Category Archives: Outdoors

U.S. Forest Service’s Ecological Restoration Implementation Plan – How it affects you

The Pacific Southwest Region of the US Forest Service has released a statement of its Leadership Intent for Ecological Restoration, which laid out the Region’s guiding vision and goals for its stewardship of wildland and forests for the next 15-20 years. The following draft document reflects the Regional leadership’s current thinking on how the Leadership Intent will be implemented. This draft is a beginning point for discussions with employees, partners, tribes, agencies, communities of place and interest and those who care about the future of their National Forests.

Like the Leadership Intent the Implementation Plan is fluid and we expect that adjustments will be made over time as the Region continues to collaborate; follow new science; and seek out and form new alliances. These ongoing processes will reveal new and smarter ways to increase the pace and scale of restoration work while balancing the ecological, social and economic benefits of our restoration actions. Regional leadership has committed to editing and improving this document following these discussions and then reviewing and updating it at least annually in the future years. Hence we invite discussion, input and insight to ensure that the Implementation Plan reflects and is responsive to new information, partnerships, and conditions.

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There’s Still Good Mtn Biking in Big Bear!

Big Bear Mountain Resorts website is reporting that there’s still plenty of ground left to cover for your biking pleasure.

From the website:

Lift accessed mtn biking may be over for the season but the riding in Big Bear is still really good! The valley did get a small snowstorm but did not receive a substantial amount making the trails clear and tacky. Get out your warmer gear, temperatures are lower and the winter breeze makes the ride a bit cooler. Big Bear offers tons of cross country type rides and the south facing slopes of the mountains tend to warm up and melt off snowfalls quicker than the north side. Meaning trails on the north shore of the lake like Grout Bay are accessible for large parts of the winter.

You can find out more on their website HERE.

Manifrotto recommends a great book for landscape photographers

Jose Antunes has posted reviews of a number of great photography books, including one of the great ones about landscape photography.  From the post:

There are tens of eBooks about landscape photography, making it hard to choose one. Still, if I could only buy one, this would be it: “Visual Flow – Mastering the Art of Composition”, by Ian Plant, with photographs by this author and George Stocking. If there’s one easy way to enter 2014  widening your horizons in terms of Photography, it surely is through the reading of Visual Flow – Mastering the Art of Composition.

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Geocaching in Harmony with Nature

Yes, it’s getting a bit cold outside, and geocaching might take a backseat to cozying up to a cup of hot cocoa next to a warm fire, but – at least in Southern California – we are lucky enough to be able to geocache all year long!

As a conservationist, I like to encourage people to work in harmony with Mother Nature.  Not just because it’s good for everyone, but because she’s a bitch if you cross her.  There are a couple of great new blog posts by Annika over at the Geogaching Blog about geocaching in harmony with nature.  Part I is about hiding a cache, and Part II is about finding caches.

Tips described in detail in Part I:

  • Have a comprehensive geocache details page.
  • Place the geocache carefully.
  • Choose an appropriate geocache container.
  • Work with your geocaching community volunteer.
  • Don’t leave Cache-Trash.

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Filson makes awesome more … awesome-y!

The American Expedition Vehicles Brute Double Cab Pickup Truck is one of my all-time favorite off-road vehicles.  They don’t sell them anywhere near me (the closest authorized dealer is down in Oceanside), and they’re the most expensive Jeep I’ve ever lusted after.

The AEV Brute Double Cab is a customized 4-door JK Jeep Wrangler, that’s stretched, beefed up, and made spectacular by the Michigan-based company, American Expedition Vehicles with skid plates, available Warn winch packages, and more.  There are even more varying degrees of awesome available from the factory.  This particular vehicle offering is not just the upgraded JK, though.  Underneath that sheet metal beats 6.4 liters of American Hemi V8 can-do whup-ass.  This Jeep is the Captain America of Jeeps.  It is hoo-rah on wheels.

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