Camping with Suzi

Did you read the Washington Post article “Forest Service considering explosives to get rid of frozen cows in Colorado mountain cabin“?  Am I the only person who did a double-take?  (FYI:  The Huffington Post and as far away as the UK, the story has been published!)

Okay, those cows were discovered in an old Gunnison National Forest guard station located in a Wilderness area back in March and the problem is just now being publicly discussed.   I like the idea that the Forest Service might be looking for inputs from the public.  Afterall, the more ideas suggested, the great the chance of finding a solution.  Hope that is true the Forest Service is open to inputs and someone at the forest is listening.  The few comments posted to the Washington Post’s article I read weren’t terribly helpful but maybe something useful is burden there.

Part of the problem is that these cows dead in a Wilderness area.  Granted, cows aren’t particularly bright but how would a cow know they had entered an area with restrictions.  These restrictions were imposed by the Congress and say you can take any mechanical devices in there.  This means, things like wheelbarrow and bicycles aren’t permitted.  So, the forest folks probably can’t use chainsaws to reduce the dead cows to more manageable size pieces (this is a common solution used in Alaska when frozen dead moose need to be removed).

One solution suggested in the article was burning down the cabin which strikes me as a waste of a historic structure and protein.  Another solution, as stated in the articles title, is to blow the carcasses up but that would also destroy the cabin and probably some of the surrounding landscape.

A concern expressed by the author was that the decomposing cows would contaminate a nearby spring.  But what happens when some elk dies, for whatever reason, somewhere in a wilderness?  Does the Forest Service dispose of that carcass or do they let Mother Nature do what she does so well?  Why can’t we just leave well enough alone and provide the wildlife with a springtime feast?  Imagine the delight of some bear at finding this cache.  Of course my view might be overly simple but . . .

Perhaps what should be done in the future is a requirement that all cattle allowed to roam our national forests be “LoJacked.”

Not sure where I came across this craft but it seems prefect for a tent full of bored girls.  All you need is an old t-shirt (can have holes, tears, and other indicators of age) and a pair of scissors.

I started with an old t-shirt from my husband’s collection.

I cut the bottom half off and laid it on a flat surface.  Than the fun began.  I cut strips from the cut edge to about three-inches from the top.  (Later, I took what remained of the t-shirt and cut the sleeves off and made a cut about four-inches long in the center front of the neck.  I use that as an over-size tank top.)

After making all those cuts, I pulled it strip so it would curl-up a little.  Than wrapped it around my neck.

Fun to make and fun to wear.

Last Friday, Fred and I attended a reception for the Four Forests Restoration Initiative (4FRI) effort and a National Forest Foundation (NFF) campaign called “Treasured Landscapes, Unforgettable Experiences.”  It was great to be among so many people who regard our national forests in a way similar to ours.  We got to meet some old “friends” and make some new ones.

The 4FRI has four Arizona national forests actively engaged in a collaborative, landscape-scale initiative designed to restore fire-adapted ecosystems in the Region.  Those four forests are the Kaibab, Coconino, Apache-Sitgreaves and Tonto.  You may recognize one or all the forests from the devastating  wildfires in the news during the past two years.   The cool thing, in my opinion, is the forest aren’t doing it alone.  The forests, together with a diverse group of stakeholders, are working to collaboratively plan and carry out landscape-scale restoration of ponderosa pine forests in northern Arizona.  By diverse I mean folks from the limber industry to camping supply businesses are involved.

The short description for the Treasured Landscapes, Unforgettable Experiences campaign is “The National Forest Foundation’s campaign to revitalize our forests and strengthen our connection to nature.”  Basically, as I understand it, the NFF has selected 14 difference sites as components of the campaign and seek to increase awareness of national forests, encourage people to enjoy the national forests, and support long-term “stewardship” of national forests.  Sounds like what Fred and I have been saying for years and that makes us smile.

In the middle of updating fee, season, and reservation status for the 2,400-plus campgrounds on our website, ForestCamping.com, along with all getting ready to hit the road and all that life throws at ya.  So much fun.  Anyway, got a message from RVTravel.com, amazingly website, and he made a remark that stopped me short.

“I just love the serenity of the places (national forest campgrounds).  You can “camp” in these places, not just “stay” which is the case, I thin, in most commercial RV parks.”

View of mt. hood from Lost Lake campground

Here’s hoping you discover the same.

This year’s research will include a stop in Washington, DC for a meeting with the Forest Service per our Memo of Understanding.  We try to get back and touch base with the Washington Office every two or three years.  We find it enlightening as well as discouraging.  Few people, even within the Forest Service, seem to realize the importance of camping to not only our national forests but also the health and well-being of the American people.

Maybe ten years ago we thought it might be good if we visited some of the “makers-and-shakers” on Capitol Hill.  After knocking on about a half-dozen doors, one staffer remarked to us, “But no body cares about national forests.”  What did he know since his office represented a state and district with no national forests?  I tried to set him straight.

