The Buzz: Your Daily Dose of Outdoor News

Wildfires are today’s Buzz Of The Day

Home owners around Yosemite National Park were allowed to return to their homes after authorities issued a report suggesting that the wildfire threatening the area had been mostly contained and diverted.  This news should make some of the people happy, but a smokey haze and fog still cover much of the area, making even Yosemite National Park hard to bear.  The wildfire had threatened close to two hundred homes and destroyed a few others before finally being diverted from the area.

Another wildfire, this one burning near Big Sur, California has burned a few structures related to a recovery program for the endangered California Condor.  The Ventana Wildlife Society says that a pen used to house the endangered birds got cut off from the main sanctuary by a local fire, forcing a helicopter evacuation of employees and the endangered condors.  The San Diego Zoo is now asking for donations to help build new structures for these birds, while they await their future release back in the wild.

There is also a fire threatening to invade another one of our National parks.  This fire is near Yellowstone National Park, outside of Cody, Wyoming.  This fire has grown to encompass 6 square miles and remains about 20 miles outside of Yellowstone’s east entrance.  If you are near Yellowstone or Yosemite National parks, be sure to contact local authorities fior road closures associated with each of these blazes.

FEMA offers up some good advice on what to do if you or your house is near a raging wildfire.  The American Red Cross also has some informative information on their site, as well.  It is always good to have a plan in place and they say that you can never be to prepared when disaster strikes.  It might be worth some time to lok over both of these organizations websites and see what you can do to better protect yourself, your family, and your home.

Today’s News Of The Strange: A box turtle has helped authorities nab a criminal suspected of growing marijuana.  The turtle came equipped with a GPS system which led the authorities to the suspect.  Not every turtle has a built in GPS, I thought I should clarify that.  This turtle was part of a special research project and not a member of the local law enforcement division.  One has to wonder what a turtle was doing in the middle of a pot field–hmm.

Today’s Fishing Focus: The 2008 Presidential Election looms ever closer.  The Lateral Lines blog recently took a look at how this election could affect anglers and what the different candidates positions are in regards to the great american sportsman.  Check it out, it is a good read.

Today’s Hunting Highlights:  When your out hunting, you can never be to safe.  There have been some ongoing discussions and Press about the SPOT Satellite Messenger and how it can benefit hunters in the field.  Western Wanderers recently posted an article discussing the SPOT messenger, along with some of it’s many benefits.

Conservation Insight:  Gov. Bill Richardson and New Mexico Attorney General Gerald King have announced that they will file an appeal to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for issuing an air quality permit to the Desert Rock Energy facility.  The pair claim that he EPA violated the Clean Air Act when it gave out the permit without proper testing on air quality and analysis.

I want to assure New Mexicans that from a legal standpoint, Desert Rock is far from a done deal,” said Attorney General Gary King. “We will immediately review the permit and analysis that the EPA is obliged to provide in conjunction with its permitting decision. There are significant legal hurdles ahead and we intend to challenge the permit before the Environmental Appeals Board (EAB) in Washington, D.C.”

Green Tip Of The Day:  About My Planet shows you 10 tips to recycling a scratched CD or DVD.  Most of us would just throw these away, why not make something useful?

Featured Blog:  The Conservative Zone –Go check it out!