yosemitenews.info - Yosemite National Park News, Information and Discussion - General Discussion

Cave Study Links Climate Change To California Droughts

eeek — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:48:26 -0800

ScienceDaily (Nov. 10, 2009) — California experienced centuries-long droughts in the past 20,000 years that coincided with the thawing of ice caps in the Arctic, according to a new study by UC Davis doctoral student Jessica Oster and geology professor Isabel Montañez.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091110171741.htm

Yellowstone: Peripatetic Bison May be Adopted by Turner

Frank Furter — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:13:09 -0800

(He owns 50,000??)
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5irBtIjkjxJhVb4pXIiZCQt8ZanTgD9BSVSOO0
Yellowstone bison could go to Turner's Mont. ranch

BILLINGS, Mont. — Dozens of wild bison from Yellowstone National Park would be relocated to a Montana ranch owned by billionaire Ted Turner, under a recommendation made by state and federal officials Tuesday.
The animals were spared from a slaughter program intended to protect Montana's cattle industry from a disease carried by many bison. The plan was to use those animals — considered disease-free — to repopulate public and tribal lands across the West with free-roaming bison.
But after other offers to take the animals fell through or were judged insufficient, state and federal officials said Tuesday that Turner's private ranch was the best option.
A smaller group of eight to 14 bison would go to Guernsey State Park in Wyoming.
Turner already owns about 50,000 bison, most of them domesticated, and his restaurant chain Ted's Montana Grill serves buffalo burgers.....

Court Decision on Eagle Mountain to Protect Joshua Tree National Park

eeek — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:07:02 -0800

Today, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a previous court decision overturning the land exchange necessary for the development of what would be the world's largest garbage dump on the boundary of Joshua Tree National Park.

http://www.npca.org/media_center/press_releases/2009/111009_eaglemountainlandfill.html

North America Embraces Conservation

eeek — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:11:18 -0800

Despite the frustration of stalled talks leading up to Copenhagen, negotiations in North America are moving forward. Last week, Mexico's president, Felipe Calderón, announced at the 9th World Wilderness Congress a trilateral partnership to address wilderness conservation -- the first formal agreement by nations to cooperate on a continent-wide conservation matter.

http://sierraclub.typepad.com/greenlife/2009/11/north-america-embraces-conservation.html

Salinas mountaineer dies in the Himalayas

eeek — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:04:40 -0800

Salinas resident John Campbell found refuge in the mountains. His love and admiration of nature took him to some of the highest peaks in the world, including Kanchenjunga, the third tallest in the Himalayas at an elevation of 28,169 feet. He died there of high-altitude sickness two weeks ago.

http://www.thecalifornian.com/article/20091110/NEWS01/911100304/1002/NEWS01

Re: Glacier: Stimulus Funds Planned for Going-to-Sun Road

Dearborn — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:26:17 -0800

One scary road; build it well!

Duck Rescue Drains Resources

Frank Furter — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 07:21:56 -0800

http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2009/11/09/Firefighters-criticized-for-duck-rescue/UPI-22731257803087/

Firefighters criticized for duck rescue
CHALFORD HILL, England, Nov. 9 (UPI) -- A British lobbying group has criticized a fire department for spending six hours on the rescue of a pet duck trapped in a pond's overflow pipe.....

Glacier: Stimulus Funds Planned for Going-to-Sun Road

Frank Furter — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 07:13:42 -0800

Stimulus Funds to Provide for Additional Sun Road Work in 2010

http://www.nps.gov/glac/parknews/news09-77.htm

WEST GLACIER, MONT. – “The Going-to-the-Sun Road (Sun Road) Rehabilitation Project is extremely fortunate to benefit from $27.6 million in stimulus funds through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA),” announced Glacier National Park Superintendent Chas Cartwright. In addition to the 2010 work already funded through the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) between Big Bend and Logan Pass, ARRA stimulus funds will also provide the Sun Road project with funds (also administered through the FWHA) for a another phase of work to start in summer 2010.....

Yellowstone: Bison Badgering Bothers Groups

Frank Furter — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 07:03:32 -0800

http://www.helenair.com/news/national/article_d527b6f9-8f9c-559e-9be3-fbb0ff5a1128.html

Groups file lawsuit over Yellowstone-area bison

A coalition of environmental and American Indian groups sued two federal agencies Monday to stop the mass slaughter of bison that migrate outside Yellowstone National Park in search of food.

During the last decade, federal agencies working with the state of Montana captured and shipped to slaughter more than 3,300 bison to prevent the spread of an animal disease to cattle.....

Re: Carbon Dioxide

Frank Furter — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 22:02:37 -0800

Is that a Harbor Seal lying on the log in the middle of the photo?

Re: Carbon Dioxide

Vince — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:47:14 -0800

Well Ric, imagine that.

Carbon Dioxide Kills Trees.

But only on Mammoth

Here's why.

Tree roots require oxygen as do you. So no camping at Horseshoe Lake.

Three people on Mammoth tried to rope off a CO2 outburst from Mammtoh in 2006, all dead.

Guess what. Volcanoes give off a multitude of poisonous gasses, including CO2. They just do that. So let's legislate them out.

Guess what. Volcanoes won't care and they will do what they do.

What is your point? Dead trees at Horseshoe Lake is nothing more than nature at work. You nor I can do anything about it. Can't hug those trees, they're dead, dead, and even after that, dead.

