The WildeBeat

Thu, Sep 13, 2007

Ranger Changes, part 2

Posted at 09:00

/shows/wild_places [link ]

This wild places program is part two of an exploration on how the job of wilderness rangers is changing. (Listen to part 1 first.) Many people who worked for parks and forests when the Wilderness Act went in effect are still working.

Last week, we started out by getting a look at the traditional skills and duties of a wilderness ranger. This week, we find out about the greatest changes affecting their jobs, and changes in the way we interact with them.

We hear from:

• Gregg Fauth, Wilderness Coordinator for Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.
• Laurel Boyers, Wilderness manager for Yosemite National Park.
• Don Mason, seasonal patrol ranger for the Lassen National Forest.
• Steve Zachary, the education specialist for Lassen Volcanic National Park.

What do you expect from wilderness rangers? You can share your opinions with your fellow listeners anytime using our toll free comment line at 866-590-7373.

• Show number 103 [MP3 format; length 9:49; 2,386,826 bytes]
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• Combined script, show numbers 102 & 103

Thu, Sep 06, 2007

Ranger Changes, part 1

Posted at 09:00

/shows/wild_places [link ]

This wild places program is part one of an exploration on how the job of wilderness rangers is changing. Many people who worked for parks and forests when the Wilderness Act went in effect are still working.

We start out by getting a look at the traditional skills and duties of a wilderness ranger. We hear from:

• Gregg Fauth, Wilderness Coordinator for Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.
• Laurel Boyers, Wilderness manager for Yosemite National Park.
• John Roth, Chief Ranger for Lassen Volcanic National Park.
• Brian Palmentier and Michelle Minnehan, experienced hikers and climbers from San Francisco, visiting the Tuolumne Meadows Wilderness Office in Yosemite.

Next week, in part two, we find out about the changes in government, in environmental threats, and in the wilderness users are affecting the job of wilderness rangers.

What do you expect from wilderness rangers? You can share your opinions with your fellow listeners anytime using our toll free comment line at 866-590-7373.

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Thu, Aug 30, 2007

The Next 100

Posted at 09:00

/shows [link ]

In this program we take you behind the scenes to learn about how we put together our shows. Just what goes into producing an edition of the WildeBeat?

From fixing your feet to using your head, from camping in the snow to backpacking in the desert, we've spent two years finding ways to help you get into the wilderness. The WildeBeat is a free public service to help you discover, and get the most out of America's wild public lands. And while the show is free to you, it costs us a lot to bring it to you.

With your support, we can continue to bring you our weekly features. Without it, we'll have to cut back on what we're doing -- a lot. Please join us, and give us the support we need to bring you the next hundred editions of the show.

• Show number 101 [MP3 format; length 9:47; 2,396,559 bytes]
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Thu, Aug 23, 2007

Thousand Lakes

Posted at 09:00

/shows/wild_places [link ]

This wild places program is part one of a visit to the Thousand Lakes Wilderness in the Lassen National Forest. This small, 25 square-mile wilderness shouldn't be judged by its size.

The Thousand Lakes Wilderness is just north of Lassen Volcanic National Park, which we explored in our edition numbers 96 & 97. While national parks are high-profile places that attract a lot of attention, nearby national forest wilderness areas are often overlooked.

Steve talks with Jan Sorochtey, the recreation officer for the Hat Creek District of the Lassen National Forest. Steve hikes to the largest lake in the wilderness, Eiler Lake, with patrol ranger Don Mason. They encounter an over-used campsite on the lake shore.

If you want to plan a trip to the Thousand Lakes Wilderness, you should start by contacting the Hat Creek Ranger District of the Lassen National Forest. Jan Sorochtey says that they don't require any permits. But take note, there is a complete campfire ban for the summer and fall of 2007.

