Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Shell Oil drillships are on their way to the Polar Bear Seas in America's Arctic.

One Million Voices for the Arctic

One Million for the Arctic
Photo by Steven Kazlowski


Right now, Shell Oil drillships are on their way to the Polar Bear Seas in America's Arctic. These seas are home to polar bears, walruses, whales, and seals, and a spill there would be disastrous.

We have one last chance to stop this dangerous drilling. More than a million people have expressed their opposition to Shell's drilling plans, and today we're delivering their messages to President Obama -- and flooding the White House with calls.


Add your voice by calling the White House now.





Monday, May 14, 2012

1 turns into 3 Lost Hikers Found Safe In Franconia NH


 
FRANCONIA, N.H. -- Three people are safe after getting lost while hiking in Franconia.


New Hampshire Fish and Game officials said shortly after 7 p.m. Saturday May 12th, they got a call about a lost hiker near the summit of Little Haystack.


Searchers were able to find the man, and while they were giving him food and water, they came across two other hikers who were also lost. Their large 60lb dog who was along with them, needed to be carried the rest of the way out.

Officials said none of the hikers were prepared. 

Fish and Game lieutenant James Kneeland: “It is becoming a huge problem specially this time of year. You are hesitant to leave them over night to fend for themselves. The weather may drop into the 30’s have snow or cold rain.”



Don't let a pleasure trip turn into a nightmare, be prepared!  Visit HIKESAFE.COM and learn more on what you should do as part of your adventure planning.

Call ahead, read a guidebook and study maps of the area you'll be hiking to become familiar with trails, roads, rivers, streams, mountains and other features. Use these as reference points as you hike. Once you've determined your route, leave your trip plan with family and friends - then make sure you stick to this plan.

Properly pack a backpack with enough food, water and other necessary provisions for a safe hike. Dress for the occasion and pack spare clothes in the event you get wet due to rivers, streams, or inclement weather that can change rapidly in the Mountains. Get use to using a compass and map and don't depend on your cellphone as signals are weak to non-existent in the Mountainous regions of New Hampshire.

Need supplies and equipment visit: 

a. L.L.Bean  
b. sportsmansguide.com

Saturday, May 12, 2012

BOSTON RED SOX POSTGAME ALERT May 12, 2012



BOSTON RED SOX POSTGAME ALERT
May 12, 2012

Cleveland 1, Boston 4 at Fenway Park
Cleveland Record: (18-15)
Boston Record: (14-19)

Winning pitcher - Felix Doubront (3-1)
Losing pitcher - Zach McAllister (1-1)
SV - Alfredo Aceves (7)

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GAME LINKS:
Recap | Full Box Score | Photo Gallery | Highlights 

Visit redsox.com for more information »
Standings »
Game Notes » 

Young Cancer Patients catch the Eye and Heart of Kelly Clarkson

Young Cancer Patients' Video a Big Hit

A video featuring cancer-stricken children, their nurses, doctors and parents lip-synching and dancing to the popular Kelly Clarkson song "Stronger" has become an online sensation. Clarkson is calling their rendition "amazing." (May 11)


Firefighter Rescues Golden Retriever, Returns To Onlooking Owner

Dog Swept Away By Rough Waters Of Merrimack River - New Hampshire News

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- A man and his dog were reunited Friday night after Sam the golden retriever jumped in for a swim in the Merrimack River and was swept away.

While Sam struggled, his owner, Steve Soba, said he worried and onlookers called for the dog to stay afloat.

Soba said he took his dog off the leash for a moment at Arms Park, and Sam ran down some steps and got swept away by the strong, cold current.

People watched helplessly from above the river as the 6-year-old golden retriever could only tread water. He had no way out because of the steep walls that surround the park.

Link to full news coverage: http://ow.ly/aROrp

Some people leaned over the railing to shout words of encouragement, and Soba, of Hooksett, guided Sam from above. Manchester firefighters arrived to help, trying to lead Sam to a small patch of land. Sam followed the voices of Soba and other rescuers, doggy paddling down river.

Firefighter Joel Monroe rappelled down the wall and dove in to get the dog. A rescue boat arrived to carry Sam back to shore and return him to the arms of his owner.

(Sam) was excited. He started barking," Monroe said. "He was glad to be back on land. So, yeah, it went well."  .......


Read more: http://www.wmur.com/news/31051889/detail.html#ixzz1uf9tptwg

Friday, May 11, 2012

HABITAT WORK UNDERWAY TO CONSERVE RARE NEW ENGLAND COTTONTAILS




CONCORD, N.H. -- For the New England cottontail, mild winter conditions were a stroke of luck – a lack of snow made it easier for them to hide and find food. For the biologists who are surveying cottontails, the same conditions made it maddeningly difficult to find evidence of their presence. The challenges have not slowed the efforts of biologists from New Hampshire Fish and Game's Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Program, along with partners across the Northeast, to ensure the survival of this state-endangered native rabbit.

