Free Republic

The budget reconciliation bill currently before the U.S. House could dispose of nearly 1.5 million acres of public land, according to new analysis released today by the digital mapping company onX. Republicans added the public land sale with an amendment proposed during a midnight session of the House Natural Resources Committee. Initial reports suggested that only about 10,000 acres would be subject to disposal, and later analysis increased that estimate to nearly 500,000 acres. Now, an extensive review by onX researchers has revealed that the actual number could be as many as 1,466,352 acres in Utah and Nevada. “Our public...

After Tiffany Slaton was miraculously found alive on Wednesday following three weeks lost in the Sierra, today’s question was: How? According to Slaton herself, a lot of leeks. She’s a trained forager and permaculturist, and leeks are both bountiful in the Sierra and nutritious. So nutritious that her bloodwork was in remarkable shape at the hospital, she said during a press conference on Friday. Her eyes, however, took some damage from an extended time in the blinding white snow, requiring sunglasses in the aftermath. “How did I avoid death? I’m pretty good at foraging,” Slaton said during her first public...

“Head’s Up: Firing the National Archivist. More of how the new authoritarian regime is taking over. Control the press, control education and control what remains of the history of our country.” I pulled the quote above off Facebook this morning. I could have pulled a score more like it, most of them from educated liberal females (ELFs), all of them actual friends or relatives. This one impressed me for its concise summary of ELF concerns and ELF cluelessness. “What remains of our history?” Ladies, can we step back in time just five years and recall how eagerly you ceded control...

With 'near time' identified as a problem, parents urged to boosting outdoor timeNew research shows the rate of myopia among children and teens worldwide has tripled over the past three decades, with a particularly steep increase noted since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. A paper in the British Journal of Ophthalmology, which reviewed 276 studies published to June 2023 from around the world, concluded that more than one in three of all children and teens are nearsighted, triple what it was in 1990. "Emerging evidence suggests a potential association between the pandemic and accelerated vision deterioration among...

There's nothing particularly political about camping. People across the ideological spectrum enjoy overnighting under the stars. But buying camping gear is a whole different story. Before you pitch your tent, you have to declare where you pitch your tent. Nowhere is this divide more pronounced than in the rivalry between retail behemoths Bass Pro Shops and Patagonia. troll into a Bass Pro Shops location, and you’re greeted with a rustic, log-cabin feel, stuffed bears, shotguns and rifles, and camo gear lining the shelves, soundtracked by the giant waterfall in the middle of the store. Head over to Patagonia, and you’re...

The Secret Service has reportedly urged former President Donald Trump’s campaign to halt outdoor rallies and other events with large crowds after the attempt on his life.After a gunman shot Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania, officials discussed concerns about another attempt on the former president’s life with his campaign, according to The Washington Post.The people familiar with the matter spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private discussions.For upcoming events, Trump’s team is scouting indoor venues, such as basketball arenas and other large spaces where thousands of people can fit, people familiar with the request said. The campaign...

The government has warned livestock farmers in Denmark they will be taxed on the amount of farts and burps from their cows, sheep, and pigs. From 2030, farmers will be taxed for their fatulent (sic) livestock, becoming the first country in the world to do so as it targets methane emissions to fight climate change. Taxation Minister Jeppe Bruus said the aim is part of the globalist push to supposedly reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 70 percent from 1990 levels by 2030. Danish livestock farmers will face a punitive financial imposition of 300 kroner ($43) per ton of carbon dioxide...

While Russia and Santa Cruz aren’t often mentioned in the same breath, when it comes to Wilder Ranch State Park, a shared history features betrayal and a land grab. The sprawling 7,000-acre park just 4 miles west of the Santa Cruz Boardwalk is filled with coastal views, but on a recent morning, I found myself entranced by a local historical tale involving a husband accused of forging documents to remove his wife and her family from the deed. When hiking through this part of the California coastline — where sandy beaches, marine life and a magical sea cave coalesce —...

Join us in celebrating Stevens Creek County Park’s 100th anniversary by completing the Hike the Hundred Challenge. Rack up 100 points in 100 days! There are 13 curated trails at 12 parks where participants go on a scavenger hunt for our Park's unique findings. ​​​​There are six ways to collect your points: Visiting the park (5 points) - Take a selfie in front of the park sign.Plant (2 points) - ID the plant and take of picture (careful not to touch if its poison oak or thorny!)Building (2 points) - Take a picture of the chosen building.Structure (2 points) -...

For years, first responders and rescue teams cherished the TactiStaff's unparalleled versatility. Its exceptional utility and durability made it a staple for professionals, but civilians rarely had access. Thanks to some recent legislative changes, we, the everyday people, can now legally get our hands on this military-grade tool.