• Show number 100 [MP3 format; length 9:58; 2,396,559 bytes]
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Thu, Aug 16, 2007

Summer OR 2007

Posted at 09:00

/shows/gear [link ]

This gear program is an overview of some of the new gear exhibited at the 2007 Outdoor Retailer Summer Market. Steve intervews testers from BackpackGearTest.ORG in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Andy Mytys comments on the SPOT Satellite Messenger, new tarps by Go Lite, and new products by Sea to Summit. Jennifer Koles comments on the Magellan Triton GPS receiver and National Geographic Topo! maps. Jason Boyle comments on a new eVent® jacket by Rab, new drinks by Cliff Bar, and jackets by Mont-Bell. Andy talks about the green trend he saw in new gear this year.

If you're interested in reviewing for Backpack Gear Test (BGT), read: How to become a tester. Manufacturers provide more gear than the volunteers at BGT can keep up with. By becoming a tester, you can get free gear, and help your fellow wilderness travelers evaluate what gear will work for them.

• Show number 99 [MP3 format; length 9:59; 2,398,205 bytes]
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Thu, Aug 09, 2007

What's in Sierra Water?

Posted at 09:00

/shows/skills [link ]

This skills program is an interview about backcountry water quality in general, and about California's Sierra Nevada in particular.

Steve interviewed Dr. Robert Derlet. Dr. Derlet is a professor of emergency medicine at the University of California Davis Medical Center in Sacramento. Dr. Derlet is also a recognized researcher and expert on the quality of backcountry water in the Sierra Nevada. His latest paper on the subject is titled, Coliform bacteria in Sierra Nevada wilderness lakes and streams: what is the impact of backpackers, pack animals, and cattle?.

In this interview, Dr. Derlet talks about how he tests water quality, what kinds of problems lurk in our water, about the various purification treatments for backcountry water, and some tips on choosing a good water source.

We'll hear more from Dr. Derlet in a future program. WildeBeat members can download a longer extended version of the interview from the WildeBeat Insider web site.

• Show number 98 [MP3 format; length 9:45; 2,341,326 bytes]
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Thu, Aug 02, 2007

Lassen National Park, part 2

Posted at 09:00

/shows/wild_places [link ]

This wild places program is part one of a visit to Lassen Volcanic National Park. It's been called a little Yellowstone because of its wilderness and its volcanic features.

We hear from Steve Zachary, the park's education specialist, about some of the most interesting features of the park's wilderness areas. He mentions the Cinder Cone, the Fantastic Lava Beds, and Boiling Springs Lake.

Jean Higham, our normally silent co-writer and co-editor, provides a trip report on her four day hike in the backcountry. A map and pictures of her trip are available on the photo album link, below. Jean's hike was relatively easy, and she never got more than a few miles from the road. You don't have to get very far into the wilderness to have an extraordinary experience.

If you want to plan a trip to the backcountry of Lassen Volcanic National park, you'll, of course, want to start with this PDF map. Then you'll want to contact the park to arrange for a wilderness permit. You can apply for one in-person, by phone, or online.

• Show number 97 [MP3 format; length 9:57; 2,396,558 bytes]
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• Show number 96 & 97, combined script
• Photo album

Thu, Jul 26, 2007

Lassen National Park, part 1

Posted at 09:00

/shows/wild_places [link ]

This wild places program is part one of a visit to Lassen Volcanic National Park. It's been called a little Yellowstone because of its wilderness and its volcanic features.

Jean Higham, our normally silent co-writer and co-editor, takes off for four days of solo backpacking in the park's wilderness. Steve talks to Steve Zachary, the park's education specialist, about some of the features that attract people to the park. Of course, one of the most prominent is the peak of the volcano itself. Steve checks-in with Jean's progress on the trail by radio.

Next time, in part 2, we'll find out more about why the backcountry features are even more fantastic than the front country features of the park, and get a report on Jean's adventure.

If you want to plan a trip to the backcountry of Lassen Volcanic National park, you'll, of course, want to start with this PDF map. Then you'll want to contact the park to arrange for a wilderness permit. You can apply for one in-person, by phone, or online.

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Thu, Jul 19, 2007

Leave No Trace Revisited

Posted at 09:00

/shows/skills [link ]

This skills program presents the Leave No Trace skills for minimizing our impact on wilderness areas. This is a remix of our show number 4 of July 18, 2005.

