Researcher Aly Courtemanch starts her work day on skis. That’s how she gets around on the alpine terrain where she studies the Teton Range bighorn sheep herd. Using GPS devices and trail counters, Courtemanch a scientist at the Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit at the University of Wyoming, tracks the movemnts of both sheep and skiers.

“We really want to get a better sense of how bighorn sheep survive in the Tetons, both summer and winter,” she said. “We don’t know very much about this bighorn sheep herd, it’s really small and really hard to study because they’re so remote and hard to observe.”

While other wild sheep move down to more moderate terrain, this herd winteres at some of the highest elevations in Wyoming. But they’ve stopped migrating about 60 years ago due to human development, firs suppression and other factors. In this edition of This American Land researchers take a look at this species on the brink of extinction.

In 1971 John Francis witnessed a catastrophic oil spill in San Francisco Bay. The greasy black sludge that coated resident sea life and stained nearby beaches left an indelible impression him as well. As a young man at the dawn of the environmental movement he felt compelled to act. But what can one person do to change a society bent on its own destruction?

Left with little do that would make a difference in world Francis abandoned all forms of motorized transport. He started walking. But still hoping to make an impact on his community and himself Francis took his devotion a step future and swore a vow of silence. For 17 years he did not utter a word. And yet he still managed to earn college and graduate degrees in science and environmental studies.

Dr. John Francis went on to become the United Nation’s goodwill ambassador to the world’s grassroots communities and the U.S. Government hired him to help establish policies for the management of oil spills.

Music this week comes from singer/song writer Sean Michael Dargan and the band Rani Arbo & Daisy Mayhem

Special thanks to our sponsors Recreational Equipment Inc, REI and Patagonia. We don’t take money from just anyone. Sponsors of the Joy Trip Project support our mission of an active lifestyle through outdoor recreation and community involvement. Support us by supporting them.

Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed this podcast help spread the word by posting a link to it on your Facebook page. Or send it as a tweet to your followers on Twitter. Social media is vibrant exchange of ideas join the conversation by becoming engage. Post your comments the Joy Trip Project blog or send us an email to info@Joy Trip Project.com.

Share your stories. share your passion for outdoor recreation, environmental conservation, acts of charitable giving, and practices of sustainable living. You just might inspire our next Joy Trip together. But most of all don’t forget to tell your friends. Until next time take care.

Find a solution at Examiner.com: Madison Recreation Examiner

Read the rest at Examiner.com>> Madison recreation Examiner

“We find that a lot of people from across the United States enjoy going into the park on snowmobiles, because … you’re out in the fresh air,” said Bill Howell, part owner of a local snowmobile and snowcoach tour company. “You get to see things on a snowmobile. With your guide you can stop and take pictures.”

But conservation groups have been seeking to ban snowmobiles here for more than a decade. Even snowmobile enthusiasts now admit the machines became a problem in 1990s.

“The amount of machines and the amount of people going into the park skyrocketed, a lot more than I think anybody had ever predicted or thought would happen,’ Howell said. “And as a result it probably did get a little out of hand.”

In this edition of This American Land we take a look at efforts to create a balance between the use of snowmobiles in Yellowstone and those who aim to limit motorized access to the park.

A student at Glendale Elementary School in Madison, Savanna is among many local children that benefit from an environmental education program offered by the Aldo Leopold Nature Center. Every Monday afternoon for ten weeks of the year Savanna and her classmates explore nearby forests, streams and marshlands. Called Nature Nuts, the course creates safe and enjoyable outdoor experiences for area youth whose families cannot afford traditional after-school activities.

Lead by naturalist Sue Denholm kids with few opportunities to encounter wildlife away from their urban homes can begin to establish a first-hand appreciation for the environment.

“ A lot of these kids don’t have a lot of contact with the natural world. Here I can be with them to calmly introduce them to what’s going on around them,” Denholm said. “They can ask questions, look for answers and not be afraid.”

Just off of Monona Drive, the Aldo Leopold Nature Center is tucked away in a peaceful wooded area. Not far from Downtown, the grounds include 97 acres of wild space that thrives with many varieties of insects, birds and small mammals. The Nature Nuts program allows children like Savanna to enjoy this tranquil setting despite a home life that is more accustomed to concrete buildings and paved city streets.

“I don’t get out to places like this much. My parents really don’t like nature,” Savannah said. “But I tell them what we do every Monday.”

Taking their experiences home is exactly what Denholm hopes to accomplish with Nature Nuts. “I want them to have that connection. Without that they won’t go much further,” she said. “But if they’re connected and they’re having fun they’ll be curious and then they’ll learn.”

Denholm said this type of experiential education goes beyond earth science and biology. She helps her students to create a journal with maps and drawings. They record the weather, animal sightings, the bugs they find and many other things they observe in their experience outdoors. She said it’s more of a writing project to help kids tell story about they’ve learned. “When you’re moving around outside everything is about science,” Denholm said. “Back when I taught in the classroom I always tried to teach social studies and writing all at the same time.”

