Free Republic

Camping, hiking and fishing in the wild as a child breeds respect for environment in adults, study findshttp://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/March06/wild.nature.play.ssl.html http://tinyurl.com/ljnj3 By Susan S. Lang March 13, 2006 If you want your children to grow up to actively care about the environment, give them plenty of time to play in the "wild" before they're 11 years old, suggests a new Cornell University study. "Although domesticated nature activities -- caring for plants and gardens -- also have a positive relationship to adult environment attitudes, their effects aren't as strong as participating in such wild nature activities as camping, playing in the woods, hiking,...

I am going camping next weekend and think it would be cool to start a campfire using a fire bow drill. I have all the parts, but can only seem to get just a bit of smoke at best. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. I put pine tar on the string to keep it from slipping.The wood for the fire board is cedar, and the spindle is made of poplar.I watch Survivorman on the Science Channel, and he makes it look so easy, but it is not easy!

I'm always drawn to stories about dads and sons who share a hobby or passionate pursuit. A few months ago, I read a story about a couple of father-son pairs in the Dallas area who have climbed three of the seven summits – the highest peaks on each continent. Jackson, my 10-year-old son, and I have done some indoor rock climbing at our community recreation center. But like a lot of boys these days, his passion is video games. He's always asking me to play – bad as I am at it. I usually choose NBA Live 2005 because I...

/09/2006 - Californians for Schwarzenegger announced the release of new television ads. "House" highlights Governor Schwarzenegger's leadership in moving California forward. "Bird" highlights the clear choice California voters have in this election. Both ads will be released in Spanish versions.

Fresh Idea: Survival Kits For Kidshttp://kutv.com/freshidea/local_story_143180939.html May 23, 2006 4:07 pm US/Mountain The summer is here and you may have a lot of outdoor activities planned. But before you send family members out in to the wilderness, Michelle King shows us what every parent should equip their child with. In case of any emergency being prepared for the worst may save your life or the life of someone you love. Last summer 11-year-old Brennan Hawkins went missing for four nights, but was found alive. Just one year prior to Brennan, 12-year-old Garrett Bardsley also went missing during a scout trip...

Utah Scouts preparing to push summer safetyhttp://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,635212541,00.html http://tinyurl.com/kcvon Deseret Morning News, Saturday, June 03, 2006 By Pat Reavy and Ben Winslow Deseret Morning News In the wake of high-profile outdoor tragedies in recent years, the Great Salt Lake Council of the Boy Scouts of America is revising its rules to help keep Scouts safe this summer, and one Utah mom has developed an outdoors safety pack for children. The organization has made sweeping changes to many of its camping policies, including new safety measures for hikes, precautions against lighting strikes and new guidelines for campfires. "We now have in place...

Boy Scouts of America Selects Campfire Cafe Cookbook http://www.prweb.com/releases/2006/5/prweb384364.htm (PRWEB) May 16, 2006 -- Over The Open Fire, a unique cookbook featuring open fire cooking recipes and methods from the popular television series Campfire Cafe, has been chosen for worldwide distribution by the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Boy Scouting is designed to take place outdoors. In the outdoors, the skills and activities practiced at troop meetings come alive with purpose. Outdoor cooking has long proved to be an activity that helps make outdoor excursions more fun and educational. Over The Open Fire takes traditional open-fire cooking methods enjoyed by...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon has begun drawing up plans to send troops and equipment to the U.S. border with Mexico, where hundreds of thousands of migrants enter the country illegally each year, a defense official said on Friday. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld discussed border issues at the Pentagon with his Mexican counterpart, Defense Minister Gen. Gerardo Clemente Ricardo Vega. Mexico and the United States share a 2,000-mile border. "The U.S. and Mexican governments continue to work together to control the border and collaborate on these important efforts," said U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. J.D. Gordon, a Pentagon spokesman. "This cooperation...

Some freepers no doubt have heard of the Wounded Warrior Project and their programs/outreach services for our wounded vets returning from Iraq and Afganistan. I have been working with Jeff Searcy, their marketing director, in setting up contacts with hunting/fishing resorts, guides, and outdoor manufacturers, to provide opportunities for these warriors to enjoy the great outdoors. Since FreeRepublic has the most talented people I have ever known, I'd like to ask all of you for any ideas, suggestions, and help in bringing the great outdoors to those who have sacrificed the most for all of us. Below is a link...

Two weeks after Cindy Sheehan left her anti-war campsite by the road leading to President Bush's ranch, county commissioners have banned parking along 23 miles of roads in the area. Before the 4-1 vote Tuesday, McLennan County Commissioner Ray Meadows said about 80 residents had complained of blocked roads, loud music and public health and safety concerns during the 26-day protest near Bush's ranch outside Crawford, about 20 miles west of Waco. "It's not a First Amendment issue. It's a safety issue," Meadows said, adding that "no parking" signs could be put up this week. Sheehan began camping in ditches...

