Trailspace Blog November 2009

President Barack Obama today signed into law the 2009 Omnibus Public Land Management Act, which designates more than 2 million acres across nine states as wilderness.

The federal wilderness designation provides the highest level of government protection from logging and other forms of commercial use and development.

STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT

Today I have signed into law H.R. 146, the "Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009." This landmark bill will protect millions of acres of Federal land as wilderness, protect more than 1,000 miles of rivers through the National Wild and Scenic River System, and designate thousands of miles of trails for the National Trails System. It also will authorize the 26 million-acre National Landscape Conservation System within the Department of the Interior.

Among other provisions, H.R. 146 designates three new units in our National Park System, enlarges the boundaries of several existing parks, and designates a number of National Heritage Areas. It creates a new national monument -- the Prehistoric Trackways National Monument –- and four new national conservation areas, and establishes the Wyoming Range Withdrawal Area. It establishes a collaborative landscape-scale restoration program with a goal of reducing the risk of wildfire and authorizes programs to study and research the effects of climate change on natural resources and other research-related activities.

Treasured places from coast to coast will benefit from H.R. 146, including Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan; Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia; Oregon's Mount Hood; Idaho's Owyhee Canyons; the Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado; Zion National Park in Utah; remarkable landscapes in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California; and wilderness-quality National Forest lands in Virginia and public lands in New Mexico.

This bipartisan bill has been many years in the making, and is one of the most important pieces of natural resource legislation in decades. This legislation also makes progress for which millions of Americans have long waited on another front. The Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Act is the first piece of comprehensive legislation aimed at improving the lives of Americans living with paralysis. It creates new coordinated research activities through the National Institutes of Health that will connect the best minds and best practices from the best labs across the country, and focus their efforts through collaborative scientific research into a cure for paralysis, saving effort, money, and, most importantly, time. It will promote enhanced rehabilitation services for paralyzed Americans, helping develop better equipment and technology that allows them to live full and independent lives free from unnecessary barriers. This legislation will work to improve the quality of life for all those who live with paralysis, no matter the cause.

Section 8203 of the Act provides that the Secretary of the Interior shall appoint certain members of the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor Commission "based on recommendations from each member of the House of Representatives, the district of which encompasses the Corridor." Because it would be an impermissible restriction on the appointment power to condition the Secretary's appointments on the recommendations of members of the House, I will construe these provisions to require the Secretary to consider such congressional recommendations, but not to be bound by them in making appointments to the Commission.

BARACK OBAMA

THE WHITE HOUSE,
March 30, 2009

Read the transcript of President Obama's remarks: www.nytimes.com/2009/03/30/us/politics/30lands-text.html

Tents: They're not just for nerdy families anymore!

Fellow campers and backpackers (aka “nerdy families, nature geeks and Boy Scouts” according to a recent CNN.com article) will be pleased to note that sleeping outside in a tent has become “chic” in this economic downturn.

Well, thank goodness for that. We can all breathe a collective sigh of relief now that we're considered frugal trendsetters and not unhygienic dorks.

In all seriousness, I hope more people, especially kids, discover the benefits of outdoor recreation and an appreciation and respect for nature. Maybe for some, a family's budget-minded campground vacation or afternoon hike will lead to a respectful outdoor lifestyle. One can hope.

via CNN.com's "In a slump, camping comes into vogue"

Before you toss out your old outdoor gear, sporting goods, or collectibles during your spring cleaning, think about putting those items to good use — reuse.

From now until the end of April, when you buy and sell items on eBay you can support Leave No Trace and other nonprofits, like The Nature Conservancy, that work to protect the environment .

Simply designate Leave No Trace or another participating organization to receive 10 to 100 percent of your proceeds the next time you list something on eBay. In the past, LNT members have sold snowshoes, backpacks, patches, artwork, framed photos, books, and more.

Charity listings often get more bids and higher prices than regular eBay listings. You can boost your own sales and support Leave No Trace at the same time. Plus eBay gives you a fee credit for every eBay Giving Works donation.

Get started by visiting LNT’s “Spotlight the Environment” eBay page.

Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics: www.lnt.org

 Trailspace turns 8 years old today. Happy Birthday!

If we were celebrating a traditional anniversary, the eighth would call for a gift of bronze. That could mean backpacking boots with bronze loops (ala the Merrell Phaser Peak Waterproof) or some climbing hardware, like the Metolius Astro Nuts or a Black Diamond Pulley. A commerative bronze summit marker of a favorite peak would make a nice gift for your outdoor sweetie too.

Ever wonder how your climbing hardware was made? UKClimbing.com has an editorial video about how DMM makes carbiners:

DMM, named after Denny Moorhouse, has been busy making climbing hardware since 1981. DMM started life in a small barn in Bethesda, near the slate quarries of North Wales. Now their factory is in Llanberis and DMM employ 130 people, making them the second largest employer in the local area.

The bread and butter of DMM's climbing hardware business is the carabiner - the simple snap link. This essential tool in the climber's rack can be taken for granted, but despite its simple appearance, hundreds of hours of design and work go in to each model.

The process involved in making a modern carabiner is detailed below in this editorial video.

The making of a carabiner @ DMM Wales from Dave Gill

via allclimbing.com

DMM product info and gear reviews