Dan's Outside

Near Ireland Lake October 2002

On ridge between Ireland and Townsley Lakes. October 2002.
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February 17, 2003 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on Near Ireland Lake October 2002

2003.02.17

***What happened?

A four-day weekend… But it didn’t work out as planned. I had hopes of getting to the Sierra for a couple of days of skiing, but then stuff happened, including a bad car battery. Ah, well.

So, instead of posting ski pictures, here is a picture I took last October on an end-of-season pack trip above Fletcher Lake out of Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite. My friends Caroline and Owen are approaching the ridge above Ireland Lake on an easy little cross-country route. Note the golden end-of-season colors.

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February 17, 2003 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on 2003.02.17

2003.02.15

***Refinery pollution report a shock – Bay Area plants belching 30% more gases than realized
– “Health advocates, meanwhile, are demanding that emissions be reduced from the plants along the Contra Costa and Solano counties’ shorelines, saying the pollution contributes to asthma rates in surrounding communities that are among the highest in the state.” [SFGate]

An irony is that the center of these refineries is the town of Martinez, which is also the location of John Muir’s Bay Area home.

***More early spring flowers

Almaden Quicksilver Country Park. February 15, 2003.
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February 15, 2003 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on 2003.02.15

2003.02.13

***Three tough routes to bring fitness level to new heights
– SFGate‘s Tom Steinstra writes: “February arrives on the eve of spring and the question you face is this: Is your body ready for it? The three hikes I use to find out are at Montara Mountain at McNee Ranch State Park in Montara, Rocky Ridge/Murietta Falls from Del Valle Regional Park and Mission Peak from Ohlone College.\”

I used to run the Ohlone Peak trail about 15 years ago when I taught at Ohlone College.

***U.S. may leave forest care to timber firms – Provision tacked onto federal spending bill
– From the What Will They Try Next department… “The timber industry could take a much greater role in managing millions of acres of national forests in California and across the West under a little-noticed provision added at the last minute to Congress’ huge domestic spending bill.”

“The proposal would let the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management award an unlimited number of ‘stewardship contracts’ — essentially paying logging companies trees for maintaining trails or thinning forests to reduce the risk of wildfire.”

“Critics say the plan could open up wide swaths of public land to heavier logging. California Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer estimated it could affect as much as half the state’s 20 million acres of national forests.” [SFGate]

Sort of like turning over the policing of urban neighborhoods to the local gang members…
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February 13, 2003 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on 2003.02.13

2003.02.11

***U.S. to acquire California desert lands for preservation.
“The title on the 62,000 desert acres, an area more than twice the size of San Francisco, will be transferred from the Catellus Development Corp. to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. The transfer caps an intense five-year campaign by private donors that was spearheaded by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and the Wildlands Conservancy, a private nonprofit group dedicated to acquiring land for conservation.” [SFGate]

***State wildlife board approves SF Bay salt pond acquisition
– Most of the land will become part of the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The rest will be part of a state-run preserve. The new marshes should provide much-needed habitat for species listed as endangered or threatened, including the California clapper rail and the salt marsh harvest mouse. [SFGate]
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February 11, 2003 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on 2003.02.11

2003.02.09

***Calif. officials say Bush policies hurt state, defy federalism
– California… officials say the administration has repeatedly undermined the state’s stricter environmental standards on everything from low-polluting automobiles to offshore oil drilling.

They were particularly incensed when the administration helped prevent oil drilling off the coast of Florida, but tried to block California’s review of 36 offshore leases because, Interior Secretary Gale Norton said, “Florida opposes coastal drilling and California does not.” [SFGate]

***U.N. Warns of Mideast Conflict’s Harm to the Environment.
The conflict in the Middle East is having grave effects on the environment of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. By Marc Lacey. [New York Times: Science]

***Up until a couple of years ago I was pretty much a fanatical cyclist.
Then life intervened and, mostly because I was too busy, I almost totally stopped riding.

I did do a big ride in Alaska and the Yukon Territory last summer with my kids’ bike club, but I rode little when I returned.

I’m hoping to get going on the cycling again soon. I managed to get out for a 25 mile ride today and it was great to ride into the green hills of California’s early spring.
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February 9, 2003 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on 2003.02.09

2003.02.06

***Jet stream goes East; Bay balmy
Rain about to replace unseasonable weather
“Anyone who says there’s something odd about the weather in California this season is entirely correct — after a stormy beginning, this winter feels more like spring.” [SFGate]

But that is apparently about to change…
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February 8, 2003 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on 2003.02.06

2003.02.06

***Nuke Plants Aging Disgracefully.
Cracks, corrosion and other signs of age at U.S. nuclear power plants have been the root of a growing list of near-miss accidents that experts and environmental activists fear could lead to true disaster. By Kendra Mayfield. [Wired News]
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February 6, 2003 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on 2003.02.06

2003.02.03

***Bush Eyes Sierra
– and it isn’t because he has suddenly developed an appreciation for alpine beauty, unfortunately.

“The Bush administration is acting to overturn a Clinton-era management plan for the 11 national forests of the Sierra Nevada, replacing the conservation-based approach with one that would significantly accelerate logging.” [SFGate]

***Perils of Cold Air.
This week’s question: I was warned that it is dangerous to your lungs to exercise vigorously outdoors at frigid temperatures. Is this true? By C. Claiborne Ray. [New York Times: Science]
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February 3, 2003 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on 2003.02.03

Almaden Mine Feb 2003

Ridgetop mine at Almaden Quicksilver County Park. February 2, 2003.
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February 2, 2003 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on Almaden Mine Feb 2003