We haven’t been back to the Hill since that day, focusing our efforts more on the users of national forests.

Can I tell you how thrilled I was to come across this piece on the internet by Congressman Glenn Thompson.   Maybe someone on the Hill is listening and does appreciate national forests.  Well, I can hope.

Earlier this month, media reported the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest is closing almost 4,000 miles of roads and the response was a loud “NO!” by some groups.

Okay, I am a lover of trees, wildlife and most things national forests but the response I’ve heard makes me only want to shake my head is disbelief.  I mean, folks the Wallowa-Whitman NF has 2,226,023 acres Oregon and in Idaho there are 3,208 acres.  There are states smaller than this forest!  What I want to ask is, “How did they get that much roadway on the forest and still have trees?”

The vast majority of the roads to be closed, as I understand it, are fairly recent roads.  Many were build to aid in salvaging trees killed by insect and many were already listed as closed.  In past, roads closures were based on safety issues but these almost 4,000 miles of closures are also to preserve habitat for wildlife and fish and to negate some water quality problems.  (FYI:  The roadway in this photo is not being closed and make me wonder about the conditions of those that are scheduled to be decommissioned.)

The Oregonian newspaper reported the plan is drawing opposition from people who depend on motor vehicles to go hunting, berry picking, sightseeing or firewood gathering.   Reminds me of a hurrah we heard about in Michigan years ago.  The hunters complained the deer were getting too small to make hunting worthwhile.  Officials looked into this concern and agreed with the hunter so the Forest Service did some clear cuts way back in a wilderness area.  The clearings provided abundant food for the deer and they all got nicely big and fat.  Then the hikers complained the deer were too big and they needed their ATVs, which were not allowed, to bring their kill out!

The Forest Service does a bunch of things that makes me wonder but closing roads is not one of them.  The local national forest staffer knows the importance of roads to the public and doesn’t close off a road just for no good reason.   A closed road may mean some inconvenience to one group but I think it might be a matter of looking at the whole pictures.

I’ve given you my two-cent worth and the Wallowa-Whitman NF is looking for comments from the public on this.  If you would like to express you opinion provide it here.

One of the biggest surprises of last year was the abundance of Native American rock art found within several of the national grasslands we visited.  One of the biggest disappointment of last year was the destruction of Native American rock art.

The above photo is an example of the damage done by, what a hope, is a well meaning person.  Perhaps it was a father trying to help his children better see what was there.   In this case the damage is done by using a sharp device, probably a knife, to scratch an outline of the figure.  I know it is difficult but can you see the deer or antelope, its antlers reaching upward, on the right side of the photo?  I was never able to decipher what the other objects might be, even with the outline provided.  The larger panel, which contained this portion, also showed scares from bullets, both rifle and buckshot, and carvings from modern man.

There is an elegance and beauty to the artifacts left behind by ancient people.  I don’t know what they say or what their meanings are but to see the damage done hurts my heart.  The Forest Service asks that such damage and those doing it be reported.  Wouldn’t be better if people simply respected those ancient people and admired the unknown message they left us?

Our fifth grandchild is due is a few months.  Fred and I are so exciting.  Personally, I had hoped for a girl but no luck.  May be next time?!?!?!

For years I have wanted to learn how to quilt and, for our fifth grandchild, I made the leap from the frying pan into the fire.  FYI-I have a new favorite craft!   The photo provided is my first and totally all-my-own attempt at quilting.   My thanks to all those quilters who provide tips, suggestions, and encouragement on the Internet.  I couldn’t have done without you guys.  Future quilting projects are a couple of doll baby crib quilts for the twins,  twin bed-size quilts for our motorhome, and an assortment of placemats using different quilt blocks.  Can’t wait to get started.

More campers will be seeing this poster on fee boards at national forest campgrounds this year. As the bear population increases so must our awareness of the dangers. One thing I like about the poster’s message is in the upper right hand corner – a bear and a squirrel. Yes, bears are a serious worry but that little graphic in the corner should remind us, little critters are always on the look out for an easy, free meal.

I will be the first to say I am technologically challenged.   Yes, I have a cellphone but it is more often safely tucked away somewhere than being used.  I text under distress and am, without a doubt, the bane of my poor husband.  But the other day I learned there is an “app” that helps one find and control invasive plants in the Southern region.  (Hopefully they are working one such for the other eight Regions.)  Even I must agree this is way cool.

This free app will allow more people to get involved in eradicating foreign plants, which, along with nonnative animals.  These plants and animals harm native plants, wildlife, livestock and property in both rural and urban areas at a cost of about $138 billion annually.  The “app” provides photos and information that allow users to identify the 56 nonnative plants and plant groups currently invading 13 Southern states.

Click here for your own copy of this “app.”