Recreation / Outdoors

Is Northwest nature worship neurological?

Posted Thu, Nov 20, 6:30 a.m. 2008

by Knute Berger

Our religious impulses toward the wilderness could be boosted by the way our brains work.

A remarkable vote for the arts

Posted Wed, Nov 5, 3:54 p.m. 2008

by David Brewster

Minnesota passes a generous program of dedicated funding for arts and outdoors, passing the measure despite economic hard times. Might Seattle be next?

Bigfoot hunters must change tactics

Posted Thu, Aug 21, 4 a.m. 2008

by Knute Berger

I'm sure you were stunned by the headline: "Turns out Bigfoot was just a rubber gorilla suit." Hard to believe, I know. If you are looking for answers, however, don't despair. Instead of wondering aloud, "how can this be," turn to your home Mossback library. I'm sure tucked in there somewhere is a copy of the book that has all the Sasquatch answers.

Whassup with Wasilla

Posted Mon, Sep 1, 4:47 p.m. 2008

by Sue Frause

The day after a former Miss Wasilla was picked by Sen. John McCain as his running mate, I realized I'd been there. In 2004, I went to Alaska to see the start of the Iditarod. That's the grueling 1,150-mile sled dog race that starts in south central Alaska and ends in Nome on the Bering Sea. Often referred to as "The Last Great Race on Earth," it takes anywhere from 10-17 days for the teams of 12-16 dogs and their mushers.

Where the Dems are

Posted Wed, Aug 20, 8 a.m. 2008

by David Brewster

In sorting tea leaves, take a look at the very close primary race between state Lands Commissioner Doug Sutherland, a Republican, and his challenger, Peter Goldmark, an Okanagan Democrat. Sutherland looks like the only statewide officeholder, aside from Gov. Gregoire, in a tight race for reelection. The race will be a barometer of the greenward tilting of the Evergreen State. As a relatively low-profile, down-on-the-ballot race, it's also a good measure of where the Democratic voters are.

Amazing Bigfoot discovery!

Posted Sat, Aug 16, 12:01 p.m. 2008

by Knute Berger

From what I can tell from news reports, yesterday's press conference by Bigfoot hunters claiming to have found a Sasquatch corpse in Georgia had some startling revelations. One is DNA results that answer the question: Just what is Bigfoot?

The parade of foolishness

Posted Sat, Aug 2, 6:38 a.m. 2008

by Ted Van Dyk

We're into August, which can be a dazzling month in the Northwest, with many things to enjoy and be thankful for: brilliant sunsets, fresh air, sparkling forests and water, music and arts festivals in places large and small, and, not least, an economy that is comparatively stronger than the rest of the country's. But concerns and irritations conspire to break the spell.

Walkability is nice, but it's not making us skinny

Posted Wed, Jul 30, 10:49 a.m. 2008

by Knute Berger

Current theory says that a city's walkability promotes health and will impact the fight against obesity. The claim is that America's weight problem can be helped by making cities more pedestrian-friendly. It should follow, then, that our most dense and walkable cities are where the skinny people are, right? Well, not really.

Holy chiroptera! Meet the local bats

Posted Sun, Jul 27, 7:21 a.m. 2008

by Michele Solis

Like the neighbors I rarely see until July, bats are making their appearances during the drawn-out summer evenings here in the Northwest. Flitting in the dusk, these nocturnal and flying mammals that use ultrasonic calls outside of our hearing range inhabit a world quite separate from mine. But Bats Northwest, an education and conservation group of bat aficionados, is here to bridge that gap through summertime bat walks at Green Lake, and there's one this Monday, July 28, at 8 p.m.

Sausage Links, cougar-hunting edition

Posted Wed, Jul 16, 3:28 p.m. 2008

by Clark Fredricksen

Praise the Lord and release the hounds — because our good state Legislature has enacted a law which makes it legal once again to use dogs to hunt cougars. Now, I didn't even know cougar hunting was legal in Washington — minus Cougars wearing crimson — but apparently, it is. While the bill was actually passed by the Legislature in February, the Department of Fish and Wildlife will hold a public meeting on Friday to discuss whether the pilot program should continue for another three years.

Meanwhile, Micheal Reitz of the Evergreen Freedom Foundation has compiled a list of some other curious laws enacted by the Washington Legislature this year. My personal favorite: Violators may face up to $1,000 or up to a year in jail for selling raw or unprocessed huckleberries without a permit.