By allowing children to become intimately acquainted with nature many believe they become well-rounded, more confident individuals. “The impact is that these kids are not only learning about the world, but they’re learning about themselves,” said Steve Goldberg, executive director of the CUNA Mutual Foundation. “Their teachers are reporting to us that their students have a greater interest in school. They’re exhibiting better performance and curiosity. That will benefit them in the future.”

The CUNA Mutual Foundation funds Nature Nuts to the tune of $3,000 a year. Goldenberg said the program has practical value in preparing young people with few economic advantages to excel in school.

“It’s not just cute nature program.” Goldberg said. “If we can get them early it has a great potential for impacting their future habits.

Savanna Lee said she looks forward to a career as a naturalist. “I want to become just like Miss Sue when I grow up,” she said.

Having raised such interest and enthusiasm in one so young is a key marker of Nature Nuts’ success said Kelley Van Egeren, director of development and communications at the Aldo Leopold Nature Center.

“Ninety-nine percent of the kids in this program don’t have access to nature. Their parents don’t take them. They’re not exposed to it. Some are afraid of nature,” she said. “But I really think our program succeeds when we help a child learn to love nature and learn to care about it enough to want to protect it, to make it part of their lives.”

This story originally appeared in the January 2010 issue of the Capital Region Business Journal corporate philanthropy column “Good Works”

Last year the only known wild jaguar in the United States was captured in a trap and euthanized by Arizona Wildlife authorities. The death of this big cat, called Macho-B, triggered a federal investigation that found violations of the procedures that are meant to protect endangered species.

But at the heart of this case are a number of federal wildlife protections that were tossed out in favor of the “Secure Fence Act.” In this edition of the This American Land we take look at the ecological impact of a 600-mile barrier along the Mexican boarder. Ostensibly to keep immigrants from illegally entering the U.S. this border fence is also preventing the migration of several animal species.

“Our jaguars here depend on a source population in Mexico that are dispersing up to the United States looking for habitat, looking for mates, looking to establish new territories,” said Randy Serraglio of the Center for Biological Diversity. “And if they can’t get through that border wall, they’re not gonna come here.”

For more than a year now it’s been my pleasure to bring you the stories behind the selfless causes of people trying to make the world a better place. The mission of the Joy Trip Project is to explore the lives of those who blend their passion for adventure with their desire to work for the benefit of others or toward the preservation of life on our planet. In my own way I hope that I have contributed to the success of their causes by bringing them to your attention and encouraging you to participate. So in the spirit of that mission I’m pleased to announce a new Joy Trip Project initiative.

On August 29, 2010 I will join a small group of climbers to ascend the summit of Mount Fuji in Japan. Organized by the non-profit Love Hope Strength this event aims to raise money and awareness for the fight against cancer. Fuji Rocks! is the lasted in a series of climbs that feature a base-camp live music concert along with a drive to register new bone marrow donors to the national database of those willing to help a leukemia patient in need of a bone marrow transplant. It is my plan that with your help over the next five months The Joy Trip Project will raise $6,000 to $10,000 for this cause and register at least 1,000 new donors.

In a recent edition of the podcast I shared with you an interview with Love Hope Strength executive director Shannon Foley (Love Hope Strength). Having reported on her organization in the past I’ve been well aware of her work and the desperate need for more people to register as bone marrow donors. But what has most struck me personally is the very low number of African-Americans currently in the database, less than eight percent. As a bone marrow transplant requires a close genetic match it’s vitally important that the donor database be as diverse as possible. With so few available donors many African-Americans will die waiting for a transplant.

As a climber and a person color I felt that this would be an excellent opportunity to help in true Joy Trip fashion. While raising money and awareness for bone marrow donation I also hope to encourage more African-Americans to participate in sports like climbing, backpacking and camping as part of a healthy active lifestyle.

Though an ascent of Mount Fuji is a fine physical challenge the true adventure will be in the journey getting there. Though in the past I’ve climbed higher than the summit’s 12,000 feet, the real mission will be in rallying the attention of those who might support this initiative either by making a financial contribution or by becoming a bone marrow donor or by simply sharing the story behind this project with their friends through their social networks.

Over the next five months several editions of the Joy Trip Project podcast and blog will be dedicated to the stories of others on similar journeys. In keeping with the project’s mission I’ll continue to develop stories for publication in print and broadcast for radio. And with your support both financial and moral I know that the Fuji Rocks! project will be a great success.

Please write at your next opportunity with your pledge of support to info@joytripproject.com. I’ll have an online donation service set up soon, but for now drop me a line to let me know that I can count on you. Without your help this Joy Trip will not happen. I’ll need to raise the capital to cover my travel expenses just to make the climb. But if this story sounds like something you’d like to support a contribution of any amount will help pave the way. I count my wealth in my number of friends, the cultivation of my talents and my ability to share all of what I have with those who need it most. You can help me make that happen. Be in touch. But for now, take care.

