There’s a ton of hype surrounding social networking sites like MySpace.com. Personally, I don’t participate, read or pay much attention to them. Too many teenie boppers. I did run across a different kind of social networking site specifically catered to the outdoor community. According to their press release:
“The site will give outdoor sports enthusiasts an outdoor themed alternative to other
social networks like Myspace.com. Users can sign up for free and upload information,
stories, reviews, pictures, and more to the site. The site design focuses on being
clean and easy to use for the members.”
I poked around a bit and I like what I saw. Check it out at Outdoorzy.com. They’ve got a great looking site with some great ideas for us. I especially like their “trip reports” section that allows us to read about outings from other members or even post our own experiences for others to enjoy.
The Access Fund Breaking News- Cave Rock, NV Update: Access Fund Lawsuit Still Pending, Climbing Remains Closed
Over a year ago in mid-August of 2005 the Access Fund filed its most recent legal brief at the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in the on-going attempt to keep climbing open at Cave Rock, a popular and important climbing area on the shore of Lake Tahoe in Nevada. For more: http://www.accessfund.org/pdf/CRbackgrounder3-28.pdf
In January 2005 at the district court level in Reno a judge upheld the US Forest Service (USFS) decision to ban climbing at Cave Rock; however, the district court prevented the USFS from removing any climbing bolts pending the lawsuit’s result.
The AF Board subsequently voted to pursue an appeal to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. For now, since all briefs have been filed, we continue to wait for the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to schedule oral arguments or render a verdict. The USFS declined to pursue mediation despite the Access Fund’s hope that the conflict may be resolved out of the courtroom.
The climbing ban remains in place at least for the duration of the lawsuit, and it’s critical that climbers continue to respect the climbing closure at Cave Rock while we work our way through the courts—ignoring the ban will only harm our case in court and reduce the chances that it will reopen.
For more information contact Access Fund Policy Director Jason Keith at Jason@accessfund.org.
Conservation Groups Appeal Fayette County’s Approval of Housing Development Within New River Gorge
In May, the Plateau Action Network, National Parks Conservation Association, West Virginia Highlands Conservancy, and National Committee for the New River filed a legal appeal of Fayette County’s decision to approve the first phase of Land Resources Corporation’s (LRC) “Roaring River” housing development, proposed along approximately 9 miles next to the New River Gorge National River. The “Roaring River” development would be the largest development in Fayette County.“People travel here to enjoy the authentic and unique experiences offered by the natural and historic resources of the New River Gorge, not to see suburban developments,” said Erin Haddix, Mid-Atlantic Field Representative for the nonpartisan National Parks Conservation Association.An analysis commissioned by the National Park Service shows that the New River Gorge National River, along with the Gauley and the Bluestone, has a total economic impact of more than $130 million spending which supports 3,550 jobs, and generates more than $49 million in income.
For the entire article, click here.
