Outdoor News July 13, 2018

No Newsletter Last Week

No,  you didn't miss it – there was no Outdoor News issued last week.  We were recreating on Oregon's coast at Lincoln City – in the outdoors.

We hiked the beach from Canyon Drive Park to Siletz Bay and generally relaxed. The photo to the right shows a rock formation seen along the way.
 

Tasmania

If you are interested in discovering the diversity of Tasmania, Australia’s most southern state, the Adventure Travel Trade Association is hosting a free webinar with Karen Stotz, Tourism Tasmania's Marketing Manager for North America.  It is scheduled for July 15 at 10:00AM (Pacific Time or 17:00 UTC). This webinar is designed for tour operators, wholesalers, travel advisors/agents and media interested in discovering the diversity of Tasmania, Australia’s most southern state.

Don't fit one of those categories, but are still interested?  The webinar is open to the public.  Register at www.adventuretravel.biz/education/webinars/tasmania-from-mild-to-wild-free-atta-destination-showcase-webinar/

Restore Our Parks Act

July 11, 2018. KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Great Smoky Mountains National Park faces a maintenance backlog of $215 million, but the country's most-visited park could be one step closer to relief.

A U.S. Senate subcommittee today was to take up the Restore Our Parks Act, co-sponsored by Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn. The bill would use funds the government already receives from onshore and offshore drilling to fund national park maintenance.

Ed McAlister, who owns River Sports Outfitters in Knoxville, said the legislation could come just in time for the state's outdoor-recreation industry. "When you get into the inner structure of the parks, you will see things that need fixing," he said. "They're all strapped. There's a lot of money flowing around various things, but it's not being obtained to be used in our parks around here."

Nationwide, there's close to a $12 billion backlog of maintenance to be done. The most recent version of this bill is funded with revenue now in the General Treasury Fund, and would not exceed $1.3 billion annually, but fans of the parks say it's a start.

Vesna Plakanis, who owns A Walk in the Woods, organizing backcountry trips into the Smokies, said the bottom line, for her business and others, relies on protecting a priceless commodity – the health of the outdoors.  "If the resources aren't taken care of, if the water quality has run off, all of those things impact us financially," she said, "and the outdoor industry is as big as the auto industry and the pharmaceutical industry combined."

For the second year in a row, visits to Great Smoky Mountains National Park broke records. Visitation stood at 11.3 million last year, an increase of more than a million from 2000. The Pew Charitable Trusts' "Restore America's Parks" campaign is advocating for the legislation, and Rebecca Knuffke with the campaign said the money is needed to keep up with record crowds. "We're on year number three of record visitation numbers in the national parks," she said, "and that takes its toll on parks, particularly when they've been insufficiently funded for so many years."

The bipartisan bill has support from Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and conservation groups.The text of the Restore Our Parks Act is online at scribd.com.

Support for this reporting was provided by The Pew Charitable Trusts.

Stephanie Carson, Public News Service – TN

Wildlife Enthusiast Magazine

A unique digital publication for women who love hunting, fishing, and the great outdoors officially launched Wednesday. Wildlife Enthusiast Magazine provides a platform for connecting women across North America and enabling them to not only access all kinds of information to enhance their outdoor experiences, but to learn from each other as well. It also is designed to publicly recognize the incredible contributions made by a number of influential female hunters, anglers, and wildlife conservationists.

Judy Huffman, Co-Publisher of Wildlife Enthusiast, said, “Women’s participation in outdoor recreation—specifically hunting and fishing—is growing quite dramatically. Most studies quote a 20-25% increase in fishing and 15-18% in hunting and shooting for women in the past four to five years, while participation in those same areas by men has remained relatively flat. And women in this industry have been underserved for a long time when it comes to the media. We’re going to help change that.”

Four prominent outdoor organizations have already joined in the effort to support the new digital magazine, including the National Shooting Sports Foundation, Ducks Unlimited, the Lady Bass Anglers Association, and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. Each of these leading organizations has its own initiatives designed specifically for women, so they share that common interest with Wildlife Enthusiast. 

Huffman added, “We’re thrilled that this day has finally arrived. We expect Wildlife Enthusiast to quickly become the go-to resource for women of all ages and walks of life to find information, connect with each other, share ideas, and build a thriving community around their shared passion for wild animals and wild spaces. And we certainly don’t plan to stop here. Stay tuned for other exciting announcements from us over the coming months!”  For more information, visit WildlifeEnthusiast.com.

Quebec Invests in Outdoor Recreation

The governments of Canada and Quebec recognize the importance of having good recreational infrastructure that encourages people to adopt healthy lifestyles and helps make communities vibrant inclusive places to live.

On Tuesday, Stéphane Lauzon, Member of Parliament for Argenteuil-La Petite-Nation, and Alexandre Iracà, Member of the National Assembly for Papineau, announced that the governments of Canada and Quebec will each invest over $10,000 in a new children's play structure and associated landscaping in Saint-Sixte. Photo of Saint-Sixte by P199 [CC BY-SA 3.0 or GFDL].

Lauzon said, "Investing in recreational infrastructure is key to developing individual well-being, community vitality and economic growth. This play structure in Saint-Sixte will give families a new spot to have fun together while staying active. Our Government is proud to support projects that promote the development of strong, inclusive and healthy communities."

This support comes from the New Building Canada Fund, Provincial-Territorial Infrastructure Component—Small Communities Fund. The Municipality will invest close to $25,000 to bring the total government and municipal investment to more than $45,000.

Once completed, this work will allow the Municipality to offer more outdoor recreational opportunities to keep kids active.

The Small Communities Fund is a joint federal-provincial program coordinated by Infrastructure Canada in partnership with the provinces and territories. In Quebec, the Fund is administered by the Quebec Department of Municipal Affairs and Land Occupancy. The goal of this program is to provide financial support to Canadian municipalities with fewer than 100,000 residents to develop infrastructure that enhance their cultural, sports, recreational, and tourism assets or safeguard public assets. 
 

Trailbikers Ticketed

On Tuesday, Australia's Parks Victoria announced that Twenty-one trailbike riders were handed infringement penalties totalling more than $8,000 after being caught illegally riding in protected areas of Great Otway National Park.

The riders were issued the penalties last month in a Parks Victoria enforcement operation that was supported by Victoria Police and officers from the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP).

Trailbike riding is legally allowed within many state forests and parks, however riders must remain on designated vehicle tracks. Off-road riding damages the environment and can place other members of the public at risk.

The enforcement operation, which saw more than 200 riders stopped, was brought together following observations by Parks Victoria staff and reports from the Surf Coast community.

Offences included riding on management-only roads, riding in a water-catchment area and riding off-road in a national park. A number of individuals were also stopped for unlicensed and unregistered riding, and for carrying a firearm in a national park, matters that will be further investigated by Victoria Police.

Parks Victoria, Ranger and Team Leader, Scott Nicholson said, “Thousands of kilometres of designated tracks are available for trailbike riding state-wide, so it’s disappointing to see people going off-road in the national park and damaging the environment.  The fines for off-road riding range from $160 to $790, so it’s important that riders are clear on where they can and can’t go.” 

For further information about trailbike riding on public land in Victoria, visit www.parks.vic.gov.au or www.delwp.vic.gov.au. Photo of Lower Kalimna Falls by Victor Bodi via Parks Victoria.

 

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 Video of the Week

Tasmania is an island state of Australia, located off the mainland's south coast and separated by the 150 mile wide Bass Strait.   This week's video offers a look at the islands from the beaches to the mountain tops,  as wells as the plants, fungi and wildlife of the area.  Enjoy!

   

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