Over the past few years, Fish and Game has worked with University of New Hampshire researchers, who developed protocols for detecting New England cottontails and creating population estimates from survey results. Fish and Game staff helped collect data and are continuing to look for any rabbits that may not have been identified during the previous years' work and to confirm the persistence of individual rabbits at the occupied patches.

To find out how many New England cottontails are left and just where they are found, biologists usually look for evidence of the rabbits' presence in the snow. Needless to say, last winter there wasn't much snow in which to track rabbits in New Hampshire!

Monitoring for New England cottontails provides information about the location of remaining individuals, but the road to recovery for the species lies in the management efforts that are being done to increase the amount of available habitat on the landscape and number of rabbits that occupy these patches.

Many habitat management tools are used to create the “thickets” that New England cottontails need for survival -- the same type of brambly patch that saved Br'er Rabbit many a time. Timber harvesting, invasive species removal, and planting of native shrubs and forbs for cover and food are three techniques that Fish and Game has been using to turn historic cottontail habitat to its shrubby, scrubby ideal. These management actions are based on a scientific species recovery plan that will benefit New England cottontails as well as dozens of other species, such as chestnut-sided warbler, smooth green snake and American woodcock, which require healthy young forests and shrublands. To date, more than 300 acres of new habitat have been created on both public and private lands since 2009. An additional 1,700 acres is needed to meet the goal for available habitat in New Hampshire by 2030.
After we build it, New England cottontails will come; we need to be patient, however, because it may take up to 5 years of growth for the new thicket to be suitable for rabbits to live in.In the meantime, working with partners at the Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence, Rhode Island, biologists have established a pilot program for captive-breeding the cottontails. The goal is to breed New England cottontails in a controlled setting, using best practices to ensure genetic diversity and health in the animals, and then release the rabbits into the wild. This pilot program may be expanded to include other facilities across the Northeast – to augment declining populations across the region and reintroduce rabbits to their historic range.

While the warm, dry winter made things difficult for biologists, the weather was quite advantageous for the cottontails.The lack of snow provided better concealment for the rabbits, whose fur remains brown in the winter. It also improved conditions for the rabbits to forage on twigs, bark and buds of woody shrubs that can be difficult to access in soft, deep snow. In addition, the early spring brought green-up during the first part of the breeding season, providing high-quality nutrition for new litters of the year.

New Hampshire Fish and Game is working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Natural Resource Conservation Service and other conservation partners across six states in the Northeast to recover the New England cottontail. Once common in our state, the population of this rabbit has dwindled over the last 50 years, so that today this unique native mammal faces possible extinction. Learn more at http://newenglandcottontail.org.

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Thursday, May 10, 2012

BOSTON RED SOX POSTGAME ALERT May 10, 2012




BOSTON RED SOX POSTGAME ALERT

May 10, 2012

Cleveland 8, Boston 3 at Fenway Park
Cleveland Record: (18-13)
Boston Record: (12-19)

Winning pitcher - Derek Lowe (5-1)
Losing pitcher - Josh Beckett (2-4)

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GAME LINKS:
Recap | Full Box Score | Photo Gallery | Highlights 

Visit redsox.com for more information »
Standings »
Game Notes »


2012 All-Star Game MLB.com Ballot
Who will shine at the All-Star Game? Get your favorite players to the Midsummer Classic. Vote now.  More

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome to Fenway Park." - Carl Beane


Red Sox Insider
The Front Office Insider:
Remembering our friend, Carl Beane.
"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome to Fenway Park."

It gave me chills every time. Tell me something (anything) that can be so expected and yet elicit such a powerfully surprising response every single time. Every. Single. Time.

Carl Beane was perfectly suited forFenway Park, and not just for his voice. He was one of the "Fenway Characters" - a loving term for those folks you know just belong here and make this place what it is. The man was about as funny as they come - one of those guys that you'd just see roaming the halls of the ballpark and you'd chuckle and find yourself...

Read More from The Insider

•  Silence tonight at Fenway to honor Beane 
•  Red Sox look to turn things around at home

Rest in Peace, you were the voice of Fenway!

Man Charged in Beagle Cruelty Case

Salem Patch

Dave has shared the following article from Salem Patch:
2439fff860a7de2d7dda81580cdce26e Man Charged in Beagle Cruelty Case
Police confirm John Kalamaras was arrested this week for numerous counts of animal cruelty....
I thought you might be interested in this article from the Salem Patch.
Visit Patch.com for more local news, reviews, and info.
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Salem NH Hopes To Start Work Soon On Rail Trail


Bicycle, Pedestrian Path Will Be Part Of 80-Mile Trail


Work is expected to start soon to clear the way for a bicycle and pedestrian trail along a former railroad track in southern New Hampshire.

