Author dives into the Sespe River

  • Posted on 31 March 2005
  • By Alasdair Coyne

The Sespe Wild: Southern California's Last Free River, by Bradley John Monsma, University of Nevada Press, $24.95

Bradley John Monsma's excellent, well-researched The Sespe Wild covers a range of topics centered on the natural history of the Sespe but also including Chumash rock art sites, the industrialization of the Sespe's southeastern fringes by oil and gas production and the controversies about Sespe dams.

How National Leader Standards affect Angeles Chapter

  • Posted on 31 March 2005
  • By Tina Bowman

Although the Sierra Club's National Leader Standards (NLS) became effective July 1, 2004, the Angeles Chapter has been granted an extension until Jan. 1, 2006, for leaders to meet currency requirements.

The NLS divide outings into two basic types: Level 1 outings, such as day hikes and car camps, and Level 2 outings, such as backpacks (overnight stay away from cars).

Cougar pair tracked by NPS killed by rodent poison

  • Posted on 31 March 2005
  • By Dave Brown

Two of the four cougars radio-collared by the National Park Service last year were found dead in December in the Simi Hills.

P-3, a young male whose range covered the Simi Hills and the Santa Susana Mountains, was found north of Oak Park. P-4, a young female who lived in the Santa Clarita Woodlands, but had crossed under the 118 Freeway in the last few weeks of her life, wandered south to Ahmanson Ranch and died west of Chatsworth.

Forest Committee devotes itself to affecting plans

  • Posted on 31 March 2005
  • By Don Bremner

Influencing the long-range management plans that the Forest Service is developing for our Southern California's national forests will be a major focus of the Angeles Chapter's Forest Committee this year. At bimonthly meetings, the committee will help stimulate an effective response to the final plans when they are made public this summer. The plans cover two national forests in the Chapter's area, the Angeles and Cleveland, as well as two other Southern California forests, the San Bernardino and Los Padres.

Local LEEDers

  • Posted on 31 March 2005
  • By Nate Springer

Sustainably harvested wood. Solar paneling. Green energy. These and many other criteria are rapidly becoming the standard of the building industry thanks to an innovative program called Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).

ICO leaders bring urban youth to nature

  • Posted on 28 February 2005
  • By Chapter Reports

For Laura McCutcheon, the most recent Inner City Outings 'moment' came a month or two back. The group of third graders she was leading had just read a story about a deer that wandered from the woods to eat from backyard gardens, stirring a neighborhood debate whether to kill the animal or let it live.

'A week later, we hiked and saw deer in the Santa Monica Mountains,' McCutcheon said. 'You couldn't measure my kids' excitement.'

Mt. Rainier...eventually

  • Posted on 28 February 2005
  • By Tracy Sulkin

You can tug all you want. I'm not gonna move any faster, you son of a --! My friend R.J. Secor was on the other end of the rope, trying to motivate me. That is your friend up there, I reminded myself. Nothing like rope travel to bring out the worst in me.

rainier1

The author's summit-mate, R.J. Secor, at 12,000 feet on the Emmons-Withrop Glacier, Mount Rainier.

Green paint...in every color

  • Posted on 28 February 2005
  • By Annelisa Stephan

Did you know that painting releases over 50 tons of smog-forming pollution each year in Southern California, five times as much as all our area's oil refineries? Paint is classified as toxic waste, and for good reason-the solvent in both oil- and water-based paint can trigger headaches and asthma attacks, weaken the immune system, damage the liver and kidneys, and poison groundwater.

But paint doesn't have to be bad for the environment. Today's green paints come in a huge range of colors, finishes, and materials. They're easy and fun to use and can accommodate most budgets.

Thanksgiving with the crocodiles

  • Posted on 28 February 2005
  • By Chapter Reports

Looking for an exotic trip without leaving the country? Join the third Angeles Chapter-sponsored Natural and Wild Florida trip. Participants will snorkel in a coral reef, swim with manatees, and tour the Everglades, among other adventures.

This year's trip of 10 days and 10 nights, November 18-28, has been extended from previous trips to allow for more activities.

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