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Outdoors (General/Chat)

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  • Second Yellowstone Visitor Injured in Bison Encounter

    06/03/2015 1:15:38 PM PDT · by nickcarraway · 32 replies
    CNN ^ | 6/3
    The sheer size and wildness of Yellowstone National Park's signature bison provide a magnificent subject for camera-toting tourists. But officials caution visitors not to come within 25 yards of the animals, noting that they are unpredictable and able to sprint three times faster than people can run. A 62-year-old Australian man who ventured to within 3 to 5 feet of one bison was seriously injured Tuesday when the animal charged and tossed him into the air several times, park officials said in a statement. This is the second such incident within weeks. A 16-year-old Taiwanese exchange student was gored by...
  • USS Carl Vinson Crew Rescues Sailor Alone at Sea

    06/02/2015 7:16:33 PM PDT · by nickcarraway · 27 replies
    NBC San Diego ^ | 6/2 | R. Stickney
    A 70-year-old man sailing alone across the Pacific Ocean was rescued by a U.S. Navy nuclear-powered aircraft carrier returning home to San Diego. USS Carl Vinson rescued the man Sunday from his 35-foot sailboat, 400 nautical miles from Hawaii. Using a satellite phone, the man sent a text to his wife asking for help. That message was relayed through the U.S. Coast Guard, Pacific Fleet Command and the U.S. 3rd fleet. The sailor, who had spent a month on his boat, was airlifted by the crew of a MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter including two search and rescue swimmers. Once the...
  • Red-Tailed Hawk Is Winning White House Turf Battle

    06/02/2015 3:44:03 PM PDT · by Theoria · 31 replies
    The New York Times ^ | 01 June 2015 | Julie Hirschfeld Davis
    A newcomer has arrived at the White House, provoking fierce turf battles and carrying out more than one lethal confrontation in broad daylight. But this is no political power struggle; it is nature. A red-tailed hawk is prowling the lush White House lawn and perching just above the second-story window of President Obama’s East Wing residence, lured by a booming population of gray squirrels and undeterred by the harassment of smaller birds that have tried in vain to displace it. The hawk has captivated those who frequent the White House, from visitors to journalists to staff members, some of them...
  • Invasive lizards in Florida are eating cats

    06/02/2015 1:07:03 PM PDT · by Red Badger · 71 replies
    www.aol.com ^ | Apr 15th 2015 5:32PM | Staff
    Florida has a big lizard problem. Between lion fish and Burmese pythons, Florida has a lot of invasive species problems -- and the newest is massive Nile Monitor Lizards. Nile Monitor Lizards can grow to be almost 6 feet in length and weigh 33 pounds. They're mostly found in Northern Africa, but some households take them in as pets. The "pets" are often let loose after getting too big, so they wind up on the streets. But that's not the only problem -- they start eating things, like neighbors' cats.
  • Father, son and holy sawfish! Researchers find ‘virgin birth’ in Florida endangered species

    06/02/2015 12:41:49 PM PDT · by Red Badger · 14 replies
    www.miamiherald.com ^ | 06-02-2015 | By Jenny Staletovich
    In a new study published Monday in the journal Current Biology, Stony Brook University researchers working with Florida scientists discovered seven endangered sawfish living in two rivers conceived through a process called parthenogenesis — the production of offspring without sex or male sperm, or in simpler terms, “virgin birth.” So ladies, take a bow. Apparently we can do it all. Scientists have long known that insects, crabs and other invertebrates can reproduce without partners. Female birds, reptiles and sharks in captivity have also occasionally surprised scientists with virgin births. But until now, researchers never knew whether the behavior happened in...
  • Environonsense—eco-faithful rant; DOD enforces EPA swiping water rights

    06/02/2015 7:51:45 AM PDT · by rktman · 2 replies
    canadafreepress.com ^ | 6/2/2015 | A. Dru Kristenev
    Begin with brainwashed college students absurdly demanding their institution of ‘higher learning’, Western Washington University, rescind the masters degree awarded a state senator for admitting being a “climate agnostic.” Sen. Doug Ericksen, who holds a degree in political science and environmental policy, seems to have used the term to illustrate how man-made climate change has become a religion rather than science-based theory. Evidently, that, along with his removing verbiage from legislation referring to climate change as being a threat to the state, was enough to invoke the ire of the eco-faithful to ply WWU to revoke his degree. Thankfully, the...
  • Full Strawberry Moon on June 2, 2015

