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Oregon Wolf Pack On Video

Wildlife biologists capture footage of the largest wolf pack in Oregon since extirpation

Go ahead and add Oregon to the list of states with established wolves: Wildlife biologists have captured video footage of the largest confirmed wolf pack in the state—10 in all, with as many as six puppies. Roaming wolves have been returning to the state since the late 90s, but this den established by a 4-year-old, Idaho-born alpha female B-300 seems to indicate that they've chosen this section of Forest Service land in the Wallowa Mountains as their home range.

The video taken by the Imnaha Wildlife Management Unit near Joseph, Ore., clearly shows gray and black wolves moving upslope in a canyon against thick, fresh snow: Read Full Story...

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Friday, November 20, 2009 in: Nature and Wildlife, News and Events
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Help Rename Skurka's Alaskan Hiking Adventure!

Uber-hiker Andrew Skurka plans a 4,500-mile Alaskan wilderness route for 2010, but he needs you to rename it.

Wilderness adventurer, extreme hiker, and former BACKPACKER Person of the Year Andrew Skurka has his next adventure all lined up: The Great Alaskan-Yukon Loop (GAYL) is a 4,500-mile trek that'll lead him through the Alaska Range, Wrangell's, Lost Coast, Coast Range, Yukon River, Richardson Mountains, and the Brooks Range. All the while, he'll race against the storied hardships, limited chances for food caches, and quick onset of winter that only the Last Frontier can offer.

There's only one problem. Even Skurka knows "The Great Alaskan-Yukon Loop" is a pretty un-sexy name, so he's reaching out to you to help rename this next big adventure. Read Full Story...

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Friday, November 20, 2009 in: News and Events
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Hunter Fatally Shoots Hiker

A hunter mistook a Virgina college student for a deer and fired, killing her and injuring a companion

Hunting season and fall hiking season overlap, and unfortunately that can lead to deadly accidents: A hunter in Virginia shot and killed a college student trekking through the woods after mistaking her for a deer. Senior Jessica Goode was collecting frogs for a biology class on county-owned wilderness property near Ferrum College when she was shot through the chest. The bullet ricocheted and struck her classmate in the hand; he's currently recuperating in the hospital.
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Thursday, November 19, 2009 in: News and Events
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Fall/Winter Gear Guide '09 Online!

Check out our enhanced and interactive Fall/Winter Gear Guide '09

Some lucky subscribers and newsstand buyers got a supplemental copy of BACKPACKER's Fall/Winter Gear Guide for 2009. Inside, we review hundreds of boots, bags, jackets, snowshoes, skis, and more to get you set up for the winter sport of your choice.

Now, everyone can access the Fall/Winter Gear Guide in a special interactive edition.

We also feature scads of camping tips, including how to: Read Full Story...

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Wednesday, November 11, 2009 in: News and Events
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Return of the Prairie Grizzly?

Montana's grizzly populations steadily move east to former plains habitat

When most people picture a hulking grizzly, they envision him roaring in a remote mountain canyon, stalking salmon beside an Alaskan river cutting through tundra and willows, or possibly answering questions around the BACKPACKER office. The probably don't envision him (or her) tromping about in the wide open plains of Middle America.

But historically, prairies formed much of the grizzly's former range (Lewis and Clark ran into a few), and it looks like they're trying to go back. This season, both scientists and ranchers have spotted and tracked "unprecedented" numbers of grizzlies moving east into the plains, more than 100 miles from their recent range in the Montana Rockies.
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Thursday, November 19, 2009 in: News and Events, Nature and Wildlife
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Fact Or Fiction: Survival Hunter, New Zealand Bans #2, Montana Ends Wolf Hunt

This week's weird outdoor news—plus one faker.

When it comes to generating amazing stories, outdoor reality can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Hollywood's latest craziness. But not all of the following outdoor news is true—can you figure our fibs? Read on to find out—and remember, no using the Google to cheat!
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Tuesday, November 17, 2009 in: Fact Or Fiction, News and Events
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Environmental Groups Ask For Stop To Yellowstone Bison Slaughter

A coalition of environmental and American Indian groups are suing two federal agencies to stop the killing of Yellowstone bison.

Each winter the bison that leave Yellowstone in search of food are rounded up and shipped to slaughter. The reason? To keep the parks bison from passing disease on to cattle in near by ranch lands. Nine environmental groups in all have joined together to sue the National Parks Service and the Forest Service. Read Full Story...

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Friday, November 13, 2009 in: News and Events
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BPA Causes 'Man Problems'

BPA linked to male sexual dysfunction in Chinese workers

As if you needed any new reasons to toss out your old, BPA water bottles: A new study out of China links the chemical to sexual dysfunction in males. (That gigantic clinking noise you hear is the sound of millions of male, "my-old-Nalgene-is-fine" users collectively tossing their bottles in the trash.)

Researchers studied 550 factory workers in China who were exposed to 50 times more BPA than the average person and found that the factory workers were four times more likely to complain of problems with erectile dysfunction than coworkers not exposed to BPA. 15.5 percent of BPA-exposed workers reported of erectile dysfunction more than half of the time, compared with 4.4 percent of men not exposed to BPA.
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Wednesday, November 11, 2009 in: News and Events
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29,500 New Acres Of Maine Wilderness

The Appalachian Mountain Club secures more protected backcountry in Maine's deep forest and mountains

Good news for outdoor enthusiasts and environmentalists alike in Maine: Yesterday, the Appalachian Mountain Club announced its recent purchase of 29,500 acres of the Roach Ponds track land.  Although the AMC will manage the property, they have donated the land to the state of Maine so that it will remain permanently protected land for recreational public use.   

The acquisition of the land secures what AMC deputy director Walter Graff termed as the “missing link” in what is now 63 miles and nearly 650,000 acres of continuous conservation land in Maine’s 100-Mile Wilderness region.
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Tuesday, November 10, 2009 in: News and Events, Environment and Green Living
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Fact Or Fiction: Big Cypress Drilling, Iranian Spies, Deer in the Lion's Den

This week's weird outdoor news—plus one faker.

The world of incredible outdoor news waits for no one. But not all of these are real—can you divine the false bit of news? Read on to find out—and remember, no using Google to cheat!

Iran accuses border-crossing hikers of spying. We've already mentioned the plight of hikers Josh Fattal, Shane Bauer, and Sarah Shourd, who were detained by Iranian authorities after crossing from Kurdistan in Iraq into Iran while looking for the famed Ahmed Awa waterfall. Now, Iran has accused them of being international spies. Read Full Story...

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Monday, November 09, 2009 in: Fact Or Fiction, News and Events
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