Dry Sierra Winter
I recently drove over California’s Carson Pass and spent a day in the Lake Tahoe Basin. The weather was good, so I decided to save some money and camp out (!) for two nights (and spending $42 for a...
View ArticleLos Padres National Forest
While on an overnighter in Big Sur, I was amazed at how big some of these sycamores were. Even the old growth redwoods look pretty small, compared to these giant hardwoods. The leaves are about as big...
View ArticleYosemite Visit
I recently spent three days in the Yosemite National Park area, shooting each day, in different locations. Yes, I did find a marvelous group of dispersed camping sites (free!) within the Rim Fire...
View ArticleUpdate From the Yosemite “Laboratory”
Here is a stitched-together panorama from the Foresta area of Yosemite National Park. I’ll have to pair it up with my historical version, one of these days. Restoration processes seem to be minimal, as...
View ArticleHappy Earth Day!
26 years after “protected” forests burned, in Yosemite National Park, this is what we now have. Chances are, it will burn again, before conifer trees can become established enough to resist the next...
View ArticleThe Rim Fire Salvage Seems Done
My last expedition included another trip to Yosemite, and the Rim Fire. I DO think that there are enough dead trees for the owls to “enjoy” in their respite from breeding. Then again, maybe this new...
View ArticleService Contract Re-visited
In my last adventure, I decided to pass through an area of the Tahoe National Forest, where I worked in 1996 and 1997. During that time, I worked on fire salvage, blowdown salvage, insect salvage and...
View ArticleRim Fire Images
The media does like to sensationalize events like the Rim Fire, often implying that the lands have been “destroyed”. The Rim Fire is so huge and burned across so many differing kinds of vegetation that...
View ArticleSleeping With the Enemy?
Timber industry people who don’t trust forest collaboration believe that those of us who participate in collaboratives are sleeping with the enemy. Environmentalists who would rather sue than...
View ArticleInyo Volcanic Hazard Zone
My last adventure to the east side of the Sierra Nevada included a visit to Mammoth Lakes. There is a cluster of lakes above town, and at the end of the road is this “dead zone”. Due to a shift...
View ArticleCareer Ladders for Temps?!?! Maybe Soon!
More interesting news for “disposable” employees! http://nffe.org/ht/display/ArticleDetails/i/105694 NFFE-Backed Temporary Employment Reform Legislation Approved by Senate Committee There may come a...
View ArticleClimate Change Update
I shot this picture from the top of Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, along the Sierra Crest. At the end of July, there should be a lot more snow and ice (including small glaciers) in this view of...
View ArticlePhenotypic Plasticity!
I was on a camping trip last week and one of the stops was at Crater Lake National Park. Within the park are “The Pinnacles”, where I saw this interesting tree, standing out, because of its color. It...
View ArticleLet’s Just All Take a Breath or Three
Imagine just how amazing it is to know that each and every drop of Burney Falls is spring water. Enjoy the change of the seasons. Have a great week, folks!
View ArticleMassive Crater Lake Wilderness Area Fantasy
Oregon Wild has proposed a massive half million acre Wilderness Area, partly to “protect” Crater Lake. The Klamath County Commissioners are saying no, with fears that summer fires would affect public...
View ArticleHowdy, Folks
I’m just going to drop this here. A side by side comparison of the land that some serial litigators insist is clear evidence of Forest Service salvage clearcutting in the Rim Fire. The caption reads,...
View ArticleHappy Earth Day
That morning, at Tenaya Lake, it was just me and a couple of coyotes. I (eventually) silenced them with a spotted owl call.
View ArticlePlaces Worth Protecting
Twin Lakes, near Bridgeport, California, hasn’t been intensely developed, solely because of its remote location. There are clusters of private cabins. The terrain would make for an outrageous ski area...
View ArticlePost-Election Thoughts About Our Forests?
With a new Republican President and a Republican-controlled Congress, how will this affect the Forest Service and the BLM? Regarding the picture: I did some processing with a High Dynamic Range (HDR)...
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