The WildeBeat

Thu, May 29, 2008

A Trace of Training

Posted at 09:00

/shows/skills [link ]

This skills program introduces the Leave No Trace traveling trainers. This couple spreads the word of Leave No Trace, but then they seem to leave a lasting impression.

The Leave no trace Center for Outdoor Ethics teaches skills to help you keep your parks and wilderness areas in their best possible condition. You can minimize your impacts on these place so that others can enjoy them more, and you can enjoy them in the future.

J.D. Tanner and Emily Ressler are this year's senior traveling trainers for Leave No Trace. They'll spend the year touring the country, attending festivals, and presenting classes on Leave No Trace principles to all kinds of people, from grade school students to professional mountain guides.

We'll hear more from J.D and Emily in several future editions.

• Show number 140 [MP3 format; length 11:04; 2,661,110 bytes]
• Show number 140 script

Thu, May 22, 2008

Reprise: Wilderness Deals for Wheels

Posted at 09:00

/shows/wild_places [link ]

This wild places program investigates the relationship of the popular sport of mountain bicycling to wilderness preservation. What do these groups want when they lobby for the protection of wild places?

Steve tells the story with the help of:

• Roger Abeh, a park ranger for the Department of Parks of the City of San Jose, California.
• John Kramer, the acting Wilderness Manager for the Pacific Southwest Region of the National Forest Service.
• Ryan Henson, the policy director for the California Wilderness Coalition.
• Mark Eller, Communications Director for the International Mountain Bicycling Association, also known as IMBA.

A recent point of contention between wilderness groups and mountain bicycling groups was over the establishment of the King Range Wilderness. This wilderness was established in October, 2006, as part of the Northern California Coastal Wild Heritage Wilderness Act.

WildeBeat members can download additional interview clips about responsible mountain bike riding in the backcountry from our WildeBeat Insider web pages.

• Show number 139 [MP3 format; length 12:04; 2,901,244 bytes]
• Show number 139, high-fidelity stereo [MP3 format; length 12:04; 11,601,795 bytes]
• Show number 139 script

Thu, May 15, 2008

Light Lights

Posted at 09:00

/shows/gear [link ]

This gear program presents reviews of LED lanterns and headlamps. In the past few years, the one piece of outdoor gear that's improved most dramatically in performance versus weight is lighting.

Larry Kirschner reviews the Coleman 4AA Pack-Away Lantern. Roger Caffin reviews the Princeton Tec Quad Headlamp. Tim Tessier reviews the Black Diamond Icon Headlamp.

If you're interested in reviewing for Backpack Gear Test (BGT), read: How to become a tester. Manufacturers provide more gear than the volunteers at BGT can keep up with. By becoming a tester, you can help your fellow wilderness travelers find out what gear will work for them.

• Show number 138 [MP3 format; length 9:53; 2,375,323 bytes]
• Show number 138, extended version [MP3 format; length 11:59; 5,760,797 bytes]
• Show number 138 script

Thu, May 08, 2008

Bad Fire, Good Fire, part 2

Posted at 09:00

/shows/wild_places [link ]

This wild places program is part two of a look at the effects of wild fires. Smoky the Bear says, only you can prevent wild fires. But sometimes you can't, and in some ways, that's not all bad. (Part 1 is here.)

Wild fires burned through three major wilderness areas in California late last summer:

• The Dick Smith Wilderness in the Los Padres National Forest was burned by the Zaca Fire.
• The San Rafael Wilderness in the Los Padres National Forest was burned by the Zaca Fire.
• The Orestimba Wilderness in Henry Coe State Park was burned by the Lick Fire.

Steve talks with fire ecologist Jon Keely of the United States Geologic Survey about whether fire irreparably damages wild lands. Winslow Briggs, director emeritus for the Carnagie Institute of Science, is studying the recovery of plants in Henry Coe State Park. He talks about what survived, what's coming back, and how he knows. Jon Keely talks about what to look for when you explore a place that has burned, and some things to discover and appreciate.

WildeBeat members can download extended bonus interviews with Winslow Briggs and Jon Keely from our WildeBeat Insider's web pages.

• Show number 137 [MP3 format; length 9:56; 2,386,410 bytes]
• Combined show numbers 136 & 137 [MP3 format; length 20:44; 19,910,396 bytes]
• Show number 137 script
• Show number 136 & 137 combined script
• Photo Album from Henry Coe S.P.

Tue, May 06, 2008

Thanks to Wilderness.net

Posted at 08:00

/blog/recognition [link ]

Wilderness.net is a reference web site maintained as a partnership project of the Wilderness Institute at the University of Montana's College of Forestry and Conservation, the Arthur Carhart National Wilderness Training Center, and the Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute.

Wilderness.net has chosen to feature the WildeBeat on their main page. We thank them.

One very useful feature of the Wilderness.net site is their Find a Wilderness feature. Use it to find detailed information on over 700 of the protected wilderness areas in the U.S.

Mon, May 05, 2008

Become our Fan on Facebook

Posted at 19:30

/blog/news [link ]

If you're a user of Facebook and a fan of the WildeBeat, you can become our fan on Facebook.

Just go to the WildeBeat page on Facebook and click on become a fan.

Thu, May 01, 2008

Bad Fire, Good Fire, part 1

Posted at 09:00

/shows/wild_places [link ]

This wild places program is part one of a look at the effects of wild fires. Smoky the Bear says, only you can prevent wild fires. But sometimes you can't, and in some ways, that's not all bad.

We play a part of a TV news report about a wild fire that burned about half of California's Henry Coe State Park. This park contains the nearest wilderness area to us, the Orestimba Wilderness.

Kathleen Good tells us about the largest of last year's wild fires in California, the Zaca Fire in the Los Padres National Forest, which burned both the Dick Smith Wilderness and the San Rafael Wilderness.

Steve tours the damage at Henry Coe State Park with ranger John Verhoeven.

Ben Lawhon, education director for the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics, reminds us about responsible use of fire on backcountry and wilderness outings.

Next week, in part 2, scientists study what happens to a wild place after a fire.

• Show number 136 [MP3 format; length 9:54; 2,378,785 bytes]
• Show number 136 script

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