Udall Legacy Bus Tour Blog: national parks

Showing posts with label national parks. Show all posts

Showing posts with label national parks. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

The Udall Legacy Bus Tour Comes Home

On Aug. 3rd, our bus rolled into Tucson. Home. Not home to any of the riders -- but home to Mo and the Udall Foundation.

Andrew Lee (Scholar '06) leads the welcoming cheer (Photo by Tom Spitz)

And it was definitely a homecoming. We arrived to the loving welcome of the Udall Foundation staff. Not only were we received with open arms -- but also a full on cheer. The cheer on Friday was surpassed only by the cheer the following day from all the 2007 scholars led by Andrew Lee (Scholar 2006) in front of the Foundation's HQ in downtown Tucson.

The end of the tour coincided with the 2007 Udall Scholar Orientation -- the annual gathering of all the recipients of the Morris K. Udall Scholarship. It was an appropriate place to end the tour considering that it was two years ago at this same event that the idea of a big 'ol bus tour was first kicked around.

The energy at Orientation was infectious. It always is. Udallers, as we saw on the tour, and were reminded of again in Tucson -- are incredibly passionate, caring, and engaged. The "small talk" during Orientation is often about organizing a campus, researching a problem, or tackling policy issues head on. I always find it's such a recharge -- which was a great way to end our Tour.

The official finale of the tour included remarks from Carol West (Tucson City Councilor), Ramona Grijalva (who read a message from her husband, Rep. Raul Grijalva), Terry Bracy (Chair of the Foundation), and Anne Udall (Mo's daughter and vice-chair of the Foundation). After Bret, Jen, and I spoke about some of the most memorable moments of the trip we moved into the building where, amidst the mingling, there were photo and video slideshows showing images of the past two months.

Anne Udall speaking at the finale event in Tucson (Photo by Tom Spitz)

The photos and video -- as good as they are -- can't capture the tour fully. This blog can't do it either. Nor do they do a good enough job thanking everyone who made this tour possible: the Udall Foundation Education Team, the many alumni who helped plan stops, and the many friends who opened their doors to a traveling group of public servants. But we hope that all of it - stories, photos, and video -- have been able to convey at least a little bit of those thanks and communicate what the Udall Legacy Bus Tour was.

Thanks for riding with us!

By: Eli Zigas

P.S.
(Stay tuned in the coming weeks for more video posts ...)

Yosemite - In Pictures

A sampling of photos from Yosemite.
(To see all the pictures from the Tour, go to our Flickr Page)

Photos by: Bob Filbin

Friday, August 3, 2007

Raving about Redwoods

Thursday morning the crew awoke to the distant sounds of barking sea lions, and to the fresh smells of the cool, salty, northern California coast. The day was already off to a great start…

That afternoon, Jessica, Savanna, Bob, Jen Baldwin and I hopped on the Legacy Bus to pick up a group from the Crescent City Extension Boys and Girls Club for the tour’s final “snack-sized” Parks in Focus program. As we rolled up to the front of the Clubhouse, we were greeted by 13 excited youth ready to go on their first photographic safari of the majestic coastal redwood groves found in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, one of the parks within Redwood National and State Parks (a unique management cooperative between the National Park Service and the California Department of Parks and Recreation).

In route to the park, we talked to the kids about the fascinating trees – known to have grown as tall as 379 feet and have lived as long as 2,000 years. We also goofed around and danced in our seats to some Oldies music, acting like trees (yeah, I get it, we’re a little weird; but the kids had fun)!

When we arrived at Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, the group took a couple minutes to stretch their shutter fingers, and then listened to Bob as he gave introductory lessons on camera safety and basics, before embarking down the beautiful Mill Creek Trail.

Shortly after crossing a long, narrow, wooden footbridge across the Smith River, we stopped briefly and paired the kids off. There, alongside the water, they participated in the day’s first photographic exercise – a photo shoot. The kids took turns posing and taking pictures, practicing a variety techniques, angles and features into their shots.

Our journey continued as we followed the trail into a thick patch of ferns that opened up into one of the coastal redwood groves. The kids echoed one another’s “ooh’s” and “ah’s” as we examined every new redwood around each new bend in the path. I also found myself in awe.

