August Roundup

Photo: Victoria Palacios

Good Fires Save Ancient Sequoias

A grove of 2,000-year-old sequoia trees in Yosemite’s iconic Mariposa Grove—the very place Theodore Roosevelt and John Muir forged the foundations of the country’s conservation backbone over 100 years ago—was threatened by wildfires raging through the park. It wasn’t luck that saved the grove, but decades of “prescribed” fires that, over the years, have burned away surface fuel that fuels wildfires. The National Forest Service currently has a standstill on all intentional fires. Should they keep the fires burning, or let nature take its course? [NPR]

Photo: Re Wikstrom

Should Pedalers Pay? Wyoming Considers MTB Fee

Mountain biking’s meteoric rise in popularity is putting pressure on states to find a balance between recreation and management. Similar to how hunters and anglers pay an annual fee to recreate, Wyoming is considering a similar fee to help pay for MTB trail maintenance and trail building. With new biking trails being the most requested update to state parks, the state is struggling to keep up with the surge of the sport.  [Buffalo Bulletin] 

Gearhead Take: Over the summer, our Gearheads logged a collective 21,500 miles on the saddle with over 2.5 million feet of vert (that’s 83 times up Mt. Everest).  It’s safe to say that we enjoy mountain biking. Pay-to-ride will change the name of the game, but will it be for the better? We’ll find out together as cities and states consider new regulations.

Photo: Dave Hoefler

Karuk Tribe To Get Management Of Sacred Lands

California Senators have laid legislation to transfer nearly 1,000 acres of public lands into a public trust for the Karuk Tribe, making them stewards of the area. The transfer of management won’t change much on a day-to-day basis, but it will ensure that ceremonies will not be interrupted. The designated land in northern California is the “center of the Karuk World” according to Karuk representatives.  [The Siskiyou Daily News]

Photo: Bryce Olsen

BLM Approves Land For Bison Grazing

After years of waiting the APR (American Prairie Reserve) has been given the green light from the BLM to allow bison to graze on 63,500 acres of land. The APR aims to create the largest nature reserve in the contiguous United States, and free-range bison are a primary benefactor. Being confined to small grazing areas goes against the bison’s natural instinct to migrate—this is the first step of growing Montana’s wild bison herd from a few thousand to 10,000. [Fence Post]

What We’re Watching: HBO’s Edge Of The Earth

Trailer: A camera crew follows some of the best athletes in their sports to the edges of the earth to capture them doing the near-impossible (think kayaking, surfing, skiing & climbing).