Oregon News

Western Book Roundup

I like the funny ones best.  That statement applies to everything, really—people, bears, hats—but especially books.  Throughout the year, I try to make note of the funniest lines and passages I come across in my reading.  Sometimes this proves problematic, as with Brady Udall’s funny-all-the-way through book, The Lonely Polygamist.  When I was typing out my selections from that one, my husband asked, “Why are you retyping that entire novel?” So here’s my second annual list of funny passages from the western books I read this year.  This one goes out to everyone who proudly sports a blue smear of a tattoo that once read “Charlene.”

• From Kevin Canty’s Everything

“She came inside as ever with her basket and jar and several other bags and bundles.  She moved though life in the middle of her own rummage sale, surrounded by rummage.  Some of it was knitting, some of it was food.”

“RL used to love the hippie girls—yes, he did—before they all turned thirty and became strict and sour.”

“She was good for her age but it was not a good age.”

NEW WEST

The real effects of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act have been, are being, and will continue to be scrutinized as the nation struggles to pull itself out of the recessional quicksand. At this week’s Rural Voices for Conservation Coalition’s annual policy gathering in Troutdale, Ore., Susan Charnley of the Pacific Northwest Research Station provided hope that the approximately $1.15 billion in stimulus dollars for the United States Forest Service provided some comfort to communities throughout the country.

Charnley, a research social scientist, looked at eight case studies to determine how the agency spent the money and who benefitted, especially in rural counties experiencing what she termed “high economic distress.”

The Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest in southwest Oregon received one of the most generous helpings of ARRA funding – a $45 million blast for everything from hazardous fuels reduction to trail maintenance. The Forest Service used contracts – and lots of them – to get the money on the ground. Forest Supervisor Scott Conroy said giving districts the ability to break projects up into smaller jobs gave local contractors a chance to compete. Of the 53 contracts awarded to do jobs like wildfire reduction and forest health work, all but four went to local contractors.

Best Books In the West 2010

Here it is, the big moment where I bestow the tiaras and sashes for the very best Western books of the year.  Last year I narrowed my list down to five, and I was trying to do that this year, but I was having so much trouble with it, I thought, why agonize?  Why not just name six?  Who’s to stop me?  Okay, now would be a good time for a drum roll if you’ve got it:

The Lonely Polygamist by Brady Udall (W.W. Norton & Company, 602 pages, $26.95)

It will come as no surprise to anyone who has heard me gushing over Brady Udall’s hilarious and heartfelt The Lonely Polygamist that it is my favorite book I read this year.  Polygamists, ungovernable children, a dog in a diaper, a couch of contention, a brothel owner named Ted Leo, inconvenient chewing gum and loads of heart—what’s not to love?  Do yourself a favor and read this book so I can shut up about it already.

25 Best Western Books of 2010: Oregon, Utah, Wyoming & Other Western States

Today I continue my list of the 25 best books in the West for 2010 with books set in Oregon, Utah, Wyoming, and other western states, and books that roam throughout the region.  Please add your favorite Western books of the year in the comments.  If you leave a comment with your favorite book (or anything else you’d like to say) by Sunday, December 12, you’ll be entered for a chance to win a copy of one of the best books in the West this year, The Wilding by Benjamin Percy.  Check back Wednesday I’ll announce my picks for the top six books of 2010 set in the West.

Oregon

My two favorite books from Oregon this year are both by young writers raised in the high desert of central Oregon near Bend.

River House (Tin House Books, 272 pages, $16.95) is the searchingly honest memoir of a young woman struck with an unconventional dream: After college and years of world travel, Sarahlee Lawrence decides she wants to build her own log house on the high desert ranch in central Oregon where she was raised.  This is nonfiction, but Lawrence’s life provided her the material of a classic, woman-vs.-nature drama that makes this a transfixing read.  Even if the closest you’ve ever come to building a house involved the use of Lincoln Logs, you’ll be taken in by River House.

