Monthly Archives: April 2010

The silence of the limbs

My name is Norm, I love trees, and I’m a forester. Foresters love all the types of forests that exist, young, old, and in between. Trees are awesome. We love all the stuff they provide, such as shade, habitat, cleaner air, clean water, and yes, wood. We are not Romantics. We don’t confer pastoral sceneryContinue reading “The silence of the limbs”

Weekend Postcard from Yosemite-Atop Half Dome

Last weekend I posted a Postcard from Yosemite showing the cables that you use to get to the top of Half Dome. Lexi commented that the view might be rather terrifying. I suppose if one stands on the very edge it could be. The first time I went up I stood maybe 30 feet fromContinue reading “Weekend Postcard from Yosemite-Atop Half Dome”

Postcard from the top of Yosemite's Half Dome

Last weekend I posted a Postcard from Yosemite showing the cables that you use to get to the top of Half Dome. Lexi commented that the view might be rather terrifying. I suppose if one stands on the very edge it could be. The first time I went up I stood maybe 30 feet fromContinue reading “Postcard from the top of Yosemite's Half Dome”

The hangover after Earth Day

A few expletive filled thoughts for the day after the 40th anniversary of Earth Day from George Carlin, stand-up philosopher. Watch him “coalesce the vapors of human existence into a viable and meaningful comprehension.” “The planet isn’t going anywhere. We are. We’re going away. Pack your sh*t folks…The planet will be here and we’ll beContinue reading “The hangover after Earth Day”

Happy 40th Anniversary, Earth Day

Happy 40th Earth Day Everyone! As I’ve written before, on April 22, 1970, I attended one of the first Earth Day celebrations (as did 20 million others that day). The one I went to was held at Santa Monica City College. In those days, most of us in the environmental movement worried about the populationContinue reading “Happy 40th Anniversary, Earth Day”

Sounding the alarmed, are the world’s forests 80% fragmented?

Ignorance is the parent of fear” – Herman Melville Willful Sturm und Drang A statement crafted to alarm you: “…80 percent of the world’s intact forests are already gone.” – Tzeporah Berman, co-founder of ForestEthics. But it could have come from any number of environmental organizations—in competition for your wallet. You need to act nowContinue reading “Sounding the alarmed, are the world’s forests 80% fragmented?”

Weekend Postcard from Yosemite

This is from a trip Mary and I took to Yosemite. We camped in Little Yosemite Valley in the backcountry. We had one of the park’s bear resistant food containers but the bear decided that dropping by unannounced for dessert was just easier for all parties involved. Naturally, when we reported the bear to theContinue reading “Weekend Postcard from Yosemite”

Postcard from Yosemite

This is from a trip Mary and I took to Yosemite. We camped in Little Yosemite Valley in the backcountry. We had one of the park’s bear resistant food containers but the bear decided that dropping by unannounced for dessert was just easier for all parties involved. Naturally, when we reported the bear to theContinue reading “Postcard from Yosemite”

What’s wrong with this picture?

From the Sierra Club: Download the Sierra Club Eco Heroes application and be entered in our drawing to win five nights at the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel and Bungalows with roundtrip airfare for two and a full-day tour of Volcanoes National Park with Hawaii Forest and Trail. Tell me, do you find this as ironicContinue reading “What’s wrong with this picture?”