Bureau of Land Management, California, Wildlife

Bear Aware: Tips for a Safe Season on California’s Public Lands

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

Spring and summer are prime time for getting out into California’s backcountry — and they’re also prime time for bears to be on the move. The Bureau of Land Management recently put out a reminder for public lands visitors to brush up on bear safety, and given how much time I spend out exploring (and how much time I hope you do too), it seemed worth passing along and bookmarking for the season.

As bears come out of winter dens, they’re searching for food, moving through new habitat, and in some cases protecting cubs — all of which can increase the odds of a surprise encounter on the trail. As BLM’s Acting Director Bill Groffy put it, “Public lands managed by the BLM are wild places, and wildlife safety is visitor safety.” Simple precautions go a long way toward keeping both you and the bears safe. Continue reading →

indie-publishing, Questions and Answers, Writing

Has anyone gone directly to a book publisher without an agent? Is there any success?

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

Of course! Here’s what you need to know:

Large publishers prefer agented submissions because the work arrives pre-vetted. They’re not wasting their time on an amateurish screed from someone who thinks they’re a writer because they own a copy of Word and know how to stuff a manila envelope full of their poorly-written, spell-check-ignored ‘manuscript’ and fire it off (unsolicited) to the President of the publishing company.

Agents exist, in part, to spare editors from sending more paper to the local recycling facility.

If you have bona fides—actual credentials—you can approach a publisher directly. But you follow their roadmap, not yours. No serious publisher accepts unsolicited manuscripts, but most will consider a query letter and book proposal (for non-fiction), or a synopsis and sample chapters (for fiction) — IF the writer conducts themselves professionally.

That last word there is doing a lot of heavy lifting in that sentence.

Adventures, National Forests, OHV

Know Before You Go: San Gabriel Canyon OHV Area Prohibitions

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

If you’re planning a run through the San Gabriel Canyon Off-Highway Vehicle Area, there are some rules you need to know about before you load up the rig. The Angeles National Forest has a standing order in place – effective March 23, 2026 through December 31, 2028 – and if you show up unprepared, you’re going to have a bad day.

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Conservation, National Forests

San Dimas Experimental Forest – Closed to the Public, and Here’s Why That’s Actually Okay

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

Not every closure is a bad thing. I know – coming from me, that probably sounds surprising. But hear me out.

The San Dimas Experimental Forest, tucked into the hills north of Glendora in the Angeles National Forest, has been closed to public recreation since March 23, 2026 – and unlike some closures I could name, this one makes sense to me.

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Writing

I am a special character…

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

Public Service Announcement:

I’ve decided I’m going to continue to use the ’em dash’ character — the character that idiots think is a hallmark and “proof” of AI writing, instead of what it actually is, “a mark for emphatic pauses, abrupt changes in thought, or asides” as defined by the Chicago Manual of Style — so that people think I’m artificially intelligent rather than actually intelligent.

That way, there’s no expectation that I’ll have to display my intellectual brilliance or perfection to those who clearly do not deserve to bask in my greater glory.