Jessica and Savanna talked a little more about the redwoods and their physiology, as well as, about some of the other interesting species of plants and animals that inhabit these unique forests.

For our final activity, we sent the kids on a photo-scavenger hunt – providing a list of 30 different tasks (photos) they needed to complete that recapped the day’s photography lessons and tips.

On the way back to the Clubhouse that evening, we quizzed the kids about some of the day’s lessons, where correct answers resulted in yummy treats. We recapped the day’s discussions, and I finished by asking if everyone had a good time. We were all blown away with the response: a synchronous, and almost harmonious, “YEEESSSSS!!!” The sound was almost deafening, but it made us all feel good knowing that were able to instill a little appreciation for the natural environment – and particularly appreciation for the coastal redwoods found in their own “backyard” – among a group of energetic and enthusiastic youth.

We ended our outing back at the Clubhouse with a group picture in front of the bus, and said goodbye as we each received hugs from the kids as they individually thanked each of us – a picture perfect end to our day in the park.

As we pulled away and waved farewell to the Crescent City crew, Jessica, Savanna, Bob, Jen and I looked at each other in agreement – today had been a great day.

By: Bret Muter

Wednesday, August 1, 2007

Udallers battle Tansy Ragwort in the Redwoods

While the rest of Team Udall was showing the local kids to appreciate and photograph the redwood forest as part of their Parks in Focus program, five brave Udallers volunteered to help Ellen Patum eliminate the invasive Tansy Ragwort (yellow flowering weeds) on Endert’s Beach outside Redwood National Park’s office in Crescent City.

Prior to our arrival, we were uncertain what Ellen would need us to help out with. Upon our arrival, bus driver Joel joked that our assignment was going to be weeding the ubiquitous yellow flowers in the meadow in front of the office. Turns out, not so much a joke. It looked like a recreation of the field of poppy flowers from The Wizard of Oz.

While it was a daunting site, we Udallers did what we do best: figure out why the heck we’re doing what we’re doing, and then get it done. The ragwort was obviously thriving in this field, and was surely out-competing some native species for resources (many invasive species can create a “monoculture,” which not only crushes plant biodiversity, but ends up restricting the ability of native insects and animals to thrive). Some potential evidence that these plants mess up the ecosystem’s balance was that they were covered in caterpillars and (seemingly intoxicated) bumblebees.

Before we started, I found out (and others knew already) that the best time to remove invasive weeds is in the summer when they are flowering (i.e. before they go to seed), and ‘tis best to rip out the plants by the roots. We split into pairs and created different roles. My partner was the “flowerhead clipper/bagger”, and I was the “root ripper upper”. We left the de-flowered plants out in the meadow, after shaking the dirt off the roots so they would dry up and die quicker. After about four hours of working, we felt pretty accomplished, as we removed almost half of the yellow from the meadow. After this hard day of work, most of us went out for dinner and enjoyed eating fresh local fish at a nice restaurant overlooking the water.

By: Bret Strogen

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Journey into Yellowstone

After a relaxing visit to the Grand Tetons, and another sad farewell as Melissa ended her short stay with us, the crew headed on to explore another one of nature’s public wonders – Yellowstone National Park, a stop I had been anticipating for quite some time.

Before arriving at the park, I had been mostly looking forward to seeing the abundant wildlife – particularly elk and bison – that frequent the park; however, after visiting, I found myself equally, if not more, impressed with the bizarre geologic activity found throughout the entire park – from geysers and mud pots to steam vents and hot springs.

Although we only had one day to see and travel through the park, we were able to witness some of Yellowstone’s most impressive landscapes in action, including Old Faithful, the Fountain Paint Pot, and Mammoth Hot Springs.

Bewildered by each of the Park’s mysterious treasures, I couldn’t help but to try to take a memory of every color, texture and sound I encountered.

So here are a few of my favorite pictures from our journey…

The Legacy Bus cruises through Yellowstone

Old Faithful puts on another encore performance.

Bacteria mat, yummy…

Another geyser erupts near Old Faithful

Morning Glory Pool

What a view!

