The WildeBeat

Thu, Jul 17, 2008

Bagging Wild Sounds, part 1

Posted at 09:00

/shows/outings [link ]

This outings program is part one of a report on a trip to record nature sounds. You've got to be totally quiet; stand like a statue. And then, if you're in the right place at the right time, you'll capture your sound.

Our assistant producer Kate Taylor reports on her visit to the annual field recording workshop of the Nature Sounds Society. She tells her story with the help of:

• Dan Dugan, technical advisor to the Nature Sounds Society.
• Gina Farr, a multimedia producer from Marin Country, California.
• Hundreds of birds, amphibians, and a few domesticated mammals.
• Chris Bell, a museum curator from Sydney, Australia.
• Martyn Stewart, a professional nature sounds recordist for the BBC.

Next week, in part two, we'll hear more nature sounds, and find out why it's important to our guests to record and preserve them.

You can get tips from Dan Dugan on recording nature sounds by listening to our edition number 90, Listening to Parks.

• Show number 147 [MP3 format; length 9:48; 2,356,947 bytes]
• Show number 147 script

Thu, Jul 10, 2008

Starting With Fire

Posted at 09:00

/shows/skills [link ]

This skills program presents the basic skill of fire building. This is the second in a series of shows featuring primitive technologies experts from Primitive Ways. (The first show is number 141, First Skills.)

Naturalist Dino Labiste explains and demonstrates the fundamental skill of fire building. Our ancestors depended on fire as a basic survival tool as far back as a million years ago, and yet today, among many people it's becoming a lost art.

Ben Lawhon, the education director for the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics talks about minimum impact skills for making and using fires. The fifth Leave No Trace principle is Minimize Campfire Impacts.

The Primitive Ways website has many articles on primitive fire skills. Another source of information on primitive skills in the Society of Primitive Technologies.

• Show number 146 [MP3 format; length 9:55; 2,383,583 bytes]
• Show number 146, high-quality stereo version [MP3 format; length 10:28; 10,057,426 bytes]
• Show number 146 script

Thu, Jul 03, 2008

Stealth Gear

Posted at 09:00

/shows/skills [link ]

This skills program explains the gear you can carry to tread lightly on your favorite wild places. This is the second in a series of presentations by the Leave No Trace traveling trainers.

J.D. Tanner and Emily Ressler talk about the gear you can bring along to make it easier to Leave No Trace. They talk about shoes and shelter, bags and trowels, cameras and sketch pads, lights and blankets, cans and binoculars, and radios and headphones. All of this gear, and more, can help you leave the wild places you visit as good or better than you found them.

Specifically, Emily mentions Restop, WAG bags, and poop tubes. J.D. mentions bear cans, which we discussed in detail in our previous edition, Bear Cans Revisited.

We'll hear more from Emily Ressler and J.D. Tanner in a future edition. The series will continue several weeks from now when J.D and Emily explain more details about a specific Leave No Trace principle.

• Show number 145 [MP3 format; length 9:47; 2,352,439 bytes]
• Show number 145, high-quality stereo version [MP3 format; length 9:47; 9,406,657 bytes]
• Show number 145 script

Thu, Jun 26, 2008

Bear Cans Revisited, part 2

Posted at 09:00

/shows/wild_places [link ]

This wild places program is part two of an exploration of the situation in the Sierra Nevada wilderness areas that lead to the development of the bear-resistant food canister. (Part one is here.) Who makes these things, and how do we know they work?

Steve tells the story with the help of:

• Harold Werner, a wildlife biologist from Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park.
• Calder Reid, wilderness manager for the Inyo National Forest.
• Allen DeForrest of Wild Ideas, manufacturer of the Bearikade.
• Tom Cohen of Ursack
• Jamie Hogan of Bear Vault.
• Josh Leavitt of Wilderness Solutions.

Harold Werner and Calder Reid are members of the Sierra Interagency Black Bear Group (SIBBG), the standards-setting body for bear management in the major Sierra Nevada wilderness areas. Their group also performs the tests that lead to the approval of canisters for use in Yosemite National Park, Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park, and the Inyo National Forest. Several other jurisdictions also require canisters from the SIBBG approved list.