Tent? Check. Coleman stove? Check. Laptop? Darn right!Camping essentials used to include Coleman lanterns, goose-down sleeping bags and water purification kits. But a growing number of campers are adding laptops to that list, and wireless Internet access in the great outdoors is becoming the new must-have. Private campgrounds across the nation have been adding wireless Internet access in recent years, and state park campgrounds are apparently following suit in a number of places. And while few campsites in national parks offer wireless Internet so far, that could change if demand warrants. Alan Friedman, CIO of the California State Parks system,...

FORT A.P. HILL, Va. -- About 43,000 Boy Scouts departed this Army installation Aug. 3 after 10 days of scouting, camping and learning. As part of the 2005 National Scout Jamboree, Boy Scouts nationwide gathered to make new friends, practice their scouting skills and earn "merit badges." Thanks to retired Lt. Col. Tom Sawner, a former pilot, about 1,000 of those young men left the Jamboree with a new merit badge and a greater appreciation and understanding of aviation. The aviation merit badge is particularly difficult to get, Colonel Sawner said, because the resources needed to complete the requirements for...

An invasion of poisonous snakes ran some Floyd County campers out of their campsite twice in less than one week. Campers say they killed dozens of copperheads as well as one rattlesnake and a water snake at their favorite campsite. Quincy Cook has been camping with his friends and family at this campsite for years and says he's never seen poisonous snakes until a few days ago when they were invaded. "I had a light on my head and looked down and they was crawling everyway like night crawlers. We shot everything all to pieces, I'd say that first night...

20TH WORLD SCOUT JAMBOREE Sexual shenanigans spice up camp life It's nothing unusual, say teenage visitors Anucha Charoenpo Young love birds share an intimate moment yesterday during a party for participants in the World Scout Jamboree at Haad Yao beach in Sattahip. _ JETJARAS NA RANONG Scouts from Western countries say having sex and forming relationships is common practice among participants at the 20th World Scout Jamboree in Sattahip. They say they are well aware of the risk of sexually transmitted disease and take the necessary precautions. Rob Rolfe, 17, from Britain, said he believed some couples were having sex...

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Two people camping along the Hulahula River in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge were killed by a grizzly bear, officials said Sunday. Officials discovered the bodies and an unused firearm in a tent Saturday at a campsite near the river. They also shot and killed the animal. The couple, whose names were not released, was believed to be in their late 50s or early 60s, North Slope Borough police said. They were from Anchorage and had been on a recreational rafting trip down the river, Alaska State Troopers said. The victims were in their tent when the...

WORLD | UTAH | BUSINESS | SPORTS | OPINION | FEATURES | COMMUNITIES | CLASSIFIEDS SUNDAY June 26, 2005 Quick Search Enter search term Advanced Search News Contents Photos Utah Politics Obituaries Archives RSS Feeds Polygamy Rolly Mullen Reader Advocate Closeup TribTalk Forums Weather Floods Opinion Bagley Cartoons Editorials Commentary Public Forum Sports Real Salt Lake Stingers Utah Jazz College Sports Prep Sports Features Film Finder Arts Travel Home & Family Health & Science Food Outdoors The Mix Faith Entertainment Lifestyle Shopping Classifieds Retail Ads Cars/RVs Real Estate Jobs Education Guide Bride Guide Utah City Guide Hotel Rooms Grocery Guru...

Yellowstone is a world wide draw By Cara Eastwood outdoors@wyomingnews.com Published in the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle I scoured Yellowstone National Park during the first week of June, surrounded by European and Asian tourists. At each turn in the road, I found another tour bus squeezed onto the side of the road as its passengers pressed their faces to the windows to ogle an elk, a herd of deer or in one case, a dead bison. Other tourists I saw drove expensive SUV rental cars to explore the park. They all must have gotten the memo that American schools weren't out yet,...

Dear Mom and Dad, We are having a great time here at camp. Scoutmaster Webb is making us all write to our parents in case you saw the flood on TV and worried. We are OK. Only 1 of our tents and 2 sleeping bags got washed away. Luckily, none of us got drowned because we were all up on the mountain looking for Chad when it happened. Oh yeah, please call Chad's mother and tell her he is OK. He can't write because of the cast. I got to ride in one of the search and rescue Jeeps. It...

Change your view Stop and smell the flowers along scenic byway By Ty Stockton outdoors@wyomingnews.com Published in the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle CENTENNIAL - If your idea of a summer vacation is more about secluded hiking trails, breathtaking vistas and crystal-clear fishing waters than long amusement park lines, $2.25-per-gallon gas prices and overpriced hotel rooms, a drive through your own backyard may be your best bet this summer. Wyoming Highway 130 from Centennial to Saratoga is more than just a scenic byway. The road is a springboard for endless summertime outdoors activities. You could spend the entire summer on that road and...

For Michael and Sally Morone's family, camping is a favorite activity. They and their children, Ella, 6, and Benjamin, 4, try to make a camping trip every summer or fall and especially enjoy RVing. But they sometimes can't venture far afield because he's on call for work as a neurosurgeon at Deaconess Billings Clinic. "Whenever we can't go too far ... we will go to the Billings KOA," Sally Morone said. This year, however, Morone, a lieutenant colonel, is thousands of miles from his family and their usual camping adventures as he serves as a general medical officer with the...