Five competitive cyclists – women in their 50s and 60s – met at the Tokul Creek trail north of Snoqualmie. At the yellow gate before riding into the deep forest, the women took a group selfie. They had no premonition that 19 miles in, a young male cougar would attack one of them, and that they’d spend 45 minutes in a battle for their lives. The first cougar, presumably the mother or a sibling, ran off. But the younger one paused … and then lunged at Keri Bergere, 60, who was biking a few paces ahead of him. “Looking to...

Two women laughing and smiling in a viral video with hair standing straight up from static electricity were likely in the path of an imminent lightning strike and are lucky they weren’t fried If...the static electricity in the air makes your hair stand on end, a lightning strike isn’t a risk. It’s imminent. Those were the circumstances behind a viral video filmed at the Horseshoe Bend Overlook in Arizona’s Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. A woman filmed her mother as her long hair stuck straight out from her head and static crackled from the end of her pointed finger on...

In early 2020 in the midst of the covid lockdowns, blue states run by leftist governors pursued mandates with extreme prejudice. In red states like Montana, after the first month or two most of us simply ignored the restrictions and went on with life as usual. It was clear that covid was not the threat federal authorities made it out to be. However, in states like Michigan the vice was squeezed tighter and tighter under the direction of shady leaders like Gretchen Whitmer. Whitmer used covid as an opportunity to institute some bizarre limitations on the public, including a mandate...

The Asian longhorned tick is rapidly gaining a foothold in the United States and “poses a serious threat to livestock” according to the USDA. Since its discovery and proper identification in 2017, the coverage area of the tick has spread to 19 U.S. states, the USDA reported. The deadly consequence of their expansion was shared by Ohio State University researchers in the Journal of Medical Entomology: Two cows and one large bull died from exsanguination by the ticks, meaning drained of blood to the point of death. Each unfortunate cow likely endured tens of thousands of bites. While only the...

A Pennsylvania poacher who allegedly killed a Pittsburgh suburb’s beloved bald eagle later turned themselves in — but locals are fuming at the lack of information on the suspect from authorities. “The killing of our beloved eagle had a major impact on the entire community,” Cherry Valley Lakeview Estates resident Linda Carnevali told The Post Saturday. “We cannot fathom why anyone would want to harm our eagles and take it to the extreme of killing one.” The eagle, who Carnevali and her husband Raymond called “Sam” after the popular character “Sam the Eagle” in Disney’s Muppet Vision 3D, was allegedly...

Automaker Jaguar has announced a comprehensive recall of all its I-Pace electric vehicles in the United States, citing a potential risk of battery fires. The company is also advising customers to park outside until repairs are made and charge their vehicles outdoors so they don’t burn their houses down. Electrek reports that Jaguar has announced a broad recall of all of its I-Pace electric vehicles in the United States due to a potential risk of battery fires. This action was taken in response to worries expressed regarding a potential battery problem resembling the one that forced a previous recall of...

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. - With the summer tourism season kicking off, Yellowstone National Park is reminding visitors not to disturb wildlife, even if the animal looks to be distressed or in need of help. Park rangers said over the Memorial Day weekend, visitors placed a newborn elk into their car and drove it to the local police station. The elk later ran off, and its condition is currently unknown with an investigation underway. ... Last month, a visitor was seen taking a selfie dangerously close to a bison while visiting Biscuit Basin in Yellowstone National Park. Video captured on...

For the last couple of years I have been looking at relocating out of North Kalifornia (aka Washington State), the political climate and values I hold dear are no longer recognized or respected. I cannot hold onto the hope that the Idaho boarder shifts my way. Texas was my first choice, then I remembered how many poisonous crawlers live there, and honestly I need my mountains, evergreen trees and snow. Alaska really is the state for me. It will pain me to leave my mountain (Mt. St Helens). For years I have felt a calling to Alaska, not just because...

The state of Michigan is currently investigating a horse farm after its owner held a rally against the building of an electric vehicle battery component plant that will be built by Gotion, a subsidiary of the Chinese company Guoxuan High-Tech Co. Proposed CCP-tied Gotion battery plant - The MI Republican Party has long taken issue with Gotion, which has ties to the CCP. In October 2022, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, who lost a massive electric-vehicle plant expansion opportunity with Michigan-based Ford Motor Company, bragged that the CCP-tied company, Gotion, would be moving to Michigan and building a battery plant that...

California's superbloom phenomenon is so big and bright this year it can be seen from space. NASA's Landsat 9 satellite, which was launched in 2021 to capture images of Earth's land surface, sent back images of bright purple and green blooms in Carrizo Plain National Park. A superbloom occurs when desert areas in Southern California receive more rain or cooler weather through the fall and winter, allowing more flowers to thrive. The term "superbloom," however, is not a scientific one: It was created by the media to describe these colorful, robust blooms, said said Cameron Barrows, an associate research ecologist...