This edition was originally presented on August 31, 2006.

Photo credit: Calder Reid, Inyo National Forest

• Show number 144 [MP3 format; length 10:50; 2,603,437 bytes]
• Combined show numbers 143 & 144, exntended version [MP3 format; length 21:13; 10,189,501 bytes]
• Show number 143 script
• Combined show numbers 143 & 144 script

Thu, Jun 19, 2008

Bear Cans Revisited, part 1

Posted at 09:01

/shows/wild_places [link ]

This wild places program is part one of an exploration of the situation in the Sierra Nevada wilderness areas that lead to the development of the bear-resistant food canister. Why were they invented, who invented them, and how did that happen?

Steve tells the story with the help of:

• Harold Werner, a wildlife biologist from Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park.
• Tori Seher, a wildlife biologist from Yosemite National Park.
• Richard Garcia, the president of Garcia Machine, manufacturer of the Backpacker's Cache.
• Calder Reid, wilderness manager for the Inyo National Forest.

Harold Werner, Calder Reid, and Tori Seher are members of the Sierra Interagency Black Bear Group (SIBBG), the standards-setting body for bear management in the major Sierra Nevada wilderness areas.

Next week, we'll give you updates about how the industry grew from these beginnings, and the effect all of this has had on parks, forests, bears, and wilderness visitors. This edition was originally presented on August 24, 2006.

• Show number 143 [MP3 format; length 10:40; 2,561,641 bytes]
• Show number 143 script

Thu, Jun 12, 2008

Modern Rain gear

Posted at 09:00

/shows/gear [link ]

This gear program presents reviews of two rain jackets and a poncho. An important part of keeping warm is keeping dry, and the first part you want to protect is your torso.

Steve Nelson reviews the Antigravitygear Poncho Villa. Gail Staisil reviews the Outdoor Research Celestial Jacket. Jim Sabiston reviews the Integral Designs eVENT Cruiser Jacket.

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 142 [MP3 format; length 9:57; 2,389,850 bytes]
• Show number 142, extended version [MP3 format; length 12:22; 5,939,060 bytes]
• Show number 142 script

Thu, Jun 05, 2008

First Skills

Posted at 09:00

/shows/skills [link ]

This skills program introduces our series on primitive technologies. You always see cavemen portrayed as stupid and comical. But what do you suppose they knew that you don't?

We hear from Norm Kidder. He's the vice president of the Society of Primitive Technologies. He talks about the society's goal to re-learn, study, and teach stone age skills. Norm explains that using cutting edges and fire were the first technological skills developed by the earliest humans.

In addition to the Society of Primitive Technologies, another source of primitive skills education is the Northern California group, Primitive Ways.

We'll hear more from Norm Kidder in a future edition. The series will continue several weeks from now when we learn the specifics of several primitive skills.

• Show number 141 [MP3 format; length 11:04; 2,636,230 bytes]
• Show number 141 script

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.

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

Thu, Apr 24, 2008

A Family Hike

Posted at 09:00

/shows/outings [link ]

This outings program tells the story of a 10 year old girl and her parents who went on a hike. With all the emphasis on getting more kids outdoors, it might be helpful to give them a role model. Listen to hear about a great one.

Mary "Scrambler" and her parents, Gary and Barbara, hiked the length of the Pacific Crest Trail in 2004. Their 2,650 mile journey started April 8th, and they were on the trail until October 25th. They talk about preparation for their journey, stories along the trail, and some of the more profound things they got out of the experience.

Barbara Egbert wrote about the adventure, and included photos, copies of Mary's journal, drawings, and more in her book, Zero Days. Gary maintains a web site at pctfamily.com.

• Show number 135 [MP3 format; length 9:58; 2,397,057 bytes]
• Show number 135, extended version [MP3 format; length 13:31; 6,490,972 bytes]
• Show number 135 script

Thu, Apr 17, 2008

Grizzlies in the Mist

Posted at 09:00

/shows/skills [link ]

This skills program takes a look at the latest in safety advice in grizzly bear country. What if the safest way to protect yourself from a grizzly bear was also safer for the bear?

