Articles

Fixing what ails our forests

For the communities—and fish—that depend on them

by Chris Wood - Wednesday, Nov 14th, 2018

On the morning of November 8, 2018, the Camp Fire erupted 90 miles (140 kilometers) north of Sacramento, California. By evening, the fast-moving fire had charred around 18,000 acres and remained zero percent contained (photo: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center).

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California is in the midst of its most deadly and damaging fire. At least fifty people have died, 6,700 homes burned, and more than 250,000 people evacuated. In response, President Trump tweeted:

There is no reason for these massive, deadly and costly forest fires in California except that forest management is so poor. Billions of dollars are given each year, with so many lives lost, all because of gross mismanagement of the forests. Remedy now, or no more Fed payments!

The 7 sister principles of the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation and Management

These form the core of America's unparalleled system of public lands and waters

by Cosmo Genova - Tuesday, Nov 13th, 2018

Bodie Hills in California's Eastern Sierra region (photo: IIP Photo Archive).

American wildlife and wilderness, today, exists primarily because early conservationists fought to preserve them. As early as 1860, these visionaries, through sheer political willpower, convinced society of their inherent value beyond what could be pumped, mined and beaten out of them. They put forth laws to regulate their use and created a system to sustain their management financially.

Blood brother

A hunter explores the relationship between himself and the deer

by Johnny Carrol Sain - Thursday, Nov 8th, 2018

Photo: Johnny Carrol Sain

He materializes out of river-bottom tangles, silent as the morning mist that hangs thick in the cottonwood and hackberry limbs. The young buck isn’t cruising for girls; it’s still a week or more away from pre-rut festivities. Most likely, he’s ambled over from a nearby plum thicket sniffing for the burgundy-colored honey locust pods that litter the forest floor. I was counting on deer with a sweet tooth when I hung this stand back in late September.

I’m going to kill him if I can.

Review: ECHO OHS fly rod

ECHO's One Hand Spey rod offers versatility, opens new fishing opportunities

by Cosmo Genova - Wednesday, Nov 7th, 2018

Photo: Cosmo Genova

In the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York, from mid October to early December, landlocked Atlantic salmon run up countless tributaries to spawn, often coming in waves as water levels rise and fall with autumn rains. I have been fly fishing for them since I was barely out of diapers. Over the years, I have honed the gear and techniques I employ in search of these leaping salmonids, but I am always experimenting and refining.

Love the outdoors? Here are 8 Senate races where we can make the difference.

Anglers, hunters, hikers, bikers, climbers and more have the power to choose those that fight for us

by Chad Shmukler - Thursday, Nov 1st, 2018

Jon Tester at the 2018 "Last Best Outdoorsfest."

Those of us who rely on the outdoors to move us, rehabilitate us or sustain us—whether as anglers, hikers, bikers, kayakers, skiers, rafters, climbers, riders, hunters or so on—represent a gargantuan segment of the U.S. population. We drive billions in consumer spending. We contribute more to our nation's GDP than mega-industries like fossil fuels and agriculture. We create 7.6 million American jobs. And, given our numbers, we have enormous power to leverage at the polls. But we don't use it.