Steve encountered hikers on the trail last week in the Lassen National Forest, and tested them on their knowledge of Leave No Trace principles. Then we replay portions of our 2005 interview with Ben Lawhon, the education director of the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics. Ben quizzes Steve on his low-impact wilderness skills.

The Leave No Trace organization offers hundreds of training classes around the country, ranging from two hour introductions to week-long master classes. They have partnerships with parks, equipment manufacturers, commercial outfitters, major media outlets, and small non-profit organizations like ours. Check the training schedule on their web site for opportunities to learn these minimum impact skills from a qualified volunteer.

• Show number 95 [MP3 format; length 9:53; 2,372,217 bytes]
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Thu, Jul 12, 2007

Reprise: Keeping Bears Hungry

Posted at 09:00

/shows/skills [link ]

This skills program is a look at the arms race between campers and bears in Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. How should you protect your food from bears? This is a reprise of our show number 48, first presented on June 29, 2006.

We include excerpts from interviews with Tori Seher, the wildlife biologist in charge of human/bear management at Yosemite National Park, and Laurel Boyers, the Wilderness Manager at Yosemite. They talk about the history of keeping bears from camper's food in the Sierra Nevada, and the destructive effect that human food has on Yosemite's bears. They also give advice on dealing with bear encounters.

You can find out more about bears in the Sierra Nevada and the site SierraWildBear.GOV, which is jointly operated by the park service and the forest service.

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Thu, Jul 05, 2007

Wool-Blend Socks

Posted at 09:00

/shows/gear [link ]

This gear program presents reviews of wool-blend socks. You probably don't think much about socks, until you find yourself wishing you had different ones.

Andrew Buskov reviews the Bridgedale X-Hale Socks. Pam Wyant reviews the Defeet Blaze socks. Kevin Hollingsworth reviews the Defeet Classico socks. Ray Estrella reviews the Wigwam Wool/Silk Hiker socks.

If you're interested in reviewing for Backpack Gear Test (BGT), read: How to become a tester. Manufacturers provide more gear than the volunteers at BGT can keep up with. By becoming a tester, you can help your fellow wilderness travelers find out what gear will work for them.

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Thu, Jun 28, 2007

Bay Area Wilderness Training, part 2

Posted at 09:00

/shows/outings [link ]

This outings program takes us on a Wilderness Leadership Training course offered by the non-profit group, Bay Area Wilderness Training (BAWT). This part 2 of 2 is a follow-up to our original program on ethnic diversity among wilderness users.

Steve meets a diverse group of teachers, counselors, and other youth workers on the trail just outside of Yosemite National Park. He talks to:

• Roger Miller, executive director of BAWT.
• Hector Nuño, a volunteer youth counselor from San Jose, California.
• Judy Kuang, a youth coordinator for the Chinatown Community Development Center in San Francisco.

We also hear from:

• Katie DeClercq, a program assistant for the Norcal Mountain Bike Racing League in
• Kellie Meehan, camp director for the Presidio Community YMCA in San Francisco, California.
• The entire WLT class singing.

If you're a teacher, youth counselor, or other youth development professional in the greater San Francisco Bay Area, BAWT's Wilderness Leadership Training can teach you all the skills you'll need to take at-risk and under-privileged youth out on life-affirming wilderness adventures.

You can help BAWT with their work by participating in Climbing for Kids. A program that provides you gear and gets you up a major mountain in exchange for your fund-raising assistance.

• Show number 92 [MP3 format; length 9:59; 2,399,400 bytes]
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• Group Picture, opens in new window [JPEG format; 835x768 pixels; 273,041 bytes]

Thu, Jun 21, 2007

Bay Area Wilderness Training, part 1

Posted at 09:00

/shows/outings [link ]

This outings program takes us on a Wilderness Leadership Training course offered by the non-profit group, Bay Area Wilderness Training (BAWT). This part 1 of 2 is a follow-up to our original program on ethnic diversity among wilderness users.

