The Wilderness Sportsman » Commercialization

Seniors, senators blast plan to ramp up campground costs for elderly, disabled

Mike — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 09:24:27 +0000

This is a pretty disgusting story that’s bound to get bigger. The USFS is considering allowing private campground managers(many of these are now entrenched into our federal public land system ,unfortunately) to raise prices on the disabled and elderly. Normally these groups would receive half off for their campground rates.

There is no doubt that a society’s worth can be judged on how it treats the elderly, the sick, and the animals of this planet. This situation is embarrassing.

Note that Derek Crandall, head of the American Recreation Coalition or “ARC” is for the cut in discounts for the disabled. We’ve covered him before. Ultimately, his goal is for the privatization of federal public land.

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South Dakota: Warning – Spraying of toxic chemical Sevin to be used at Mount Rushmore

Mike — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 17:00:21 +0000

Sevin is a nasty chemical(otherwise known as Carbaryl). I would not want to hang out in an area where it was recently sprayed(or areas that were sprayed a year ago that are burning), or let any children in those areas. It is a nasty neurotoxin that can cause serious harm to both humans in larger doses and to all kinds of wildlife in much smaller doses. The fact that we are spraying this stuff in our national parks and monuments is incredibly disturbing.

You can read more about it at this previous post on this site:

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Arizona state senator: The earth has been here 6,000 years, so we need to get that uranium

Mike — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 18:23:09 +0000

There is a very real problem with the clueless blocking progress in this country of ours. Sylvia Allen, an Arizona state senator is an eloquent example of this:

6,000 years? Really?

Montana: Schweitzer wants state control of federal land

Mike — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 06:22:09 +0000

This is some disturbing news to say the least. For all intents and purposes this looks like an anti-public lands move.

National Forests were created precisely because local management was far too easily corrupted by local business interests.

Personally, I smell something fishy here. Schweitzer is smarter than this.

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America’s most endangered rivers announced

Mike — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 07:30:33 +0000

Number five on the list is Montana’s North Fork of the Flathead, which is the western border of Glacier National Park. We’ve talked about the threat to the river from the Canadian side in the past. The main culprit is mining. Every time I head out west I make it a specific point to spend time in the Northfork Flathead country. I love to flyfish, and I literally have miles of stream to myself. It’s a large, clear, powerful and cold river with unique qualities when compared to other rivers in the lower 48. The area is also stacked with predators. It’s home to wolves, wolverine, cougar, fisher, grizzly, black bear, lynx, pine marten and other toothy animals. However, I have always found it very difficult to spot the animals in the North Fork due to the very thick forests. I almost always seem much more wildlife of all kinds on the eastern side of Glacier National Park.

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Wisconsin: Timber goes into a tailspin

Mike — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 23:36:13 +0000

Like the stock market player, or the IT worker, no one is guaranteed a free lunch. At some point, everyone encounters a need to change. In this case, an economy based solely on expansion of homes into rural areas is simply not sustainable, nor particularly good for the future of mankind in the long run.

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Montana: The Nature Conservancy buys 111,740 acres from Plum Creek

Mike — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 06:36:41 +0000

This is outstanding news for anyone who has followed the Plum Creek Nightmare of the last few decades. This purchase was focused in the beautiful Swan Valley. While the land will still allow timber cutting, the chances of subdividing and development are removed. Cost? $250 million.

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New York Boy Scout camp overlogged

Mike — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 18:47:31 +0000

Some scouts don’t even want to come back to the area.

“I just don’t want to go anymore”

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