Theodore Roosevelt

and Woodrow Wilson deserved the Nobel Prize

It was 103 years ago today that one of America's greatest presidents ever, Theodore Roosevelt received the Nobel Peace Prize-for get this a real accomplishment! The driving force to ending the Russo-Japanese War (with the peace treaty being negotiated in my home state of New Hampshire- little aside here), Mr Roosevelt actually worked for peace and made major accomplishments. He did more than just give a speech. President Wilson was awarded the prize in 1919 for his efforts to establish a League of Nations, even though it ultimately didn't come to fruition. Still, though Wilson (while controversial for his Palmer Raids and other acts) accomplished much while in office including Woman's suffrage (although he was opposed to it for much of his political life). Roosevelt and Wilson were two American presidents that deserved the Nobel Peace Prize! (Carter received the prize after he was in office). Roosevelt was a young bold leader (our youngest president ever) who lead during the turn of a century ushering in much change and challenge. He gave good speeches, had high ideals, and accomplished much. I'm proud of him, one of the greatest US presidents ever! Today I ponder if the Nobel Peace Prize means anything anymore. Just some food for thought.

Expanding Washington's National Parks

Restricting Freedom vs Better Protection

Hope the title didn't mislead you. I am a huge fan of the National Parks System--a system that began on March 1, 1872 when Congress established Yellowstone as our first national park. Republican President Ulysses S Grant mired in a country deep in post civil war reconstruction signed the bill. On August 25, 1916, Democratic President Woodrow Wilson signed the Organic Act creating the National Park Service. The whole concept of national parks is a truly American ideal that countries around the world have emulated and embraced. The park system has expanded greatly to not only incorporate our crown jewel national parks, but also national seashores, national historic sites, national monuments, and a whole slew of other designations to include properties in every state except Delaware (could Joe Biden's boyhood home change that? Nope-he was born and raised in PA, home to many park units!) and several of our territories. There are currently 394 units within the park system and we continue to expand our park system with each administration. The latest additions to our national parks (the main parks) were under George W Bush in 2003 and 2004 when South Carolina's Congaree Swamp and Colorado's Great Sand Dunes were elevated from national monuments to national parks to become our 57th and 58th national parks.

I have been to 32 of these gems-hiking, camping, and bicycling in them. I would love to see more parks and many of our parks expanded. Here in Washington I would love to see Mount St Helens transferred from the Forest Service to the park service and I would love to see Mount Rainier and Olympic National Parks expanded. There is currently a movement afloat to expand the North Cascades National Park; and while in theory I support it-I have some reservations about this proposal. First and foremost in our real world of political sacrifice, compromise and unlimited capital-the North Cascades proposal is of the least importance compared to other national park expansion issues within the Evergreen State.

Let me explain in order of importance (as I see it) issues pertaining to expanding national parks in Washington.

1. Highest Priority-Expand Olympic National Park. Too much of this park's periphery (particularly along the coast, Lake Ozette and along Hood Canal drainages) borders along industrial forest lands and neglected national forest lands where poaching of resources (illegal plant harvesting by illegal immigrants and illegal game hunting by native born riff raff) and illegal activity (squatting and meth labs) threatens the park's visitors and resources. And a constant threat exists that many of these industrial forestlands will be subdivided and developed further compromising the park.


2. Expand Mount Rainier National Park's Boundaries. Especially along the Carbon River Area and near the Clearwater Wilderness where as stated above, illegal activity and marginal industrial forest lands compromises the park's integrity and the safety of park visitors.


3. Transfer Mount St Helens to the Park Service. Under a better funded park service and one with a clearer objective (preservation vs multiple and often conflicting use) than the disgraced and underfunded Forest Service, St Helens would be elevated to a higher status with better protection, funding, and better and expanded visitor facilities-like perhaps a campground and better maintained trails. Also, St Helens' borders should be adjusted to help better manage it and incorporate periphery areas that should have never been left out when the monument was established-like the old growth forests of Quartz Creek.


4. Lastly, expansion of the North Cascades National Park. While it sounds noble, it is mostly unnecessary. Nearly all of the lands bordering North Cascades National park are federally protected wilderness areas and are under no threat. Perhaps the only exception would be north of Rainy Pass along the PCT in which case national park status or even better-an expansion of the Pasayten Wilderness would be better suited. Why waste political and real capital on an area that is under virtually no threat when other areas in the state are in dire need of protection?