Steve meets a diverse group of teachers, counselors, and other youth workers at the Cherry Lake campground just outside of Yosemite National Park. He talks to:

• Roger Miller, executive director of BAWT.
• Hector Nuño, a volunteer youth counselor from San Jose, California.
• Judy Kuang, a youth coordinator for the Chinatown Community Development Center in San Francisco.
• We also hear from Chelsea Griffie, program director for BAWT.

So what happens to our teachers on the trail? How does BAWT finish the process of turning them into qualified wilderness guides? We'll rejoin them in part two of Bay Area Wilderness Training.

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Thu, Jun 14, 2007

Listening to Parks, part 2

Posted at 09:00

/shows/wild_places [link ]

This wild places program explores sounds in national parks. Do you go to parks for the peace and quiet? Should you expect peace and quiet at national parks?

We hear from Kurt Fristrup, a scientist for the Natural Sounds Program of the National Park Service. He plays clips recorded by their audio measuring systems, which were placed near Sentinel Dome in Yosemite National Park. He describes the greatest sources of noise pollution in the park, and how it can adversely effect visitors and wildlife.

We hear from Dan Dugan, a technical advisor to the Nature Sounds Society, and a noted expert in nature sound recording. Dan explains how you can save some of those natural sounds for yourself, using recording equipment that's comparable in price to a typical digital camera. Dan says, "Unfortunately, quiet places are vanishing fast, and that's one good reason to go out and record before they're entirely gone."

The Nature Sounds Society offers an annual Field Recording Workshop in California. For more advice from Dan, follow the Supplemental Information link, below.

Members of the WildeBeat can download an additional bonus clip with more sounds provided by the Park Service's Natural Sounds Program, and an additional interview segment on how they do their research.

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• Combined shows number 89 & 90, high-fidelity stereo [MP3 format; length 20:28; 19,662,134 bytes]
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• Show number 89 & 90, combined script
• Supplemental information

Thu, Jun 07, 2007

Listening to Parks, part 1

Posted at 09:00

/shows/wild_places [link ]

This wild places program explores sounds in national parks. Do you go to parks for the peace and quiet? Should you expect peace and quiet at national parks?

Steve starts out in a relatively remote campground in Yosemite National Park, and discovers some noises he wasn't counting on. He interviews two campers, Maria Mustanen and Bill Garcia, about how they feel about man-made noise in parks.

Steve interviews Kurt Fristrup, a scientist for the Natural Sounds Program of the National Park Service. Kurt explains the mission of the Natural Sounds Program, and how they monitor the parks for noise pollution. He plays clips recorded by their audio measuring equipment, which they place in remote locations in the parks. Kurt mentions the park service's Night Sky Program, which we covered in our Wilderness at Night, part 1 (#13) and part 2 (#14).

So what have Kurt and his colleagues found out about noise in parks? How can you help their efforts, and collect sounds for yourself? We'll explore those questions in part two.

• Show number 89 [MP3 format; length 9:50; 2,361,460 bytes]
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Thu, May 31, 2007

Out in front on the PCT

Posted at 09:00

/shows/wild_places [link ]

This wild places program presents an interview with the first of the class of 2007 through-hikers of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) to reach Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite National Park.

Charlie Guyer and his companions Ryan Kern and Lee Neil started on their hike of the entire length of the trail on March 9th. The majority of PCT through hikers usually start later, around the end of April. These guys are far ahead of the pack, and so they have helpful news on conditions for the hikers who will come after them.

A long-distance hike like this is a major undertaking. It requires considerable planning and preparation. A lot more information about the Pacific Crest Trail, and planning for a long-distance hike, is available at the Pacific Crest Trail Association. Many long distance hikers on the trail maintain journals on the site, Trailjournals.com. (Charlie and his group are not maintaining online journals.)

Members of the WildeBeat can download an additional bonus segment, in which Charlie and his companions tell about some of their most harrowing incidents. Look for the link in our insiders newsletter.

