Posts Tagged: conservation



Happy Earth Day 2019, New Hampshire

22 Apr
2019
Happy Earth Day! Cascade on Spur Brook, at Coldspur Ledges, in Randolph, New Hampshire during the summer months. This small cascade is located at the confluence of Cold Brook and Spur Brook.
Coldspur Ledges – Randolph, New Hampshire
 

Earth Day, April 22, 2019 – Happy Earth Day from the New Hampshire White Mountains! Earth Day is an annual day founded by US Senator Gaylord Nelson in 1970. Many consider Earth Day to be the birth of the modern environmental movement. And the purpose of this day is to celebrate and create awareness for the environment.

Earth Day acts as an educational tool and influences all generations to care about the environment. If you have never heard about this day take some time to read up on the history and importance of Earth Day here. In the 21st-century, tourism (biking, hiking, fishing, etc.) has exploded in the White Mountains, and areas are being overused. And because of this, it is essential that we understand the impact we have on the environment. Education and proper training can help control the problem.

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April 22, 2019 | Categories: Nature Celebrations | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Mount Tecumseh, 4000 Footers Hiking List

05 Mar
2019
The village of Waterville Valley, New Hampshire during the autumn months. Mt Tecumseh is in the background. This mountain is named for the Shawnee chief, Tecumseh (c.1768–1813).
Mount Tecumseh (2012) – Waterville Valley, New Hampshire
 

Mount Tecumseh, 4000 Footers Hiking List – On the same day that I publicized my Owl’s Head, Conserving Wilderness article, the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) posted an article about some of the mountains on the White Mountain 4000 footers hiking list may not be over 4,000 feet. Being over 4,000 feet is one of the criteria for a mountain to be on the list. While our articles focus on different mountains on the hiking list, they both suggest that the time is coming for the AMC 4000 footer club to reevaluate the hiking list.

Lidar, a laser based technology, is currently being used to remap the White Mountains. This technology is very accurate at determining mountain elevations. And it was made public that the Lidar data is indicating that at least one mountain, Mount Tecumseh, is under the 4,000 foot criteria. According to the data Tecumseh is 3,995 feet, not 4,003 feet. Will the Lidar data reveal that Mount Isolation (4,004 feet) and Mount Waumbek (4,006 feet) are also below the 4,000 foot criteria?

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March 5, 2019 | Categories: White Mountains Issues | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Owl’s Head, Conserving Wilderness

22 Feb
2019
Owls Head and the Pemigewasset Wilderness from the Franconia Ridge Trail in New Hampshire.
Owl's Head from Franconia Ridge, New Hampshire
 

Owl’s Head, Conserving Wilderness – This remote 4025-foot mountain in the western region of the federally designated Pemigewasset Wilderness creates much debate. The controversy isn’t really about Owl’s Head its more about wilderness management. Hikers unhappy with the management of the Pemigewasset Wilderness use Owl’s Head as a stepping stone to criticize the Wilderness Act.

Established in 1984 under the New Hampshire Wilderness Act, the 45,000-acre Pemigewasset Wilderness is managed under the National Wilderness Preservation System and the Wilderness Act. Considered to be one of the greatest conservation laws ever passed, the Wilderness Act has protected over 109 million acres across the United States. And yet some are against the Wilderness Act.

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February 22, 2019 | Categories: White Mountains Issues | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

National Trails Day, White Mountains

02 Jun
2018
National Trails day, hiker on the Appalachian Trail (Gulfside Trail) in the White Mountains, New Hampshire. Mount Washington is in the background. The Great Gulf is on the left out of view.
Gulfside Trail – White Mountains, New Hampshire
 

National Trails Day, White Mountains – Today is American Hiking Society’s National Trails Day, an annual event held on the first Saturday in June. The intention of this day is to celebrate and create awareness for America's Trail system. It is also a day to recognize the work of all the volunteers who do trail maintenance along America’s trail system.

My photography work is mainly done in the New Hampshire White Mountains these days, and I see a lot of the work trail maintenance groups and the volunteers of the adapt-a-trail program are doing to better the White Mountains trail system. Unfortunately, I have also seen the destruction done to our trails when volunteers are not properly trained, but that is for another day.

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June 2, 2018 | Categories: Nature Celebrations | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Vandalism, White Mountains

20 Nov
2017
Beware of Vandalism sign in New Hampshire.
Beware of Vandalism – New Hampshire
 

Vandalism, White Mountains – I have been reminiscing about all the conversations I have had this year. And a common topic among many outdoor enthusiasts is all the vandalism in the White Mountains. So today’s blog article focuses on the keyword search term “vandalism”. And this imagery is intended to create awareness for a very concerning issue here in the New Hampshire White Mountains. However, keep in mind that some outdoor enthusiasts feel some of the below acts of vandalism are perfectly acceptable.

When creating awareness for the impact we have on the environment, the norm in today’s outdoor world is to use breathtaking landscape photos of a region. But as an environmental / conservation photographer, when creating awareness for the White Mountains environment, I prefer to use photos that show the impact. I believe showing the actual damage leaves a lasting impression on outdoor enthusiasts. And it influences us to practice “Leave No Trace” and be better stewards of the land.

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November 20, 2017 | Categories: Human Impact on Nature | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

1907 Owl’s Head Mountain Fire

30 Sep
2017
Storm (rain) clouds engulf Owls Head Mountain from the summit of Bondlcliff Mountain in the Pemigewasset Wilderness of New Hampshire during the summer months. Hellgate Ravine is in the foreground.
Storm Clouds over Owl's Mountain Head from Bondcliff, New Hampshire
 

Owl's Head Mountain Fire August 17, 1907 – During the late 1800s and early 1900s, logging activities from railroad logging contributed to a number of forest fires in the New Hampshire White Mountains. Sparks from locomotives were responsible for starting fires along the railroads. And the logging slash (unwanted part of the tree left behind after an area is logged) left on the mountainsides fueled the forest fires.

The infamous August 1907 Owl’s Head Mountain fire in the Pemigewasset Wilderness was started by a lightning strike on the eastern side of Owl’s Head Mountain in an area that had been previously logged by J.E. Henry and Sons. The included color photographs show the general area of where the forest fire took place.

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September 30, 2017 | Categories: Railroads | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Definition of Wilderness, White Mountains

29 Jul
2017
Definition of Wilderness, Owls Head from the Franconia Ridge Trail (Appalachian Trail), near Little Haystack Mountain, in the White Mountains of New Hampshire during the last days of summer.
Owls Head – Pemigewasset Wilderness, New Hampshire
 

Definition of Wilderness, White Mountains – I am currently working on a project that has brought me back into the Pemigewasset Wilderness. This wilderness is governed under the National Wilderness Preservation System and the Wilderness Act of 1964. And because it is designated wilderness, it has the highest level of protection for federal lands. The recreational opportunities, historical value, and educational platform the Pemigewasset Wilderness offers will educate outdoor enthusiasts for many years to come. It is important that visitors to the region know that the six designated wilderness areas in the White Mountain National Forest are managed differently than the rest of the National Forest. This is where the Wilderness Act comes into play.

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July 29, 2017 | Categories: Designated Wilderness | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »