorized and inappropriate motorized recreation.
For me, this case was personal. I have hunted elk, climbed peaks, scaled limestone walls and spent many days recreating on the Salmon-Challis. It is a Forest rich with recreational opportunities no matter how you prefer to enjoy public lands."
The Salmon-Challis National Forest encompasses 4.3 million acres of land, and includes large portions of the iconic Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness. This is a very wild forest, with over 70% of the Forest classified as Roadless or Wilderness. Despite the wild and remote nature of the Salmon-Challis, motorized recreation has slowly crept onto the land and eroded the unique values that define this wild Idaho landscape.
In our challenge, The Wilderness Society and our partners documented widespread abuse from motor vehicle use, including torn-up riparian areas, deep tire ruts, and evidence of ATV use in areas where it is currently illegal to ride.
While this decision is a big win for conservationists and public lands advocates in Idaho, it could have widespread implications for how land managers deal with off-road vehicles west-wide. The judge made it clear in his decision that the Forest Service has a duty to protect public lands where off-road vehicles are damaging natural resources that belong to all Americans.
Because of the judge’s decision, the Forest Service will have to go back and develop a new travel plan that designates motorized roads and trails. The Wilderness Society and our partners will continue to work with the Forest Service to develop a plan that protects special places while providing recreational opportunities for all. This time, we hope the Forest Service gets it right."
More at: http://wilderness.org/content/our-victory-idaho-salmon-challis-national-forest
____________________
"In the beginning of the 20th century, Theodore Roosevelt responded to the threats facing America’s wild areas with a revolutionary agenda that has transformed the American landscape. America’s Great Outdoors advances this legacy, ensuring that America’s wild places and cultural icons will continue to provide economic, ecological and spiritual benefits to future generations of Americans.
Through America’s Great Outdoors, federal agencies will partner with communities to allocate resources according to local needs. Programs will reconnect youth to the land and will ensure that children are among those who gain the most."
____________________
America's Great Outdoors Initiative.
The Wilderness Society's Emily Diamond-Falk made an appearance on ABC News' Now You Know segment to talk about America's Great Outdoors. Watch the video below:
_____________________
Learning Travel Games for the children:
State Outline Map Printouts
State Label Me! Printouts
EnchantedLearning.com
US States
Facts, map and state symbols for the 50 states.
------
Symbols of the USA
A page on some of the many symbols that represent the United States of America.
------
National Park Quizzes
_____________________
-
-
All great places to visit. Looking for a public campground?
-
Welcome to the largest database of public campgrounds you'll find anywhere. It contains locations and other data on over 13,850 public campgrounds in the Continental US. It includes federal (COE, NP, BLM, USFS, USBR, TVA), state, county, municipal and utility -operated CG's. Each type is identified by an icon; click on the icon to see more information. http://www.wxtoad.com/uscampgrounds/
-
_____________________
-
Yesterday:
Neither Jay nor Ray worked yesterday.
Jay's mother had called me, and I knew he wouldn't be here, he had tied one on the night before, and she had thrown him out of her house….again. He has no phone at his house, but he can't stay there as he is letting someone rent it right now, supposedly to get funds amassed for his upcoming dental work. Then once he has had a few beers he spends too much money on undesirable things, with undesirable people, so I don't think he will have enough saved up for his appointment next month.
But I didn't know that Ray wasn't coming, so I had dressed in work clothes. I really needed to go into town to pay the water bill, but I never got around to it, just didn't seem to have the time. So I will have to go today.
Surely you have had days when you didn't seem to accomplish anything noteworthy, but was busy all day?
No comments:
Post a Comment