An array of colors at Mammoth Hot Springs…

By: Bret Muter

Monday, July 23, 2007

Adventures in Revegetation

On Monday, half of the Legacy Crew headed to the Moose Visitor Center on the south end of Grand Teton National Park. There we met with Park Superintendent Mary Gibson Scott and two park rangers, Andrew and Damien, from the Revegetation Crew. The team of seven on the Reveg Crew works on revitalizing areas of the park that have been disturbed by human activity. They only use plants and seeds that are native to the park itself in their projects.

Here’s a pictorial sampling of what we worked on:

Parks In Focus Goes Grand Teton – Jackson Lake Lodge, Wyoming

The choice of Grand Teton National Park for our second Parks in Focus program was a perfect match. Savanna, months before in our planning stages, always reinforced the breathtaking beauty of the Tetons. I was equally astonished and excited to enjoy my first visit to this special place with the Eastern Shoshone Boys and Girls Club.

Morning Ferris, from the Eastern Shoshone Boys and Girls Club, worked with us to bring ten youth and a handful of adults to meet with us at Jackson Lake Lodge for Parks in Focus.

Bob Filbin, Savanna Ferguson, Bret Muter, Martina Gast, and I worked together to teach the children about photography, the environment, and the legacy of Mo Udall. We were also very happy to have Melissa Millage join us during her short visit from Arizona! We couldn’t have asked for a better group.

The morning consisted of lessons about safety, basic photography, Morris K. Udall, and conservation. We gave each participant a digital camera to use during the program. Savanna led our first hike on the trails behind Jackson Lake Lodge.

Our first photography stop included a lesson on wildlife photography. The children practiced taking pictures of the Jackson Lake Lodge trail horses and whistle pigs that scurried around the horse fence. After some practice, latter in the day, we were able to capture wildlife shots of birds, a deer, and even a moose.

As Savanna continued the hike, Bob taught about how to take pictures of flowers using macro functions. Savanna joined in to teach them about the natural history. In our program, we try to teach conservation through “taking on pictures, leaving only foot prints”. Indian paint brush, sage, aspen, the forest was full of so many beautiful plants.

After a yummy lunch, and a few skits about the geology of the Tetons, we hiked along the Lunch Time Trail outside of the Lodge. The trail is an excellent place to view the Tetons. Bob did one last lesson about landscape photography. We ended our day together reinforcing conservation, taking a group pictures, and rewarding the Eastern Shoshone Boys and Girls Club with certificates of completion, our Parks in Focus patch, cliff bars, and Udall Nalgene bottles.

By Jessica Fagan

A Teton Picnic

Monday Evening July 16, 2007

After our two service projects, the group rejoined to visit the Indian Art Museum at Colter Bay. The museum had a stunning array of native art. I was amazed at the intricate bead work displayed on clothing, hand bags, and moccasins.

Following our visit to the Indian Art Museum, the group traveled to a cookout site within the Colter Bay campground. We made burgers, ate lots of chips and salsa, and really enjoyed a relaxed evening together. To top off the event, we used sticks to roast s’mores and toasted bananas. We sat around the fire in camaraderie. We are happy to have joined together on such a spectacular journey. This will be an experience we will never forget.

By Jessica Fagan

Photos from a Teton Picnic by Bob Filbin (more photos) and Melissa Millage (more photos)

Floating Down the Snake River – Jackson Lake Lodge, Wyoming

Sunday July 15th, 2007

Sunday was an official day off for the Udall Legacy Bus Crew; however, we carried the legacy of Morris K. Udall with us as we ventured around Grand Teton National Park. We had the opportunity to enjoy some of our country’s most beautiful public lands.

Some of us went canoeing on Jenny Lake, others hiked, a few went horseback riding, and several of us took a float trip.

Melissa Millage, Bret Muter, and I enjoyed the early morning float trip out of Jackson Lake Lodge down the Snake River.

Was it gorgeous? Yes.

Did we see wildlife? Pronghorn, bison, birds, and a little baby chipmunk.

Did we get to help steer the boat? Yep…. It is a lot harder than it looks!

Did we take lots of pictures? Of course!

Did we eat great food? The trip included a BBQ at the end… Yum 

In the afternoon, several of us went on another hike to scout out trails for Parks In Focus. It was a wonderful day for everyone. Several of us even spotted a few black bears. Joel Prive, our driver, came back to the lodge with sun burned knees… evidence of his exciting canoeing adventure. What a great day.

