In another note from the "potentially more harm then good" file a federal judge in Montana has ruled that the U.S. Forest Service has to look into the toxicity of the fire retardant it routinely uses to douse forest fires across the country.  

Judge Donald Molloy ruled that the current environmental assessment permitting the unrestricted use of the toxic chemicals is inadequate because federal biologists have found the fire retardant jeopardizes rare plants and endangered species when it lands in creeks and lakes.  

The case was brought by the Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics (FSEEE), which pointed out that more than half of the 20 million gallons of the fire retardant used by the agency is used in California and the windy conditions there prevents most of it from even reaching its intended location.  The retardant is a mix of water and fertilizer that somehow helps put out fires.  

This sounds somewhat similar to the toxic oil dispersant that B.P. dumped all over the Gulf, ignoring the warnings of scientists and biologists that it might be more harmful then the oil itself.  Ahh yes.  We can sure engineer ourselves right out of the environmental problems we cause.  As long as the houses are protected and the beaches are clean…that's what really matters right?

For the full fire retardant story see The Statesman Journal

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar unveiled a special edition Duck Stamp Cachet that would help fund conservation efforts in the gulf.  Less you too are unaware what a duck stamp cachet is, MT_Guy will try to explain.  Apparently since the Dust Bowl of the 1930's destroyed wetland habitat across the country, the Federal Government has developed and sold a "chachet" of duck stamps each year to hunters, stamp collectors, and other folks who love duck stamps.  All told, the program has raised more than $750 million and bought and conserved more than 5.3 million acres of waterfowl habitat.  

All migratory bird hunters have to buy a $15 Federal Duck Stamp (presumably to add to their stamp collection) in addition to their state licenses and fees.  This year's  special edition stamp costs $10 more than the regular one, with the extra proceeds going to purchase wetland habitat along the Gulf Coast.  Regular stamps are still available for all you cheap bastards out there.  

 
 

130 days and 8,000 miles later, the Plastiki, a boat developed and skippered by David de Rothschild, finally completed its voyage and sailed into the famous Sydney Harbor yesterday.  Rothschild's purpose, aside from filling up a year or so of his life, was to bring attention to all of the plastic that ends up in our oceans.  Particularly the massive collection of plastic waste that spins and spins in the Pacific Ocean, called the Pacific Garbage Patch.  The boat was made from 12,500 plastic bottles and sailed from San Francisco to Sydney.  

The crew's and the skipper's intent was clear from the beginning - sail a boat made of plastic to the largest patch of plastic in the ocean, while protesting the use of plastic.  They spread the message on the high seas, using modern technology to broadcast their hopes for a sustainable future.  No word yet on whether the local Sydney recycling center takes boats…

via Treehugger 

Just a couple of months ago, American cyclist Floyd Landis shocked the bicycling community when he threw pretty much everyone under the doping bus.  Landis claimed that the U.S. Postal Cycling Team, the one that helped Lance Armstrong win three hundred Tour de France's, had an organized and active doping scheme and that most, if not all, of the riders doped.  

Just yesterday, Tyler Hamilton, a former U.S. Postal Team member, announced he's working with Federal prosecutors on their case.  Chris Manderson, Hamilton's attorney, told ESPN.com that Hamilton and prosecutors are working on "ground rules and arranging a situation where Hamilton can speak confidentially and five them the information they need."  

Well, this in getting interesting.  Disgraced professional says it wasn't just him, but everyone.  Former team member turns government snitch.  One of the best American cyclists ever, hires top gun defense attorneys.  Yup, Lance Armstrong has reportedly hired Los Angeles based criminal defense attorney Bryan Daly to represent him in the investigation.  Hmmm.  I have a feeling I know how this is going to play out.  I sure hope I'm wrong.

Via CyclingNews.Com

There's something slightly insane about strapping on full body pads, a massive motorcycle helmet, and hurtling yourself down a mountain on a bike as fast as you can.  Well, the US Downhill Championships finished up in Granby, CO this weekend and GoBlog is bringing you the results.

The race provided plenty of crashes and according to Mountain Bike Action, "Ambulances ran non-stop from Sol Vista [the downhill race location] to a nearby medical center, with several racers being airlifted to Denver to treat serious injuries."

Well, doesn't that sound like fun.  The course featured typical downhill obstacles - loose gravel, sharp turns, and steep, off-camber pitches.  But it also had several man-made features including some big gap jumps.  Despite the carnage, the event was considered a success by the participants who did not require serious medical attention.