Besides-one of the beauties of the North Cascades complex outside of the National Park lands is the freedom to camp and travel (mostly) unregulated. While I support permitting by the park service as necessary in highly visited areas, why bring this cumbersome and often frustrating process to areas that don't need it-areas that are far more wild and untrammeled than within the park's boundaries. And while I support keeping our park's free from dogs and hunting (another argument that I can address in a separate post) expanding North Cascades National Park into adjacent forestlands where these activities are currently allowed would lock out these users-whom I don't believe should be locked out (yes, they would be locked out) of these lands where they can now freely roam. My biggest reasons for supporting any national park expansion are for better protection and better visitor services. In the case of the North Cascades National Park periphery I don't believe there is much of a resource threat or need for visitor expansion. In Rainier, St Helens and Olympic, I believe otherwise, and I believe it would be wise for conservationists and politicos to concentrate on expanding and improving these crown jewels of Washington State instead. Your take?

Supreme Courthouse Picks

I have an affinity for old buildings. Hey-I am a Native Englander, you know! Some of my favorite old and historic buildings in Washington are a handful of the county courthouses. And out on the eastern Washington plains and hills there are some real gems. So while President Obama is messing around with picking a Supreme Court Justice- I offer you a few of my supreme courthouse picks. My six favorite courthouses in Washington are:

Douglas County Courthouse in Waterville (pictured Here)
Columbia County Courthouse in Dayton
Garfield County Courthouse in Pomeroy
Pacific County Courthouse in South Bend
Grays Harbor County Courthouse in Montesano
Okanogan County Courthouse in Okanogan

These buildings are architectural, historic, and aesthetic gems. I never get tired of stopping by them and photographing and admiring them. What are some of your favorite courthouses-Washington and elsewhere?

Back from my Eastern Washington (and a little bit of Idaho too) Whirlwind Tour

Last night at around 11:30 pm I returned from an 8 day trip that was quite productive and fun and a tad bit exhausting. I apologize for the lack of blog entries during my absence-but I don't travel with a laptop. Wouldn't have had any time to use it anyways even if I did travel with one. So where did I go and what did I do?
Okay-
Book and hiking talk and presentation in Wenatchee.
Run 6 miles on the Golden Tiger Rail Trail in Republic Washington
Hike 10 miles on the northern Kettle Crest and Little Vulcan Mountain
Hike 5 miles in 13 Mile Canyon Roadless area
Book talk and presentation in Spokane
Hike 4 miles on Tubbs Hill in Coeur d'Alene Idaho
Walk a few mils on the Centennial Trail
Run 10 miles on the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes at Heyburn State Park, ID
Hike 14 miles on Tucannon River Trail and Hunters Spring in the Blue Mountains, Umatilla National Forest
Hike 4 miles in the Juniper Dunes Wilderness
Book talk in Walla Walla
Run 6 miles on the Mill Creek Trail and Bennington Lake Reserve in Walla Walla
Visit the Whitman National Historic Site
Hike Hat Rock State Park, Oregon
Hike Crow Butte
Run a 10K race in Moses Lake
Visit Dry Falls
Drive way too much thanks to a road closure on the North Cascades Highway

Quite a bit of activity there for 8 days uh? Tell me about it! I'm exhausted- time to rest on this Memorial Day Weekend. I'll tell you more about some of the places I recently visited in the my upcoming posts. Its great to be back home!

(photo-Garfield County Courthouse in Pomeroy-the middle of nowhere and one of my favorite corners of Washington)

Let Freedom Ring

from the hills of New Hampshire

I just received the great news a few minutes ago from Washington Trail Association's Andrew Engelson that the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 passed the house. The yes vote was overwhelming, 285-140. A pox on WA Representative Doc Hastings (next to Jim McDermott, my least favorite congressperson from the Northwest) for trying to derail the vote with a controversial gun amendment. And no, I am not against guns-it is just the proposal to allow firearms in National Parks should be debated on its own merit-not slipped in as an amendment threatening to stall this important bill. Now, President Obama will assuredly sign this bill and I await his signature-perhaps the first act of his that I welcome. I've written about national historic trails and wildernesses that will be created under this bill, but there are plenty of other great public lands and designations in it as well. Among them, the Freedom's Way National Heritage Area close to where I grew up in southern New Hampshire.