The work in Salem will be part of an 80-mile rail trail from Lawrence, Mass., to Lebanon, N.H.
The Eagle-Tribune reported that the town and New Hampshire Department of Transportation still need to negotiate agreements for use of the former Boston & Maine Railroad tracks.


Salem selectmen voted Monday to finalize the details with the state.


The rail trail, proposed more than a decade ago, extends 5.1 miles through Salem. The trail passes through Windham, Derry and Londonderry.

Source: http://www.wmur.com/news/31036066/detail.html#ixzz1uTXIOG5y
 


Time for a new pair of Reebok sneakers?


Salem rail trail work could finally start soon


SALEM — There's hope at the end of the trail for a local project that's been years in the making.

Work is expected to begin soon to clear the way for Salem's portion of a bicycle and pedestrian trail that would someday extend about 80 miles from Lawrence to Lebanon.

But first, the town and state Department of Transportation need to negotiate agreements for use of the former Boston & Maine Railroad tracks.

Salem selectmen voted unanimously Monday to authorize Town Manager Keith Hickey to finalize the details with the state.

The rail trail, proposed more than a decade ago, extends 5.1 miles through Salem. The trail passes through Windham, Derry and Londonderry as well.

The Nevada-based Iron Horse Preservation Society has offered to remove part of the old track and would start when given the word, Salem community development director William Scott said.

The nonprofit organization of train enthusiasts volunteers its services, funding the work through the sale of old tracks and equipment for the preservation of historic railroads.

The group has been working on the rail trail in Methuen.

But negotiating the necessary agreements could take a while, according to David Topham of the Salem Bike-Ped Corridor Committee.

Approval is needed from the DOT, the attorney general's office and the Executive Council, he said.

Topham is optimistic, but the big question that remains is when work would begin.

"We don't feel there is any major obstacle at all," he said. "It just takes a while to push the paperwork through."

Windham and Derry are mostly done with their portions of the trail, he said. Scott said he will meet with Windham officials in the next week.

Londonderry is early in the process. The project will be funded through a $1.27 million federal transportation grant requiring a 20 percent local match. Salem must raise roughly $220,000 through private sources, Topham said.

"The town is basically looking for the funds to come up with the match money," he said. "The money is not coming from the taxpayers."

Linda Harvey, also a member of the Salem Bike-Ped Corridor Committee, has been pushing for the project since 1999. She said she will be glad when work finally begins.

"I will be relieved to see something happening," Harvey said.

• • •
Source: http://www.eagletribune.com/newhampshire/x241727125/Salem-rail-trail-work-could-finally-start-soon


Got a little one and still want to go for a bike ride?  Check this out: Weehoo iGo Pro Trailer Bike


Wednesday, May 9, 2012

May is National Bike Month


Sierra Club - Explore, enjoy and protect the planet

Dear Reader,

Celebrate National Bike Month with the Sierra Club.

Bike Month
Tell Congress and your governor: Americans want safer bike options to break our addiction to oil!

Bike Month
May is National Bike Month. And as a friend told me yesterday, "Biking feels like flying!"

It's true: On a bike, you can smell the flowers, feel the wind in your face, beat the traffic, and help the climate.

Everyone deserves access to clean, affordable transportation choices like biking -- but many communities don't have the infrastructure they need to safely replace car trips with biking. With your help, we can do better.

Celebrate Bike Month with the Sierra Club by telling Congress and your governor: Our communities need safe biking options.

What happens when a community gets safe biking options?

Well, thanks to a Department of Transportation pilot program, several communities in Missouri, California, Minnesota, and Wisconsin have seen more bikers and pedestrians, safer streets, and an estimated savings of 7,701 tons of climate pollution every year since 2010. 1

Biking isn't just fun -- it also beats paying $4 at the pump. If American drivers traded just one weekly four-mile car trip for a bike ride, we'd save $4.6 billion and 2 billion gallons of gas every year.

Tens of thousands of Americans will spend a little extra time on their bikes for National Bike Month, and I hope you'll join them. Start by letting decision makers know: We need safer biking infrastructure.

Tell Congress and your governor about these successes, and let them know: We need them to work with transportation officials for safer, climate-friendly transportation options.

We're proud to be partnering with the League of American Bicyclists, the National Council of La Raza, and other allies to make Bike Month a big success. Join us by contacting our elected leaders today -- and then hop on a bike for a new look at your community.

Thanks for all you do for our environment,

Ann Mesnikoff
Sierra Club Green Transportation Director

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[1] LaHood, Ray. "National Bike Month, a good time to put on your helmet and saddle up." U.S. Department of Transportation. Web. 01 May 2012.