Carbon Dioxide

eeek — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:10:49 -0800

It did this:

http://yosemitephotos.net/main.php/v/misc/sh-dscn3911.jpg.html?g2_imageViewsIndex=1

Re: NASA Funds Cable Climbing Experiments

Frank Furter — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:02:54 -0800

I like best in the Wikipedia article the carbon nanotube illustration:

Looks like space exploration could involve climbing up a chicken wire tube:

Death Valley Wilderness & Backcountry Stewardship Plan

eeek — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:00:13 -0800

The National Park Service is initiating a combined Wilderness and Backcountry Stewardship Plan for Death Valley National Park. The purpose of this Wilderness and Backcountry Stewardship Plan is to guide the National Park Service and to make decisions regarding the future use and protection of the park's vast wilderness and backcountry lands. This planning process addresses all Congressionally designated wilderness lands within Death Valley National Park. It also includes non-wilderness backcountry concerns, such as: backcountry road corridors and campsites, backcountry cabins near roads, and non-wilderness backcountry lands. It does not include the Furnace Creek, Scotty's Castle, Stovepipe Wells, and Panamint Springs developed areas or visitor attractions accessed directly from paved roads (e.g. Zabriskie Point), or short, graded gravel roads (e.g. Mosaic Canyon), developed campgrounds, paved roads, private inholdings or other non-NPS lands. It also will not include the Saline Valley hot springs and the non-wilderness lands surrounding them as this area will be addressed in the future in a site-specific plan as per direction of the Park's approved General Management Plan.

http://parkplanning.nps.gov/projectHome.cfm?parkId=297&projectId=23311

The Psychology of Climate Change Communication

eeek — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:54:18 -0800

A Guide for Scientists, Journalists, Educators, Political Aides, and the Interested Public

http://cred.columbia.edu/guide/

Re: NASA Funds Cable Climbing Experiments

eeek — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:46:10 -0800

Re: NASA Funds Cable Climbing Experiments

eeek — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:56:40 -0800

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_elevator

Re: NASA Funds Cable Climbing Experiments

Frank Furter — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:31:58 -0800

Quote
tomdisco
The theory sounds great but I don't see what would keep the thousands of kilometers long cable from bending due to the Earth's rotation. There would have to be a large counterweight of some sort on the outer end but the engineering to figure out how to keep the cable straight still seems mind boggling.

Jim

It seems on the surface to be absurd science fantasy where one physics principle is employed to postulate a solution to space travel, but other principles like gravity, air resistance, friction, drag, climate, stretch of metal, etc are ignored. But, I have been wrong before (Initially, I did not think you could see Half Dome from Turlock, for instance) and NASA must have thought it at least theoretically possible to throw some money at the project.

Re: Yellowstone: Biodiversity Survey Reveals Unexpected Species

szalkowski — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:05:57 -0800

Quote
eeek

Quote
Vince
Oh no look, bean counters found beans! What's that again about climate change?

Do you really think showing off your lack of understanding is a good thing?

If it's the one thing that you're good at....

Re: NASA Funds Cable Climbing Experiments

tomdisco — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:27:38 -0800

The theory sounds great but I don't see what would keep the thousands of kilometers long cable from bending due to the Earth's rotation. There would have to be a large counterweight of some sort on the outer end but the engineering to figure out how to keep the cable straight still seems mind boggling.

Jim

Re: Yellowstone : Doomsday sect’s future in doubt

tomdisco — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:17:58 -0800

The weapons are still there.

Jim

Black bears are chickens

eeek — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:14:09 -0800

Re: Yellowstone: Biodiversity Survey Reveals Unexpected Species

eeek — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:43:02 -0800

Quote
Vince
Oh no look, bean counters found beans! What's that again about climate change?

Do you really think showing off your lack of understanding is a good thing?

Re: NASA Funds Cable Climbing Experiments

mrcondron — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:56:42 -0800

Ah, you do have a sense of whimsey after all.

Re: Yellowstone: Biodiversity Survey Reveals Unexpected Species

Vince — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 07:47:22 -0800

Oh no look, bean counters found beans! What's that again about climate change?

Re: NASA Funds Cable Climbing Experiments

Vince — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 07:18:12 -0800

This is getting silly.

Yellowstone: Biodiversity Survey Reveals Unexpected Species

Frank Furter — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 06:01:42 -0800

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gqOCTPkZLSm7oXUdH8VVYXri6bhwD9BOT6S03

Scientists look for Yellowstone's hidden species
By MIKE STARK (AP)
HELENA, Mont. — Scientists searching for Yellowstone National Park's lesser-known life forms — beyond its famed bison, bears and wolves — found more than 1,200 species, including several never known before to exist in the park.
A one-day study of the park in late August found microscopic worms, mushrooms, a bluish-green lichen, a slender grass and a colorful tiger beetle, among other creatures, in about two square miles of Yellowstone, according to initial results released this week.....

Re: Yellowstone : Doomsday sect’s future in doubt

Frank Furter — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 05:38:45 -0800

Quote
eeek
Right next to a silo or two?

People move to Montana to get away from civilization and some to become survivalists in the wilderness apparently not realizing that we have had many nuclear weapons in secret silos. I don't know if those silos are still populated with weapons though.

Re: NASA Funds Cable Climbing Experiments

eeek — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:00:32 -0800

Quote
mrcondron
It doesn't seem as if you could put it up in chunks.

No, you extrude it (in both directions) from synchronous orbit. It's the landing/anchoring that's really hard.

Re: NASA Funds Cable Climbing Experiments

eeek — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 23:59:20 -0800

Quote
mrcondron
I wonder what thousands of kilometers of cable weighs. It doesn't seem as if you could put it up in chunks.

Think about what it'd do if it breaks.