By Jessica Fagan

Escape from the City… I can see Stars! – Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

Saturday July 14, 2007

The late night streets of Nashville and New Orleans were full of neon character and culture. Today, Wyoming skies revealed a very different view.

The drive from the Colorado Rockies to the Grand Tetons was absolutely gorgeous. This is my first time to Wyoming. I will never forget my initial glimpse of Mount Moran…. Wow! I will never forget how the Teton mountain range dominated the sky after hours of driving through rolling flats. I will never forget seeing the reflection of the Tetons mirrored so beautifully in Jackson Lake.

We arrived to Grand Teton National Park in the late afternoon. As the sun was setting, thousands of stars appeared behind the outline of towering mountains. It was an amazing site. Many of the riders just sat there in awe.

By Jessica Fagan

Sunday, June 24, 2007

The “Public” and National Forests: A Vermont Case Study

We were joking today on the bus about how many of us might have chosen to stay in Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor all summer if we were given the choice (which would have made for a brief tour!). As we began to drive through the lush rolling hills of Vermont, however, we knew that would have been a big mistake. Our first stop in the state was in a town called Rutland, where we met with Larry Fisher from the US Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution, a program of the Udall Foundation. Larry had brought together a group of diverse folks who worked for three years to redraw the forest management plan for Green Mountain National Forest, GMNF. Over the course of the afternoon, we engaged them in a discussion about what they learned from the process.

Before our meeting, I didn’t know that the National Forest Management Act requires the Forest Service to use public input to redraw a forest management plan every fifteen years. Forest plans describe the management objectives and guidelines that determine how different parts of the land will be used and are the roadmap for the future of the forest. In the case of Green Mountain, the Forest Service reached out to towns, regional planning commissions, and other local organizations to help facilitate the plan revision process.

The Forest Service worked with the U. S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution to select a neutral mediator who conducted a Situation Assessment, which involved a series of rolling interviews with residents to establish the issues that mattered to people. Based on the results of the assessment, the Forest Service organized 75 focused public meetings in the various towns around Green Mountain – a truly impressive feat – to hear people’s concerns about the forest. The meetings were designed to address different issues related to the forest, such as logging, recreation, wilderness, biodiversity, and socioeconomic concerns. The Forest Service also solicited written comments from the public, in an effort to involve people in the process in as many ways as possible. Based on the public feedback, they drew up alternative plans for Green Mountain, one of which the Forest Service ultimately chose as the new management plan after the public listening period and assessment was complete.

It was great to hear about how the Forest Service engaged so many stakeholders in designing a future direction for Green Mountain National Forest. One interesting thread from our conversation, however, was the issue of whose concerns matter most in the process of creating a forest plan. In the case of Green Mountain, 90 percent of the people who use the land live right on the edge of the forest, and those were the members of the public most actively involved in the plan revision process. Local interests and community-based planning were emphasized by the Forest Service, with the idea that those who are most connected to and invested in a place will be its best stewards.

Yet, Green Mountain is also a National Forest and therefore land that belongs to all the people of the United States. But can those of us who have never been to the forest have a stake in planning its future? Can there even be such a thing as a national interest when it comes to determining how to manage a specific site? In the case of Green Mountain, it seemed that the lesson was that place matters. A collaborative public planning process can only be effective if the “public” decides to participate, and the revision drew many people who cared about the forest because it was more than a place on paper, and instead a place that they had personally experienced.

By: Julie Curti

Saturday, June 23, 2007

A Fisherman’s Life

Taking a welcome breath of fresh air, I looked up from my spot on the carriage road where I had been raking leaves out of the drainage ditch. A National Park like Acadia produces a lot of leaf litter, to use the technical term, which finds its way into the drains, and which subsequently requires a lot of manual labor to remove in order to maintain the bicycle and hiker-only roads. That day we made up 8 of the 3,000 volunteers who find their way into Acadia every year to offer their minds and bodies in order to help the park, in order to learn and experience something they can’t find elsewhere. Our group, being the inquisitive Udall scholars that we are, managed to put in a good 45 minutes of raking and carrying leaves before we got to talking with the Rangers and volunteer coordinators about all sorts of things. We discussed National Parks and wilderness ethics, and even heard a story about a man who was chased by a bear for an entire winter. And of course all of this got me to thinking—about the state of wilderness in the U.S. and the role of National Parks in preserving hopefully ecologically diverse lands.

