By Toner Mitchell I spent Halloween this year in the company of ghosts. They weren’t the bed-sheet kind, but the long-gone n ative residents of Frijoles Canyon, in the Bandelier National Monument on New Mexico’s Pajarito Plateau. Established around 1150 AD by ancestral Puebloans fleeing drought and social strife in the Four Corners region, Bandelier…
I love old-school flies. I think it comes from my involvement, many years ago, with the Trout Unlimited chapter in Salida, Colo., when I was the news editor of the local paper there. After penetrating the initial crustiness of the “old timers” at the chapter meetings, I made some great friends there, and these guys…
Since 1867, an obelisk has stood in the center of Santa Fe’s downtown plaza to honor fallen Union soldiers in Civil War battles fought in New Mexico, as well as soldiers who fought against “savage Indians.” Another structure nearby honors Kit Carson who, as a Union colonel, did as much as anyone to push the Southwest’s Indigenous People to the brink of extinction. A statue on the grounds of one of Santa Fe’s prominent cathedrals honored…
There are few classic wet flies that I like to have in my fly box, particularly when I’m fishing some of the fabled waters of Yellowstone National Park. If I were to open my fly box, buried somewhere in the store room under all holiday detritus that has built up since I last visited the…
Report evaluates existing national monuments and offers principles for future proposals Contact: Drew YoungeDyke, TU, 734-280-8909, drew.youngedyke@tu.org Katie McKalip, BHA, 406-240-9262, mckalip@backcountryhunters.org Noah Davis, TRCP, 406-926-3201, ndavis@trcp.org In a new report, National Monuments: A Hunting and Fishing Perspective, 25 groups and businesses –championed by Trout Unlimited, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, and the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation…
I was around 8 or 9 when I last participated in a fishing derby. Whenever we had a big runoff and the city let the Santa Fe River run, Game and Fish would make some pools with sandbags and dump in a few loads of stockers. The river was just a block away from my house,…
Below are some of the country’s most unique landscapes that encompass, or exist near, known critical mineral deposits. As you read, please consider our tenets to see how they can avoid and mitigate impacts to irreplaceable natural resources while supporting responsible critical minerals mining. Boundary Waters, Minnesota Straddling the border between northern Minnesota and Canada,…
Below are some of the country’s most unique landscapes that encompass, or exist near, known critical mineral deposits. As you read, please consider our tenets to see how they can avoid and mitigate impacts to irreplaceable natural resources while supporting responsible critical minerals mining. Boundary Waters, Minnesota Straddling the border between northern Minnesota and Canada,…
Multi-million-dollar effort to restore headwater streams in Gila National Forest takes flight ahead of 100th Anniversary of Gila Wilderness
Almost every major river in the American West has a dam somewhere along its course. One of the few exceptions is the magnificent Yellowstone River in Montana — at 692 miles long, the Yellowstone is the longest free-flowing river in the contiguous United States. For most other rivers and their fisheries, dams and their operation…
10/27/2005 October 27, 2005 Contact: Chris Hunt, 208-406-9106 (chunt@tu.org) or Brian O’Donnell, 970-903-0276 (bodonnell@tu.org) Local sportsman, businessman, and mayor urge Congress to protect Valle Vidal WASHINGTON, D.C. Three influential New Mexicans testified Thursday before the House Resources Committees Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health in support of legislation that would permanently protect the Valle Vidal…
When I sheepishly asked the Colorado Wooden Boat float organizer, Mark Hilbert what was an appropriate vessel to bring to the 11th Annual Colorado Wooden Boat float this coming September, dory or drift boat? He replied, “I don’t care if you bring rubber. It’s all welcome!”
American’s have a birthright to federal public lands throughout the nation. Forests, rivers, grasslands and more offer exceptional recreational opportunities for each one of us, and we have a duty to speak up on how they are managed. In New Mexico, two large swaths of public lands are revisiting management strategies. The Carson and Santa…
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Dec. 12, 2014 Contact: Toner Mitchell, 505 231-8860, tmitchell@tu.org Garrett VeneKlasen, 505-670-2925, garrett@nmwildlife.org Oscar Simpson, (505) 345-0117, oscarsimpson3@yahoo.com New Mexico sportsmen praise passage of Valles Caldera, Columbine-Hondo bills Congress permanently protects outstanding New Mexico backcountry hunting and fishing lands (Santa Fe) Trout Unlimited, the New Mexico Wildlife Federation, and New Mexico Backcountry…
As we enter a new decade, it is clear that the impacts wrought on ecosystems, communities and fish and wildlife by climate change are outpacing our ability to deal with them in isolation
We’ve seen plenty of attempts to pit conservation against energy development in recent weeks, but the reality of what is best both for community and conservation probably lies somewhere in that murky grey area that can never quite be captured in a headline. At issue is the ever-present question of balance: What do we prioritize and how do we…
By Corey Fisher Monumental Myth #1: National monuments are a land grab. Fact: Only existing, federally-managed public lands can be designated as national monuments. These lands already belong to you and I and state or private lands are not included in monument designations. Monumental Myth #2: National monuments lock out hunters and anglers. Fact: National…
Aging. We all do it — every minute and second of every day. Why is wisdom gained only with age? Hitting a rather large, round number earlier this year, I’ve been reflecting on life — how to spend more time living my life, how to spend more time with the people I love, and how to make the most of those minutes and seconds, every day. Of course, one answer…
It is finally September in Northeastern Oregon As the season changes, TU’s Andy Scheele thinks about time, restoration and steelhead returning to their home waters It is finally September in Northeastern Oregon; my favorite month of the year. The weather and foliage are changing. Elk are bugling in the mountains. Insects are burying their heads…
