Rim Fire Recovery Project Announced

Press release from the USDA:

Stanislaus Forest Supervisor Susan Skalski today announced the second phase of the Rim Fire recovery, Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that will appear in the Federal Register December 6. The proposed action will include:

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Amazon reports self-publishing accounts for 25% of top 100 ebook sales in U.S.

Yep.  Since 2007, the self-publishing part of the ebook pie has been sizable.  In just a few years, the self-published author has gone from zero to hero, owning 25% of the top 100 ebook market, as reported by Amazon.  No matter how many reports  traditional publishers put out – saying people are eschewing ebooks, that kids don’t like ebooks, and that ebooks are the bane and scourge of the publishing world – it appears that those bought-and-paid-for ‘statistics’ aren’t based on the cold hard numbers generated by their greatest imagined enemy: Amazon.

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California State Parks Launches 150th Anniversary of State Parks at Grand Opening of California Statewide Museum Collections Center

Today, California State Parks is officially launching the 150th Anniversary of State Parks, along with the grand opening of California’s Statewide Museum Collections Center in McClellan Park, an event sponsored by the California State Parks Foundation (CSPF).

“This is an exciting time for State Parks, as we will be commemorating our Sesquicentennial next year and looking ahead to the future of the system,” said Major General Anthony L. Jackson, USMC (Ret.), Director of California State Parks. “For 150 years, California State Parks has been a leader in the conservation and preservation of our natural and cultural resources, and our mission is to connect the people of California with their parks—whether it’s the beaches in southern California, or the Redwoods in the northern part of the State, or the historic and cultural parks and museums that are part of our history and our past.”

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American Hiking Society’s Volunteer Vacations sign-ups are open – HURRY to take advantage of some pretty great adventures!

The American Hiking Society has just announced that registration for the 2014 Volunteer Vacations season is now OPEN! They’re offering “more than 60 adventure opportunities” this coming year.  These slots can fill up fast (especially on some of the more interesting vacations) so don’t wait!  Discounted registration fees are now in effect.

If you’re not familiar with what the Volunteer Vacations program is, it’s a series of trail stewardship projects that take place across the country during some of the BEST vacation timeframes, that offer you the chance to give back to the trails you love. You can browse trips by state, difficulty level, accommodations, or timeframe. Remember: trail work experience is not a requirement; you only need a good attitude and the willingness to get a little dirty!

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Remove Yosemite’s Dam? Sounds like a great way to waste money!

Dan Lungren and John Van de Kamp have penned an opinion piece in the L.A. Times about the Hetch Hetchy Valley.  They’d like to see the valley restored and the dam removed.  I’m too young to remember what the valley looked like, but I’m of the opinion that it’s too late, and California has already wasted too much of the taxpayer’s money doing idiotic things like re-electing mistakes for governor and investing in high speed rail that nobody – except those getting rich off kickbacks – wants.

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