Here's how the results shaped up:

Pro Men Top 5
1.  Aaron Gwin - Morongo Valley, CA
2.  Logan Binggeli - Saint George, UT
3. Tyler Immer - Rancho Murieta, CA
4. Kyle Strait - Huntington Beach, CA
5. Bradley Beneict - Auburn, CA

Pro Women Top 5
1.  Jill Kintner - Seattle, WA
2.  Jacqueline Harmony - Sedona, AZ
3.  Melissa Buhl - Chandler, AZ
4.  Leigh Donovan - Murieta, CA
5.  Darian Harvey - Durango, CO

For pics and a more complete round up check out MBA

 

So I have one of the early generation Steri Pens - they're water "filters" that use U.V. light to zap all the nasties in your water.  It's pretty cool and works pretty well - 90 seconds of stirring and you've got clean water.  But it takes four, yes four, AA batteries, and is somewhat bulky and heavy.  On a Grand Canyon trip, we had to pull batteries out of the camera to replace the ones in the Steri Pen.   It was that or take pictures as we slowly died from thirst.  I've been wanting one of the newer Steri Pens that use only two batteries and have a solar powered panel to help with recharging on long trips.  

But I don't any more.   Steri Pen just released the Sidewinder, and it does away with batteries all together.  The Sidewinder operates through a crank system that powers the U.V. light, obviating the need for batteries.  While I haven't tried one yet, it sounds super cool.  Simply fill up your liter bottle, open the crank and turn until a green LED light indicates successful purification.  

The Sidewinder weighs 16.6 ounces - still a little heavy for the ultra light crowd.  The Sidewinder won't be available until September, so don't run to your local REI yet.  It retails for just under $100.  

Check out SteriPen for more details.  www.steripen.com

Mountain Hardwear has a new "summer weight" glove that weigh barely 2 ounces that they're calling the Momentum Running Glove.  The Momentum comes with all the typical features you'd expect in a pair of $35 dollar "summer gloves," but ratchets things up a level with a sneaky little trap door for your finger that allows you to operate a touch screen like an ipod, GPS, or smart phone.  Thank god!  It totally sucks to be out trail running and be unable to update my Facebook status so my bros know I'm out trail running - in real time.  Actually, it would be pretty cool for spring slogs in the backcountry, or cold morning rides to work.  Next time I have an extra 35 bucks, I might just pick me up a pair.  I just hope they last more than a season.  I have a lot of status updates to "file."

Read a full review at Backpacker

Got an expedition you want to mount, but no cash or missing gear?  Have a video camera?  This one's for you.   

The National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) has partnered up with Patagonia to announce the "Dream Expedition Contest."  Contestants 13 years and older simply submit a video answering this question:  What is your dream expedition, and how will you prepare for it? 

Judges from NOLS will select best overall winner and winners in various subcategories, including most views, most creative, most inspirational, funniest, and most low-tech.  Grand prize is not your dream expedition…suckers.  But it is a pretty sick NOLS trip exploring the spectacular Wind River range in Wyoming for thirty days plus domestic airfare to WY, and all the gear needed for the expedition.  Pretty sweet.

Runner ups win gear too, so get out there and fire up that Super 8. 

Entries must be submitted by October 31, 2010.  Watch the contest video on YouTube and visit www.nols.edu/contest for more details.

I like watching bike racing for the same reason I like watching NASCAR: Crashes!   It's pretty damn fun to watch a geeked out cyclist go down on a ten thousand dollar bike and cause an epic crash.  Well this year's Tour de France has not disappointed.   The Tour opened with several crashes during the prologue - the first race of the Tour.  Conditions were wet, which added to the difficulty and several riders crashed.  On the second day a dog wandered out onto the course and caused a big pile up.  Day three, more crashes, day four more crashes...

Fast forward to yesterday's eighth stage where the Tour entered the mountains. Lance Armstrong crashed 3 times and fell so far behind - 11 minutes, he's pretty much finished.    

To be fair, these guys are pretty damn tough.  At least two riders have broken arms of some sort, but are still riding, and after the first few days, there's some pretty nasty road rash spreading through the peleton.  It's gonna be a fun trip through the mountains.  For a little of the blood, sweat, and tears, check out this "Tour de France Crashes" slideshow from the Guardian.  

Oh and for those of you who actually care…The current leader is Cadel Evans of Australia (Team BMC) He's in the lead with a time of 37h 57m 09s.  Andy Schleck of Luxembourg (Team Saxo Banco) is 20 seconds behind and Alberto Contador, last year's winner of Spain is just over a minute behind.