February, 2009

When I arrived at The Wilderness Society in 1984, I did not know the name of our newest board member: Wallace Stegner. That’s a sad commentary on my expensive education. It also reflects the unfortunate fact that Stegner was often pigeon-holed as a “western writer.” I was a product of the East. I quickly discovered how wonderfully he wrote and had a chance to spend a little time with him when he visited our office. I remember how crushed all of us were on that April day in 1993 when we heard that “Wally” had been in a fatal car crash in Santa Fe. more

Growing up in a region many call flyover country, I am used to hearing about the “endless” drive endured to “get through” my home state of Kansas. But let’s leave the austere beauty of my home state up for debate and instead consider the potential of these remote places to generate energy. more

Shh. Did you hear that? That’s the sound of a loon. He must be up ahead of us. Walk very gently and we might catch a glimpse. Keep your eyes on the open water and we might see some otters, too. They’re all over Michigan’s lakes. Don’t forget to take the lens cap off your cameras — come on. Haunting beauty of Beaver Basin has drawn Midwesterners for decades By Eric Hansen more

After all that heart-pumping adventure seeking we did in the West, we’re going to slow it down here in Alabama today. We’ll take a nice stroll through a canyon and talk about the positive economic impact that public lands make on our economy. Nationwide, outdoor recreation contributes $730 billion to the American economy, while supporting 6.5 million jobs. We’ll see a slice of that here. Let’s leave some for the grandkids: Country music group Alabama said it all By Pat Byington more