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Olympic National Park, WA
Category Archives: The Environment
an environmental disaster unfolds
Gerald Herbert/Associated Press
An explosion on April 20 destroyed the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gul of Mexico and caused a massive leak that, by one estimate, may be gushing more than 1 million gallons of oil a day into the waters.
The spill has disrupted much of the Gulf region’s economy and has stirred criticism of the Obama administration’s response to what appears to be the worst oil disaster in American history.
See the full story from the NY Times
the big picture: mount st. helens 30 years ago
Ash billows from the crater where the summit of Mount St. Helens had been only hours earlier during a huge eruption on May 18th, 1980. (USGS/Robert Krimmel)
On May 18th, 1980, thirty years ago today, at 8:32 a.m., the ground shook beneath Mount St. Helens in Washington state as a magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck, setting off one of the largest landslides in recorded history – the entire north slope of the volcano slid away. As the land moved, it exposed the superheated core of the volcano setting off gigantic explosions and eruptions of steam, ash and rock debris. The blast was heard hundreds of miles away, the pressure wave flattened entire forests, the heat melted glaciers and set off destructive mudflows, and 57 people lost their lives. The erupting ash column shot up 80,000 feet into the atmosphere for over 10 hours, depositing ash across Eastern Washington and 10 other states. Collected here are photos of the volcano and its fateful 1980 eruption.
on top of the world on the beartooth highway
Mikeal Béland
From Red Lodge, the Beartooth Highway — U.S. Highway 212 —launches its steady ascent up the Rock Creek Valley, meandering uphill at a pace commensurate with the river’s froth. But at Parkside, a turnoff to a gaggle of campgrounds and trailheads up Rock Creek, the pitch of the road alters, and switchbacks rise up and up and up.
Near tree line, cars pull off and spew out tourists at the Rock Creek Vista Point. Exuberance to reach the overlook on the 800-foot paved walkway tempers many with labored breathing. From the vista, the eyes yo-yo from a 2,000-foot plummet down to Parkside and a swing up to a sea of rounded peaks strutting higher summits.
As the road tours from Montana through Wyoming and back to Montana, it tops out on Beartooth Pass, the highest point a few feet shy of 11,000 feet. The apex is almost lost amid the zillions of stops for lakes, mountains, the Beartooth, pikas, and ptarmigan. This summer, construction in two locations slows travel, but the stops offer more time to salivate over the scenery.
california’s redwoods and 200 treasures under threat from budget crisis
To my dismay and horror the bureaucracy of California has decided to risk the preservation of America’s natural treasures to balance its fiscal crisis. While every dollar spent on state parks creates more than $2 in revenue for the state of California, Sacramento intends to close more than 200 historic and natural preserves to erode its 24 billion dollar budget deficit. Among those at risk of closure are Humboldt Redwoods, Grizzley Redwoods, Smithe Redwoods, and Richardson Grove, part of the Redwood National Park consortium which contain the last remnants of the coastal Redwood ecosystem. Already reduced to five percent of its original two-million acre sprawl, the Redwoods and the tallest tree in the world are now on the chopping block of California’s financial restructuring. Take action to prevent these counterproductive measures with longstanding and irreversable consequences.
URL: CALIFORNIA STATE PARK CLOSURES