Yours most truly,

James

For more information on Mt. Fuji Rocks! visit: http://www.lovehopestrength.org/site/fujirocks/

An interview with Love Hope Strength executive director Shannon Foley

A couple of weeks ago I got an email from my friend Maitri. A friend of hers was in serious trouble and she wanted my help.

“I’d seen her the day before and everything was fine. And she said, ‘I think my husband has leukemia‘.” Maitri said. “And they’ve checked him into the UW cancer ward.”

Here in Madison the University of Wisconsin is home to one of top research facilities in the county the Carbone Cancer Center. With very little notice Maitri’s friend was immediately admitted to the affiliated community hospital.

“I was most surprised with how quickly it happened and how urgently the medical profession had to respond,” Maitri said. “Sunday I was at church with her. She went home after church. Her husband said ‘I have some pain in my legs. I think I’ll go to the doctor tomorrow.’ And she said ‘Let’s give the nurse on call a quick phone call and just make sure this is fine.’ The nurse said you need to go to the emergency room now. We went and they were ready to check him into the hospital that afternoon. So one minute fine, leg cramp, next minute checked into the UW Hospital ward.”

“With leukemia,”I said.

“Correct,” she said.

I’m no doctor. So from me it was not medical assistance she was looking for at least not directly. What Maitri wanted was my bone marrow. You see the best chance anyone suffering from Leukemia has is to receive a bone marrow transplant. And while there are more than 8 million bone marrow donors registered in the United State it’s nowhere near enough. With very specific genetic requirements an exact match for a bone marrow donor is very hard to come by.

“It’s easiest to find a genetic match with someone who’s related to you and secondarily of the same ethnic background, etc,” Maitri said. “And 70 percent of people cannot find a match within their own family. So they need to find an unrelated donor and unfortunately only about 4 out 10 people that are looking for an unrelated donor actually do.”

Hearing this it didn’t take much to convince me that it would be worth it to register as a bone marrow donor. And though I was not a good match for Maitri’s friend someone somewhere out there may one day need my help. Fortunately her friend’s husband found a match. He’s undergoing treatment. But the plight others who might not be so lucky got me thinking.

Less than a week after signing up for the national bone marrow donor registry, I reconnected with another friend named Shannon Foley. She’s the executive director of an organization called Love Hope Strength.

“Tell us what your organization is and what it does,” I asked Shannon in an interview.

“We are I guess the one and only, therefore the largest, rock n roll cancer foundation,” she said. “And we started about 3 and half years ago. And we travel the world, putting on concerts in order to raise money to build cancer centers in regions of the world that have no access to cancer care. And here in the United States, we go to concerts and we find matches for people in need of bone marrow transplants. So we swab peoples’ cheeks It’s a very simple process. We wave to processing fee, which is normally $65. And we get you registered to see if you can be the match to a patient with leukemia, sickle cell anemia, any kind of blood disorders, blood cancers.”

In the summer of 2009 Shannon and her team at Love Hope Strength managed to register 4,000 new bone marrow donors to the national database. So far this year they’ve matched 30 cancer patients for bone marrow transplants that will save their lives. The idea of mixing performing artists and their music with this kind of philanthropic giving is part of an amazing adventure that’s becoming a global movement. Raising both awareness and money in support of cancer treatment Love Hope Strength is changing the world.

Music this week by the Ahn Trio and the band The Alarm

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Special thanks to our sponsors Recreational Equipment Inc, REI and Patagonia. We don’t take money from just anyone. Sponsors of the Joy Trip Project support our mission of an active lifestyle through outdoor recreation and community involvement. Support us by supporting them.

Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed this podcast help spread the word by posting a link to it on your Facebook page. Or send it as a tweet to your followers on Twitter. Social media is vibrant exchange of ideas join the conversation by becoming engage. Post your comments the Joy Trip Project blog or send us an email to info@Joy Trip Project.com.

Share your stories. share your passion for outdoor recreation, environmental conservation, acts of charitable giving, and practices of sustainable living. You just might inspire our next Joy Trip together. But most of all don’t forget to tell your friends. Until next time take care.

Produced by Melinda Binks and Rebecca Hunting

Drilling on public land supplies 27 percent of the nation’s natural gas. But producing this relatively cheap, clean burning fuel comes at a cost.

“We’re having traditions disrupted,” said Steve Belinda, of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. “Places where extended families would spend two weeks hunting and camping together, all of the sudden they show up and they’re in the middle of some energy development with big trucks and noise and tons of roads.”

This edition of Assignment Earth takes a look at new regulations enacted by the Obama administration that require an environmental impact report to be filed in advance of drilling on public land.

Question: Should the recreational use and preservation of public land supercede oil and gas drilling that could speed the recovery of our economy and reduce our dependence on foreign sources of energy?