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Posted by Bill S on March 3, 2008 at 1:30:16 pm EST
In reply to Great discussion of "Extreme Outdoors in the Media) posted by Bill S on February 29, 2008 at 1:59:27 pm EST

In one sense, I agree with Brian L that scarey stories and EXTREME!!! REALITY!! TV shows that keep the general public out of MY wilderness are a good idea. On the other hand, they also seem to justify the view that the wilderness and nature are out there to be tamed and subdued. A number of years ago, when the North Cascades wilderness areas were being discussed, there were people seriously arguing that loggers should be allowed into the area to remove all the downed trees that people could trip over and injure themselves (no, I am not making that up).

There is a risk in anything you do, including just sitting on the couch watching the tube ... er, umm, I guess it is the "panel" these days, since I was in one of the electronics stores yesterday and there were no "tube" TVs, just "flat panels" and a few projection sets. As you sit there, you could have an earthquake (not just here in the SFBay Area, as the shaker in England last week showed) or a tornado that makes the house fall down on you. More people, even inexperienced ones, die in car accidents heading home from the woods than die in the woods.

That is not to minimize the risks of the woods and hills. If you go into avalanche terrain or don't pay attention and follow safe practices in bear country, you are probably going to have trouble sooner rather than later. There are plenty of experienced people who are willing to help and answer questions and provide excellent advice, including lots here on Trailspace (kutenay, for example). Yes, there are one or two who post misleading comments and misinterpretations (one less now) that if followed can lead to tragedy (I almost said the "c" word). These people are rare, though, and I am noting that that a lot of posters can spot the ignorant and naive pretty quickly. Some really great self-vetting here.

But more on the topic - if the media scare too many people, so that the belief spreads that the wilderness needs to be tamed, the view will also spread that the environment is merely for the exploitation of humans, and the rest of nature is not worth having. The problem with that is, of course, that we humans are dependent on an environment that is benign for us, which means we have to protect what is there. If we don't, the planet will become unsuitable for humans, and that's the end of the species (hmmm, maybe if humans can't do a better job as custodians, nature will find a way of finding a better group of stewards).

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