National Parks are crunched for funding and staff right now, as we found out that 15 or more full-time positions are vacant in Acadia, for example. The number of visitors to the parks is dropping as well; though Acadia alone had around 2 million visitors last year (down from 3 million). What is the role of the tourist, in the park-lands user, in maintaining the parks themselves? We spoke about this often on the bus in the days after our visit.

Young participants in the Parks in Focus program take
pictures of a lobster boat at Acadia National Park

Obviously, having people on the landscape can be damaging, as roads and parking lots are built and maintained, people may wander off trails into protected areas, and too many people may be visiting an area. It wouldn’t exactly be quiet, scenic, regenerative, whatever, if all 2 million visitors were there on the same day. However, National Parks are supported by the Federal government, and therefore aren’t intended to rely on visitor dollars for their continued existence. But showing up always shows support.

And this is where Bob comes in. Bob and I were talking about the Eastern seaboard
and its ecology, its culture and people. Bob brought up the great point that many of these coastal towns traditionally have maritime economies. Today many of these communities have grown to include researchers and students, as well as tourism and the growing service industry that comes with both of these groups. This three-fold economy (I made that up) is evident in Bar Harbor, the major town bordering Acadia. Bar Harbor definitely benefits from families and groups visiting the Park and staying, eating, shopping, and recreating in the town. There still is a local fishing industry and this presence not only adds delicious food to restaurant plates, it adds a certain charm to the whole town. We tourists love this. Whether we’re from fishing towns ourselves, the suburbs of Chicago, or Philadelphia proper, it’s quite the experience to be a part of a cozy community. I don’t know how this affects fisherman or locals in general, especially in terms of how they use and define their surroundings, but I’ve spent many summers working in a tourist town and I know that it’s good money, even if it fluctuates unpredictably.

I’ll end there, but I’ll still be thinking about this, so I’d love to keep the discussion going. Thanks for reading; I really did have a good time in both Acadia and Bar Harbor.

By: Jennifer Vazquez

Friday, June 22, 2007

I'm a Plant Nerd

Everyone that knows me should know that I’m a plant nerd, and well, if there was any doubt, this blog entry will make it official. During our climb up one of Acadia’s many rocky summits, I had to keep pausing to take photographs of the intriguing plants growing out of crevices, on the cliff face, and beneath precariously perched boulders. Plant photography isn’t your typical extreme sport activity, but in this case I was taking pictures on the trail edge of a 500+ peak! Needless to say, my fellow hikers, Martina, Sapna, Bret, Julie, and John from COA didn’t like waiting on the precipice as I struggled to get the perfect angle! The best results of my photograph efforts are listed here and pictured below. Enjoy!

Pitch pine (Pinus rigida), my favorite pine on the cliff edge, sculpted by the wind

Contemplating the sublime before our descent

Bunchberry dogwood (Cornus canadensis), little cousin of the much beloved flowering dogwood

Pink lady-slipper orchid (Cypripedium acaule), rare and beautiful – what a treat!

By: Matt McMahon

Thursday, June 21, 2007

Acadian Days and Rhythms

On Tuesday, the Riders of the Storm were ready to call the tour quits and settle down on the sunny coast of Maine. If there was one thing we all agreed on as our stay at College of the Atlantic came to a close, it was that we loved Bar Harbor. Though we were sorry to leave, Acadia National Park was the perfect spot for our last hours in the “the way life should be” state. Jessica, Bret M., Bob, Martina, and I met in the park that morning with kids from the Penobscot Nation Boys & Girls Club for the second mini Parks in Focus program of the tour. We were provided with essential assistance and local knowledge by College of the Atlantic students John Deans (Udall Scholar ’06) and Jasmine.

We were enormously grateful for their helping hands not only because they allowed us to include a couple more young activists in one of the most fantastic parts of the Legacy Tour, but also because, of the five riders helping in Acadia, only Bob had ever before visited the park. Jasmine and John agreed to help us out at the very last minute, and we could not have run the program without them. Both provided us with transportation and the ecological knowledge necessary for the environmental education component of Parks in Focus. For the digital photography side of the program, our trusty Bob took the lead – Bob also knows more than a little bit about the geology of Acadia. For Jessica, Martina, Bret, and me, the day was, well, a walk in the park.