• Show number 88 [MP3 format; length 9:58; 2,396,670 bytes]
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Thu, May 24, 2007

Using All Fours, part 2

Posted at 09:00

/shows/skills [link ]

This skills program is part 2 of our look at the science and skills, myths and fact around trekking poles. Is hiking with poles a trendy gimmick, or a valuable skill?

Julianne Abendroth-Smith talks about the results of research into the effects on the body of hiking with trekking poles. She's a biomechanics professor at Willamette University in Salem Oregon.

We hear from Jayah Faye Paley, an author and educator, and co-host of an educational DVD, POLES for Hiking, Trekking & Walking. Jayah's web site, Adventure Buddies, provides more information about her educational products and services. Jayah describes basic skills for using trekking poles.

Trekking poles can have a destructive effect on the trails that shoes alone don't have. Ben Lawhon, the education director of the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics, talks about those effects.

Members of the WildeBeat can download an additional bonus segment, featuring Jayah Faye Paley in a beginner's tutorial about proper pole use. Look for the link in our insiders newsletter.

• Show number 87 [MP3 format; length 9:47; 2,350,799 bytes]
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Thu, May 17, 2007

Using All Fours, part 1

Posted at 17:00

/shows/skills [link ]

This skills program is part 1 of our look at the science and skills, myths and fact around trekking poles. Is hiking with poles a trendy gimmick, or a valuable skill?

Steve talks to Julianne Abendroth-Smith of Willamette University in Salem Oregon. She's a biomechanics professor studying the physics of hiking, and how hiking with various poles and walking sticks affect the body.

Steve talks to Jayah Faye Paley, an author and educator, and co-host of an educational DVD, POLES for Hiking, Trekking & Walking. Jayah's web site, Adventure Buddies, provides more information about her educational products and services.

We'll hear more from Julianne Abrendroth-Smith and Jayah Faye Paley in part two. We'll find out Jayah's techniques for using poles, and about what science says about those techniques.

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Thu, May 10, 2007

Orestimba Wilderness Updated

Posted at 09:00

/shows/wild_places [link ]

This wild places program revisits the Orestimba Wilderness of California's Henry W. Coe State Park. It's an amazingly remote wilderness surprisingly close to the San Francisco Bay Area. A new entrance to the park will make this remote wilderness more easily accessible.

Steve rode with backcountry ranger Cameron Bowers on a patrol trip to the wilderness. Volunteer park historian Teddy Goodrich came along. They stopped for lunch and to talk along Red Creek, in the heart of the wilderness area.

The Pine Ridge Association provides a lot of volunteer help to operate and maintain the park, and they maintain a comprehensive informational web site. Several years ago, the wilderness area was threatened by a proposal to route a high speed rail line through it.

Traveling into the Orestimba Wilderness is a challenging trip. But no where is California's inter-coastal range so well preserved and undeveloped. And you could have it all to yourself!

This is an update of our edition number 44 of June 1st, 2006. At the time of our original story, the Ortestimba Wilderness was indeed difficult to get to. But as of next week, a new entrance will provide a trailhead much closer to the edge of the wilderness. Steve talks to C. L. Price, a sector superintendent for the California State Parks responsible Henry Coe State Park. He explains the new entrance that opens up on May 19th.

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• Photo album

Thu, May 03, 2007

Sheep Watering Holes

Posted at 09:00

/shows/wild_places [link ]

This wild places program looks at a proposal to provide artificial water sources for California desert bighorn sheep. Are we going to have to ruin a wilderness to save them?

We hear from Steve Tabor, who taught us desert backpacking skills in edition 34, and helped introduce us to the Sheephole valley Wilderness in edition 81. Steve mentions a plan to build roads and dams in the Sheephole Valley Wilderness to provide water for desert bighorn sheep.

Dan Abbe, a wilderness specialist from the Needles office of the Bureau of Land Management, explains these artificial watering holes for the sheep, which are called big game guzzlers.

Brent Schoradt, the deputy policy director for the California Wilderness Coalition, explains why he thinks this plan is a bad idea.

What do you think? Will it ruin this wilderness to save the sheep? We'd love to hear your comments.

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