Steve talks to Chris Servheen, the Grizzly Bear Recovery Coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Chris authored several fact sheets on bears, including the most recent, Bear Spray vs. Bullets—which offers better protection?

Chris refers Steve to a scientist who's doing the leading-edge studies on how to most safely handle yourself in grizzly bear habitat. Tom Smith, an Associate Professor of Plant and Wildlife Sciences at Brigham Young University, has studied the entire documented history of bear encounters in North America for the past 120 years. Tom explains why certain deterrents work better than others.

WildeBeat Members can download our entire 40-minute interview with bear researcher Tom Smith from our WildeBeat Insider web pages.

• Show number 134 [MP3 format; length 9:57; 2,391,840 bytes]
• Show number 134 extended version [MP3 format; length 10:53; 5,231,250 bytes]
• Show number 134 script

Thu, Apr 10, 2008

Enchiladas del Sol

Posted at 09:00

/shows/skills [link ]

This skills program is a wrap. Well, really it's about baking fresh enchiladas, in a backcountry camp, without a fire or a stove.

Steve returns to visit the kitchen of backcountry cooking author Linda Frederick Yaffe. Ms. Yaffe is the author of the books Backpack Gourmet, Solar Cooking for Home and Camp, High Trail Cookery, and The Well Organized Camper.

Our guest backpack gourmet demonstrates a solar oven that portable enough to be carried in a backpack, and simple enough to build for yourself. She uses her solar cooker to prepare delicious fresh bean and cheese enchiladas with fresh tomatoes. She also mentions other things you can make with a clamshell solar cooker.

Follow the supplemental information link below to get the complete recipe and pictures of her and the enchiladas. Ms. Yaffe mentions the non-profit organization, Solar Cookers International, which she recommends as a source for appropriate cook pots and pans.

WildeBeat Members can download our entire collection of unedited sit-down interviews with Linda Frederick Yaffe, from each of the three shows she appears in, from our WildeBeat Insider web pages.

• Show number 133 [MP3 format; length 9:58; 2,396,540 bytes]
• Show number 133 extended stereo version [MP3 format; length 11:12; 10,769,628 bytes]
• Show number 133 script
• Supplemental information...

Thu, Apr 03, 2008

Flying Backpacks

Posted at 09:00

/shows/skills [link ]

This skills program looks at packing your gear for air travel to a distant trailhead. Air travel can be a hassle if you don't plan ahead and prepare.

We hear a phoned-in comment from listener Jeremy Sullivan. He relates a situation when he had difficulty traveling with his camping gear. Steve meets with Robert Cassidy, a hazardous materials specialist for the Federal Aviation Administration. Robert provides a lot of helpful information, but he explains that in the end the Transportation Security Administration has the final say at the security checkpoint about what you can take on an airliner. Steve talks to Nico Melendez by phone. Nico is the Pacific Region spokesman for the Transportation Security Administration.

You can find additional information to help you identify hazardous materials to avoid taking on an airplane on the FAA's Hazardous Materials Information for Passengers page. More general information on planning ahead and preparing for air travel with your backcountry gear can be found on the TSA's Air Travel Tips pages. In particular, they have a page devoted to traveling with camping gear.

WildeBeat members can download an extended interview with Robert Cassidy of the FAA, from our WildeBeat Insiders web pages.

• Show number 132 [MP3 format; length 9:57; 2,391,731 bytes]
• Show number 132, extended stereo version [MP3 format; length 11:49; 6,171,404 bytes]
• Show number 132 script

This edition was made possible by:

Thu, Mar 27, 2008

California Snowshoe Trails

Posted at 09:00

/shows/wild_places [link ]

This wild places program presents a guidebook author's favorite places to snowshoe in California. Yeah, it's spring, but there's still a lot of nice snow up there.

Mike White, author of Best Snowshoe Trails of California, tells us what he actually thinks are the very best snowshoe trails in California. He picks trails that start at this trailhead, and at this trailhead.