What is the Freedom's Way NHA all about?

According to its website:

This theme is about the land: the geological events that shaped the landscape of the Native Americans for thousands of years. It is also the story of the changes wrought by the past 300 years and the development of a conservation movement that includes Henry David Thoreau, Benton MacKaye, and the present-day efforts of people like Marion Stoddart and John Hansen Mitchell. In addition to local conservation trails, there are rail trails in both New Hampshire and Massachusetts, some connecting. And there are Great Meadows visitor/education centers and trails, US Fish and Wildlife Refuges, State Reservations, Audubon sites, and The Trustees of Reservations sites. There are greenway trails too.

And plenty of wonderful historic sites and conservation areas that are dear to my heart. Benton MacKaye, if you don't know who he was, is the founder of the Appalachian Trail, the nation's first long distance national scenic trail. And in this bill, two new national scenic trails join the AT. How sweet is that? I'm looking forward (as always) to returning to the home front to check out how this new designation will play out in my beloved New England. Now it's time for that Chianti!

(photo- old Monson Village, one of NH's first interior settlements, a SPNHF preserve and part of the new Freedom's Way NHA)

Get Ready to Chisel

"National Scenic"

into that boulder!

There is still hope for National Scenic Trail status for the Pacific Northwest Trail and the New England Trail as well as hope for over two million acres of new wilderness from Oregon to Virginia. After the let down two weeks ago of the House failing to pass the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009, a new version was taken up by the Senate last week and it passed overwhelmingly by 77-20. The House should be taking the bill up on Wednesday and it should pass easily. Still, I refrain from tipping my glass of Chianti until I see the final roll call. And unlike many of our public leaders who didn't read the Stimulus Bill before signing it-I actually read through this bill. There is a lot of things to like about this bill especially as an advocate of natural resource protection and historic preservation. Among the tidbits in this bill are several new Civil War National Historic Sites, a President Clinton Birthplace National Historic Site (C'mon people-he was one of our presidents and W will get one too) and enlargement of the Martin Van Buren NHS (I kid you not!), a Cold War NHS, a possible Harriet Beecher Stowe NHS, new National Heritage Corridors in New England and elsewhere, new wilderness areas in Michigan and West Virginia and a South Park National Heritage Area in Colorado! Wow, I never knew Stan, Kyle, Kenny and Cartman were such national treasures. Seriously though-there is much to like about this bill-check here to see what is coming your way if the House follows through for us. I'm looking forward to all the new great places to visit coming my way.

Giuseppe Mourns Socks

Giuseppe got the sad news today that former President Bill Clinton's cat, Socks passed away. He lived a good life no doubt-to a ripe old age of 18 and Giuseppe can only hope that he too sees that many years. Giuseppe was a little upset hearing how Socks took a back seat to Buddy, the chocolate lab, and then how Clinton abandoned Socks (don't feel bad Hillary, you weren't the only one) after he left office. Perhaps the most (and maybe the only in quite some time) honest resident of the White House, Socks will be missed. Giuseppe has instructed all felines out there to half-mast their long fuzzy-tail things that they like to chase.

Happy Birthday

Skagit County!

It was 125 years ago today that a bunch of "uppity" Skagitonians won their "independence" from their Whatcom County overlords. The new county with just over 2,800 residents then set out to establish their new county seat. Flourishing and "established" La Conner lost that bid to "big ambitions" Mount Vernon. Today Skagit County has 117,000 residents- not exactly a backwater any longer, but in Western Washington terms still quite rural and lightly populated.

Now a bunch of "uppity" Skagitonians, me included are trying to make sure that our home doesn't grow too big-like our northern neighbor Whatcom with its 190,000 residents and our southern neighbor Snohomish with its *gulp* 700,000 people. Yikes! Through the Skagit Land Trust and the Skagitonians to Preserve Farmland we are trying to keep our home somewhat free of the urban sprawl that plagues points north and south. Care to join us? Consider joining one of these two organizations and get involved with helping to keep this wedge of green between Seattle and Vancouver BC a haven for agriculture, wildlife, and outdoor recreation.

(photo- Pioneer Park in La Conner)