New West Guest Column

It is time to give some love to the vast Sagebrush Sea that dominates the western landscape between the Sierras and the Rockies. For too long, federal conservation policy has favored “scenic” mountains, verdant forests, rushing streams, and procreant wetlands. Even the hotter, drier Sonoran and Mojave deserts enjoy more protection than shrubsteppe. Despite its size, the Sagebrush Sea remains the least known and least conserved landscape in the American West.

We need a new federal conservation vision that provides long-term protection for the Sagebrush Sea for the benefit of native flora and fauna and the people who live there. The Obama Administration should use the occasion of the recent listing decision for greater sage-grouse to designate a new system of sagebrush reserves on public land.

What’s the value of fish hatcheries to local economies? The total for 11 western states is about $2 billion, the Fort Collins Coloradoan reported this weekend. Hatcheries create 26,000 jobs and generate $36 in economic activity for every $1 spent on fish from a hatchery, the study found. An excerpt from the Coloradoan:

FALL MUSKIES NOT FOR WUSSIES

Beware of Muskie Fever. It can ruin the life of a perfectly normal fishaholic.

And contagious? You betcha. I caught it even before I went anywhere near water where the mighty muskellunge lurks. Then, last year, I finally had my first chance at a muskie, and what an introduction! Six long days and 8,600 casts without a single hook-up. (Click here to read the gory details.)

But even such a royal butt kicking can’t come close to curing Muskie Fever. Instead of giving up and going back to trout, I couldn’t wait to go back for another beating. Catching a muskie was high on my life list, so it had to happen. All I needed was a better time and place, eh?

SASKATCHEWAN FISHING LODGES

I’ve had all kinds of fishing experiences, and some of them--perhaps too many of them--have been in somewhat primitive, if not brutal, conditions. Roughin’ it is okay, I guess. I’ve done plenty of it, but now, as I get older every year, I’ve discovered that a little relaxation and indulgence goes just fine with fishing.

Which is one reason I thoroughly enjoyed my stay at Selwyn Lake Lodge.

New West Book Review

River House
by Sarahlee Lawrence
Tin House Books, 272 pages, $16.95

River House is the searchingly honest, foursquare memoir of a young woman struck with an unconventional dream: After college and years of world travel, Sarahlee Lawrence decides she wants to build her own log house on the high desert ranch in central Oregon where she was raised.  This is nonfiction, but Lawrence’s life provided her the material of a classic, woman-vs.-nature drama that makes this a transfixing read.  Even if the closest you’ve ever come to building a house involved the use of Lincoln Logs, you’ll be taken in by River House.

There’s a daunting task ahead of Lawrence—building a log house with minimal equipment and the help of only her father, with just a frigid winter’s worth of time to complete the bulk of the project before she has to return to work as a river guide.  The story largely revolves around the elemental triad of mother, father, and child as Lawrence pushes the three of them through this job she’s set for herself. 

Sarahlee Lawrence will tour throughout the West this month to discuss River House.  Her stops include The Country Bookshelf in Bozeman on November 13 (4 p.m.), Fact & Fiction in Missoula on November 15 (7 p.m.), Chapter One Books in Hamilton on November 16 (7 p.m.), Maria’s Bookshop in Durango on November 17 (6:30 p.m.), Back of Beyond Books in Moab on November 18 (7 p.m.), The King’s English Bookshop in Salt Lake City on November 20 (2 p.m.), the Blue Sage Center in Paonia on November 22 (7 p.m.), and Bookworks in Albuquerque on November 30 (7 p.m.).

New West Travel Essay

Way up north in northern Saskatchewan on the 60th Parallel within sight of Northwest Territories is a massive body of almost-virgin fishing water called Ena Lake. The owners describe it--and the overall experience--as “unspoiled, uncrowded, and unforgettable.” Since I was fortunate enough to spend a few days this year, I know that slogan isn’t merely marketing hype. It’s more like an understatement.

Ena Lake Lodge is the only speck of civilization on the enormous lake and many miles of trackless wilderness in every direction, so you not only get that feeling of remoteness, you know Ena Lake and several other smaller lakes lodge guests can fish have incredibly low fishing pressure.