Mike introduced us to snowshoe hiking two weeks ago, in our edition number 129, A Snowshoe Primer. Mike also mentions the option of staying overnight in a backcountry hut; one of the places we mentioned in our edition number 111, a reprise of Indoor Snow Camping.

• Show number 131 [MP3 format; length 9:58; 2,397,070 bytes]
• Show number 131, extended version [MP3 format; length 11:18; 5,426,443 bytes]
• Show number 131 script

Thu, Mar 20, 2008

Skiing for Skiers

Posted at 09:00

/shows/outings [link ]

This outings program takes us on a patrol day with the Lake Alpine Nordic Ski Patrol. You can have a great time while helping others by joining a ski patrol.

Steve joins the patrol skiing in the backcountry near Bear Valley, California. We hear from Charles Schafer, the patrol director for the Lake Alpine Nordic Ski Patrol. His group is affiliated with the Far West Division of the National Ski Patrol. Charles talks about the reason they're out there skiing the backcountry: To provide assistance to backcountry skiers and to make their experience safer.

After the tour, Steve talked with Jeff Gurrola, the Nordic Supervisor for the Far West Division of the National Ski Patrol. Jeff talks about how you can join up with a backcountry ski patrol.

To join a ski patrol in your favorite backcountry area, you can start by contacting the National Ski Patrol and finding out about which areas near you have active patrols. Call their national office in Colorado at 303-988-1111.

• Show number 130 [MP3 format; length 9:58; 2,397,166 bytes]
• Show number 130, high-fidelity stereo [MP3 format; length 11:56; 11,460,931 bytes]
• Show number 130 script

Thu, Mar 13, 2008

A Snowshoe Primer

Posted at 09:00

/shows/skills [link ]

This skills program presents an introduction to winter hiking on snowshoes. If you can hike, you can snowshoe.

Steve takes a hike with author Mike White, who wrote the books, Best Snowshoe Trails of California, Snowshoe Trails of Yosemite, and Snowshoe Trails Tahoe. A couple of weeks ago, they hiked out and back a couple of miles in the Tahoe National Forest near Donner Pass in California.

Snowshoe hiking is the easiest way to start exploring the wilderness in the winter. Mike explains the gear you need, and how to get started.

WildeBeat members can download an extended interview with Mike White featuring more detailed tips for getting started, from our WildeBeat Insiders web pages.

• Show number 129 [MP3 format; length 9:59; 2,398,628 bytes]
• Show number 129, extended high-quality stereo version [MP3 format; length 12:16; 11,778,580 bytes]
• Show number 129 script

Thu, Mar 06, 2008

Skiing More of Utah

Posted at 09:00

/shows/wild_places [link ]

This wild places program provides a ski guide's advice on how to get away from the crowds at the very popular ski resorts in Utah.

Guest correspondent Kurt Repanshek visited the Mill Creek trailhead in the Wasatch-Cache National Forest near Salt Lake City. There he met backcountry ski guide and guide book author Tyson Bradley. Tyson wrote the book, Backcountry Skiing Utah.

Tyson talks about the many mountain ranges in Utah that provide a wide range of exceptional opportunities for backcountry and wilderness skiing, whether you're an advanced-beginner cross country skier, or you're an expert alpine or telemark skier. He points out that if you are comfortable on your skis, and you're fit enough to hike three miles and gain a thousand feet, then you're plenty fit to get into the backcountry on terrain appropriate for your skills.

Tyson also mentions that sometimes in the deep, dry snow of Utah, you might have a greater chance to be at risk from avalanches. Our edition number 74, Staying on Top of the Snow, provides an introduction to avalanche safety. One of the most important things to do before you go out is to check with the Utah Avalanche Center for the day's forecast.

Kurt Repanshek regularly writes and occasionally podcasts on his National Parks Traveler web-zine.

• Show number 128 [MP3 format; length 9:51; 2,369,060 bytes]
• Show number 128, extended high-quality stereo version [MP3 format; length 11:17; 10,836,502 bytes]
• Show number 128 script

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