We met the Boys & Girls Club group at Otter Point in the southeast section of the island where Jasmine took us down to the water’s edge and opened our eyes to the botanical and animal wonders of the tide pools. For the second half of the program we took the group inland to the Gorham Mountain Trail where Bob taught us all about the geologic history of the park. On the trail, the kids learned a few more techniques for taking photos. Though the program ran for a solid four hours, the time came quickly to a close and we said goodbye to the kids, rewarding their efforts and attentiveness with a plethora of Udall goodies and some Clif bars. We soon found ourselves lying on Sand Beach alongside the other riders who had spent the early afternoon clearing drainage on the park’s carriage roads with help from Acadia’s Volunteer Coordinator Jonathan Gormley and other park volunteers. The riders who volunteered were also lucky enough to meet with the Deputy Superintendent of Acadia National Park.

With our projects done for the day, most of us took the time to relax and get a bit sunburned on Sand Beach while a handful of the riders climbed a steep mountain known as the Beehive for a fabulous view of the island and surrounding ocean.

We left the park that evening and drove late into the night to arrive in Portland for a mere nine-hour hotel stay. As I drifted quickly to sleep that night, I thought back on our wonderful and far too brief stop in Maine. Did you know that COA has a masters program? For those of us on the bus who see this tour as a great way to explore potential future places of residence, Bar Harbor has made the first cut.

By: Savanna Ferguson

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Udall Legacy Bus Tour Gets a Capitol Send-Off

And we’re off! At noon on Capitol Hill – we got our first glimpse of the bus – and it’s a beauty.

A crowd of folks – including alumni of the Udall programs, family, friends, sponsors and others gathered to hear a series of send-off speeches from:

Deputy Secretary of the Interior Lynn Scarlett
Sen. Bernie Sanders (VT)
Rep. Peter Welch (VT)
Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (AZ)
Rep. Raul Grijalva (AZ)
Rep. Harry Mitchell (AZ)
Rep. Nick Rahall II (WV)
Rep. Mark Udall (CO) [Mo’s son]
Dr. Anne Udall [Mo’s daughter]

Each successive speaker emphasized just how strongly Mo’s legacy is still felt on Capitol Hill to this day. And there’s also no question that energy independence and biofuels is an issue many of the members of Congress are focusing on in this session.

At the end of the event ... you could say the crew was pretty excited!

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Welcome to the Udall Legacy Bus Tour Blog

The Countdown Begins.

On June 12th, thirteen crazy Udallers are hoppin' on a ride so pimped out -- it would make Arnold Schwarzenegger jealous. We're taking our motor coach coast-to-coast highlighting people -- especially young people -- who are finding solutions to pressing environmental and Native American issues (full itinerary). And we're going to be documenting the whole trip -- with text, photo, and video -- right here.

We want you to join us; There are a couple of ways to do it

Join our email list. On the right hand navigation bar, a little bit down, there's an easy place to sign up for it. We'll be sending updates from the road with news from the communities we visit, links to stories about the tour, and links back to the blog. We promise not to flood your inbox (i.e. no more than two emails/week).

If you're tech savvy -- sign up for our RSS feed. See the button at the bottom of our blog or copy this link into your feed reader.

If you hate computers but love Mo & Udallers, just bookmark our site and keep checking back here: blogs.udall.gov

We also want your help spreading the word.

If you're on Facebook, MySpace, or have your own blog/website -- please link to us. The bookmark button at the bottom of our blog makes it easy.

Send your friends and family a link to our blog. We all know there are problems out there. Our tour --and blog -- will be highlighting some of the solutions.

And, if you really want to be our favorite person ever -- tell any reporter you know about our tour and point 'em in the direction of our media resources.

While we're posting updates from the road, we hope to get your feedback. At the end of every post there's a link that says 'comments.' Just click on that link to leave your thoughts. If you've got any suggestions for the blogs, drop us a line at : legacybustour@udall.gov

THREE WEEKS 'TILL KICK-OFF IN D.C.

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