    06/02/2015 5:45:04 AM PDT · by onyx · 21 replies
    EarthSky ^ | June 2, 2015 | EarthSky
    Tonight – June 2, 2015 – watch for the full moon to group up with the planet Saturn and star Antares in the eastern sky at dusk and nightfall. As our Earth turns underneath the heavens tonight, look for this full moon, Saturn and Antares to move westward across the nighttime sky. The celestial threesome will climb highest up tonight around midnight, and will sit low in the west at dawn June 3. In North America, we commonly call the June full moon the Strawberry Moon. This year’s Strawberry Moon turns precisely full on June 2, 2015 at 16:19...
  • 777-Year-Old Tree Is a Babe in Muir Woods (Tallest Tree AT Muir Woods Not 1500 Yrs Old, Study Shows)

    06/01/2015 7:22:29 PM PDT · by nickcarraway · 29 replies
    San Francisco Chronicle ^ | Monday, June 1, 2015 | Peter Fimrite
    The tallest redwood tree in Muir Woods — a giant that was assumed to have sprouted up to 1,500 years ago in the Middle Ages — is a measly 777 years old, a puerile sprig in the hallowed halls of old growth, an analysis of tree-ring data has revealed. The study, by a Humboldt State University scientist, is the first definitive determination of the age of trees in Muir Woods. The findings by Allyson Carroll, a tree-ring specialist, mean that a 249-foot-tall coast redwood known by the lackluster name of Tree 76 sprouted seven centuries later than originally believed, at...
  • Guys on Ice (preview)

    06/01/2015 2:51:01 PM PDT · by afraidfortherepublic · 13 replies
    MPTV ^ | 6-1-15
    The experience of ice fishing is hilariously brought to life on stage in this musical comedy, as fishing buddies Marvin and Lloyd discuss fishing, homespun philosophies, and life in general. You'll laugh out loud with their original songs like "Ode to the Snowmobile Suite" and "The One That Got Away".
  • Neighbors Use Canoes To Rescue Dogs

    05/31/2015 2:43:07 PM PDT · by nickcarraway · 6 replies
    NBC DFW ^ | May 31, 2015 | By Katy Blakey
    Neighbors used canoes to help rescue a woman and her dogs from a flooded home near Lewisville Lake on Saturday.
  • WOW: Outlaw Tower Climbing Video Of 650 Yard Shanghai Tower Climb Will Make You Vomit

    05/31/2015 7:38:24 AM PDT · by Jack Hydrazine · 28 replies
    Legendary Speed.com ^ | 31MAY2015 | Staff Writer
    AMAZING VIDEO of a pair of outlaw tower climbers climbing the Shanghai Tower, the world’s second highest tower, from the street and up into and through the clouds until they get 650 meters off the ground. The rest of the skyscrapers remain far below with their tops pointing straight up through the clouds like hungry children holding their hands up and open hoping to catch a dropped morsel. Check out what the guy does at the 5:00 mark and be ready to vomit all over your tablet. Its sickenly frightening and I am not even all that scared of heights....
  • Muir Woods Entry Fee Increases From $7 To $10

    05/29/2015 12:57:49 PM PDT · by nickcarraway · 23 replies
    The fee for an adult to enter Northern California’s popular Muir Woods will increase from $7 to $10 in 2016. Entry for children under 16 years of age will continue to be free, said the National Park Service, which announced the price increase on Thursday.
  • Women Bring Home the Venison

    05/28/2015 3:08:49 PM PDT · by nickcarraway · 3 replies
    Two months ago, Taylor Herrick rode in an open convertible waving to blue-and-gold-wearing Bulldog boosters who hailed her as Pardeeville High School’s Homecoming queen. On Saturday, she perched on the gate of a pickup, showing off the 13-point buck she’d bagged, just minutes after the opening of Wisconsin’s nine-day gun deer hunting season. It would be hard to venture a guess as to which event made Taylor smile more brightly. The pickup holding the big buck was parked in front of the Angie Williams Cox Library in downtown Pardeeville, and Taylor was tickled to share her story with passers-by. She...
  • Secret Service preps to add spikes to White House fence

