Link

Under the law, private companies haven’t paid royalties to taxpayers for an estimated $245 billion worth of minerals extracted from public lands in the last 135 years. It also allows companies to buy public land for as little as $5 an acre.

Link

“The Bob,” as local folk refer to it, is best accessed on horseback, or at least with packing help from our four-hoofed hiking companions. Unless you’ve got a couple of weeks and plan to re-supply at points along the trail, the area is simply too big for wildland pedestrians.

If Jeff Brown doesn’t like raptors, what is he doing climbing in their habitat? It’s like intentionally going to the desert and complaining about lack of water.

Link

“The Cleveland National Forest seems to be pushing forward with a preconceived agenda to . . . create raptor habitat preserves out of our existing recreation areas,” said Jeff Brown, a founding member of Allied Climbers of San Diego.

Link

Even though CNF officials propose prohibiting all cross-country motorized travel within the National Forest, their plan will also designate thousands of miles of roads and a large swath of land for ORV use – a plan opposed by a consortium of conservation groups that says it would fragment wildlife habitat, cause erosion, damage watershed and disrupt the natural quiet.

Link

The rare encounter, which happened in broad daylight, occurred just a few days after a different cougar began preying on pet cats at nearby Radium Hot Springs, putting residents in that B.C. tourist town on high alert.

Link

Are you dreaming of getting away to the great outdoors? If so, you’re not alone — national parks in the U.S. see more than 270 million visitors a year. From the scenic mountains of Glacier National Park to the sweeping vistas of the Grand Canyon, national parks are a perennially popular vacation destination for families, outdoor adventurers and travelers in search of natural beauty.

Link

WEST YELLOWSTONE – Dan Mooney has gladly signed on to a profession with hot, sooty and smoky working conditions that require extensive physical stamina. Oh yeah, and he has to jump out of an airplane and parachute into a burning forest.

Link

Lighting sparked all four fires burning in the Gates of the Mountains Wilderness, including the Stump and Sulphur Gulch fires, both nearly contained, and the Candle Mountain Fire, which officials continue to monitor.

Link

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) – The Green Mountain National Forest has finalized its forest plan designating wilderness areas, limiting use of all-terrain vehicles and taking other steps officials say will protect the resource.

Link

Fire managers detected 56 new fires over the last week across the Lolo National Forest.
All fires but six were lightning-caused and all fires were an acre or less. Fire managers quickly
deployed helicopters and initial attack crews to contain the new fires, and none of the new fires
threatened any structures.