NEW REPORT BY RIVAL PROVIDES ALARMING DETAILS

The Anti-Conservation Mission of the NRA

It's hardly a news flash that the National Rifle Association (NRA) supports anti-conservation, if not anti-hunting, politicians. Even though I've written about it several times, I never realized how bad it was.

A just-released report by the NRA's nemesis, the American Hunters and Shooters Association (AHSA), deals out all the dreadful details, and it should be a major eye-opener for any hunter who still supports the NRA.

ROADLESS AND RULE-LESS?

Roadless Rule Takes Another U-Turn

The rule protecting millions of roadless acres on public lands across the West and around the country has followed a long and winding road since the Clinton administration put it in place.

Now it has taken another U-turn, and it leaves 58.5 million acres, mostly in the West, in limbo.

GAG RIDE SHOWS THE CHARMING SIDE OF CYCLING

Most Motorists Courteous, Cautious, Helpful

My cycling buddies wanted me to write about what happened on this year's GAG Ride, which stands for Geezers Around Glacier, but I had decided not to do it.

Until I read all the recent negative news about the escalating conflict between cyclists and motorists on our roadways, that is.

VIABLE, HEALTHY, FUN AND CARBON-FREE

Britta Climate Ride Touts the Bicycle as Agent of Change

We hear a lot about global climate change and its disastrous impact on our environment and economy, but apparently not nearly enough to make people pay any attention to the warnings, let alone do anything about it.

Do you roll your eyes and move to the next page when you see it in the newspaper? Have you changed your lifestyle to help combat global warming? Do volunteered any time or money to reverse the trend? Are you part of the solution instead of part of the problem?

Two Montana women are certainly not among the "eye rollers." They have a plan for convincing the apathetic masses and our elected officials to join efforts to do something about this colossal problem. It started out small, but before long, they had an international event touting the bicycle as an agent of global climate change--the type of change we need, not the type of change we keep ignoring.

THE AUDACITY OF POPE

Sierra Club President Brings Energy to Convention

Sierra Club President Carl Pope has one word for Democrats: Energy.

The environmental organization endorsed Sen. Barack Obama early on for president, and Pope will be on hand at the Democratic National Convention in Denver rallying Democrats around key environmental issues. Chief among them will be energy issues.

“If the slogan in 1992 was ‘it’s the economy, stupid,’ this election, the message is ‘energy is the economy, stupid,” Pope said in an interview with NewWest.Net.

guest commentary

The Case for Protecting Lolo Peak

What is it about Lolo Peak that stirs the emotions of so many people? Maybe it’s the beauty and comfort we find gazing from the vehicle or kitchen window, reminding us why we live and work here. Perhaps it is the memories of family hikes or winter excursions, or the fabulous close-to-home white-tail and elk hunting.

One thing's for sure: thousands of western Montana citizens are concerned that this great place on our public lands might be sliced and diced so that a handful of people can make millions on real estate. Lolo Peak is already serving a useful economic, ecological and social purpose -- in its current condition.

From The New West Blog

From Yukon to Yellowstone, Cyclists “Ride for the Wild”

A group of seven cyclists pushed off on a 2,000-mile trip from the Yukon Territory to Yellowstone National Park Saturday to raise awareness about the importance of wildlife corridors and in particular the Yellowstone to Yukon Initiative.

The trip, called Ride for the Wild, began in Watson Lake in the Yukon Territory, just north of British Columbia border. The riders will average 50 miles per day until October 6, when they will end the ride at the Boiling River in Yellowstone Park.

Boise: Community Events

Ride Your Bike with Kristin Armstrong on Saturday

Boise Mayor Dave Bieter is an avid bicycle rider, but he never thought he’d ride with an Olympic gold medalist through the streets of his hometown.

Saturday it will be a party time as the mayor and citizens will honor Boise cyclist Kristin Armstrong, winner of the gold medal in the women’s time trial at the Beijing Olympics.

Instead of riding in a traditional gas-powered parade vehicle, they will lead a bike caravan starting at 10:30 a.m. It will start at the Downtown YMCA, 1050 W. State Street, where Armstrong is a teacher, and end at City Hall Plaza….and Mayor Bieter is calling on the public to ride along.

At City Hall, the public is invited to a ceremony honoring Armstrong and her achievement. The ceremony will start around 11:00 a.m.

More details and road closures:

pulling together

Volunteers Pull Weeds in Wilderness

The goal was to find invasive weeds. The location was the Gospel Hump Wilderness in Idaho. The terrain was steep. The trails were littered with fallen trees. The task required climbing over rough trunks and ducking under creaking, suspended logs.

Despite the adversity, the backpackers in the final Volunteer for Wilderness trip of the summer successfully mapped patches of St. Johnswort, bull thistle and Canada thistle in the northwest corner of the wilderness.

“The goal is to walk on all the trail miles in the Wilderness,” said Mark Thompson, project leader, invasive weed specialist, monitor and educator with the University of Montana's Wilderness Institute. “That’s kind of the mission -- to have a complete map.”