The Buzz: Your Daily Dose Of Outdoor News

Yosemite National Park is today’s Buzz Of The Day

The recent fires near Yosemite National Park have been 90% contained over the past couple of days.  Tourists and home evacuees in the area are beginning to return.  With the recent influx of news coming out of Yosemite National Park, I thought it might be a good time to spotlight one of our nation’s finest parks and perhaps enlighten you with some of it’s rich history along the way.

Yosemite National Park’s history spans 144 years.  Back in 1864, then President Abraham Lincoln signed the first bill to make Yosemite a protected area.  This was at the height of the Civil War, but even with all the turmoil taking place, Yosemite was still thought of as a major resource worthy of protecting.  The history of Yosemite National Park is full of great tales, adventurers, and pure panoramic beauty.

Going from the past, to the present.  One of the major resources for information concerning Yosemite National Park happens to be The Yosemite blog.  I stop by this site a few times a week just to check in and keep up to date with the wildfires, road closings, special events, and basic news of the area.  If you are planing a trip to Yosemite, this should be one of your first stops.

One of the highlights of Yosemite National Park is the Yosemite Falls.  I read an interesting tidbit concerning these Falls today.  I did not know that the Yosemite Falls actually stop flowing.  These Falls are fed by snowmelt, and by late August, all of the snow has melted–this causes the falls to go dry for about a month–until the snows arrive again.  Must be a shock to those that venture there in August with high hopes of photographing the beautiful falls.  To learn more about Yosemite National Park, please head over to the National Park Service’s Yosemite website.  It is full of information to spark the imagination.

Today’s Strange News Of The Day:  Tourism officials in Granada have put out a public complaint towards dog owners who think that the Caribbean island’s starfish make good fetch toys.  It seems that dog owners have taken a fancy to finding starfish and hurling them through the air for their dogs to retrieve.  They say this act is cruel to the starfish.  Perhaps Granada should import some plastic balls, strategically place them on the beach, and hope that this would cure both problems-

Today’s Fishing Focus:  Fishing for Walleye can be tricky any time of year.  Mike, over at The Walleye Blog gives us some tips about fishing for this species at night.  He says he concentrates on entrances to bays and harbors and then offers up some of his recommended bait choices.  Using these tips, you probably can’t go wrong.

Today’s Hunting Highlights:  How many times have you climbed into that tree stand and wished that you had a little more room for some essential gear?  Her Outdoors took a recent look at a new product that is sure to make many hunters (and huntresses) drool.  The Beyond Backpacks Ultimate Hunting Pack provides an ingenius way to store your gear in a handy pack, while also providing a nice deer stand screen–in camo.  You have to love duel purpose contraptions.  This one looks like a winner!

Today’s Conservation Consortium:  Alabama’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is currently taking registrations for a new fall workshop geared to the outdoorswoman.  The Outdoors-Woman Fall Workshop will focus on beginner level training for man outdoors activities.  This is being listed as a biannnual event, with the first Outdoors-Woman Workshop scheduled for October 3-5 of 2008.  This looks like a great opportunity to fine tune your outdoor skills.

workshop is a three-day adventure offering beginner-level skills training for an array of fun and exciting activities ranging from deer hunting to camp cooking. Activities include camping, backyard wildlife, map and compass, mountain biking, shooting sports (pistol, rifle, shotgun, muzzleloader), fishing, hunting, canoeing, nature crafts, archery, ATV handling, motor boat handling, geocaching, bee keeping, and much more. Participants can also obtain their Hunter Education Certification and Boating Safety Certification during the weekend event.

This sounds like an exciting weekend. Visit Alabama’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to learn how you can sign up for this outdoor event filled weekend.

Today’s Green Tip Of The Day:  Instead of buying new books, pay a visit to your local library, or even start a bookshare program.  Trade any previously read books with those of a friend.  It saves money, paper, and the environment.

Today’s Blog Of The Day:  The Adventure Blog