    05/28/2015 2:39:29 PM PDT · by DUMBGRUNT · 40 replies
    cnn ^ | May 28, 2015 | Eric bradner
    U.S. Secret Service officers make preparations to install spikes atop the White House fence after a series of high-profile security lapses.
  • Fire ants invade North Texas with heavy rains

    05/27/2015 1:58:36 PM PDT · by Daffynition · 114 replies
    WFAA.com ^ | May 21, 2015 | Philip Townsend
    The ants take turns walking on one another to stay out of the water and survive. They eventually build dense circles like the one Nathan captured on his phone. "I was floored when I saw them," said Nathan's dad, Dwayne. "I had never seen anything like that."
  • Cape Coral, Florida, man in kayak reels in 552-pound Goliath Grouper

    05/27/2015 7:49:36 AM PDT · by JoeProBono · 36 replies
    wptv ^ | May 27, 2015
    A man in Southwest Florida has quite a fish story to tell! Jon Black from the Crazy Lure Tackle shop in Cape Coral caught what he says is "the largest bottom fish ever from a kayak" in Sanibel, Fla. The YouTube post says the fish measured at 83 inches long and more than 73 inches in girth. They estimate it weighed 552 pounds. Not a bad haul from a kayak with a small fishing pole!
  • Cochise Stronghold to close Monday May 26 2015

    05/27/2015 5:49:41 AM PDT · by SandRat · 10 replies
    The Coronado National Forest, Douglas Ranger District, will close the Cochise Stronghold Campground on June 1 due to increasing temperatures that occur in that location during the summer. Recreationists can still enjoy dispersed camping in both the East and West Stronghold areas. Campers are encouraged to practice Leave-No-Trace and extinguish campfires completely during their camping experience. The campground is scheduled to reopen on August 28, 2015. For more information please contact the Douglas Ranger District located at 1192 W. Saddleview Road in Douglas,...
  • Swimmer carrying rock drowns on (his 21st) birthday

    05/26/2015 1:25:33 PM PDT · by NormsRevenge · 35 replies
    SFGate.com ^ | 5/26/15 | Mike Moffitt
    A swimmer trying cross a wildlife-area pond while holding a large rock drowned Monday in Oroville. California Highway Patrol officers said Austin Harr of Gridley was celebrating his 21st birthday with a swim at the dredger ponds when he sank below the surface about 5 p.m.
  • Sonya Baumstein Aims to Become First Woman to Cross Pacific Ocean in Rowboat

    05/25/2015 9:14:23 PM PDT · by nickcarraway · 34 replies
    NBC Bay Area ^ | 5/25 | Mark Matthews
    Sonya Baumstein is about to attempt something no other woman has ever done: She is going to try and cross the Pacific Ocean – non-stop, from Japan to San Francisco – in a row boat. NBC Bay Area’s Mark Matthews spoke with Baumstein on Monday via Skype. Right now, she’s on Japan’s east coast, about to embark on her voyage, which she hopes will end with her rowing under the Golden Gate Bridge. Baumstein is only 30, but she’s got some expeditions already logged. She rowed across the Atlantic. She kayaked from Seattle to Juneau. “I’ve also paddle boarded the...
  • 'Black Bike Week' riders cry foul over security increase at annual gathering

    05/25/2015 5:20:45 PM PDT · by windcliff · 26 replies
    The Guardian ^ | May 25 2015 | Max Blau
    For more than two decades, thousands of African American motorcyclists have traveled across the nation to South Carolina, to attend the Atlantic Beach Memorial Day Bikefest. On the last weekend in May every year, the low hum of customized choppers with high-handle bars and the high-pitched revs of neon-painted street bikes have sounded out on Ocean Boulevard. The 2015 Bikefest, however, was different. Ocean Boulevard, a two-lane commercial strip running parallel to the Atlantic Ocean, was partially closed. Hundreds of police officers enforced a one-way traffic pattern that clogged streets for miles and forced motorcyclists to idle in gridlock for...