New Book Showcases 75 Hikes across the Rocky Mountains

From Montana to New Mexico, the American Rockies stretch for more than a thousand miles. Within this spectacular mountain range are thousands of miles of hiking trails. With such an overwhelming number of options, how will you find and choose the most scenic and rewarding hikes?

Ultimate Hiking Guide to the Rocky Mountains: Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico takes all the guesswork out by focusing on some of the most amazing hikes across this range, and provides you with a handpicked list of options that will allow you to make the most of your trips in the Rockies.

What’s in this trail guide?

* Detailed descriptions for 75 day hikes that lead to tranquil backcountry lakes, roaring waterfalls, deep canyons, alpine meadows and placid glaciers. Many ascend to high mountain passes and summits. All of them will lead you to extraordinary places that offer breathtaking scenery.

Ultimate Hiking Guide to the Rocky Mountains is now available on Amazon.

RMEF Grant to Help Wolf Management in Wyoming

The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation recently announced that a $50,000 grant from the organization will assist the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) with its wolf management plan.

The funding will expand WGFD’s knowledge of predator-prey interactions between wolves and elk. It will also expand the radio collar program to help managers better understand the home range, territory size, pack size and other biological traits and actions of the wolf so they can better implement management techniques.

“It is vital that state agencies have a firm grasp on predator populations in order to properly implement science-based management practices,” said David Allen, RMEF president and CEO. “This grant will help WGFD gain more knowledge to better understand its wolf population so it can better implement its approved wolf management plan.”

"Our partnership with the RMEF is extremely valuable to us and this grant shows how this relationship continues to develop great opportunities for conservation," said Tom Ryder, Wildlife Assistant Division Chief for WGFD. “This grant will help the Department execute its adaptive wolf management plan by helping to increase our knowledge of wolf/elk interactions, wolf home range, and pack and territory size. Each of these biological components is important for the management plan and to our shared constituents."

In keeping with the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation, RMEF supports state-regulated hunting and trapping as the preferred tools of wolf management. RMEF staunchly supports management to balance and control wolf populations.

RMEF also remains committed to learning more about wolves through research efforts. Since 1989, RMEF invested nearly $664,000 in research grants to advance scientific understanding of wolves, wolf interactions with other species, and overall wolf management. The total includes $174,079 in Wyoming-specific research projects and more than $200,000 in science grants in just the past five years. Most of the contributions paid for independent research by leading universities, state and federal wildlife conservation agencies and tribes.

“Part of RMEF’s mission is to ensure the future of elk and other wildlife,” said Allen. “This grant helps managers do just that in Wyoming by helping them know how many wolves are out there, where they travel and what effect they have on elk, deer and other ungulates.”

RMEF will allocate nearly $2.9 million for elk and wildlife-related conservation projects in 27 states with wild, free-ranging elk populations in 2013. Additionally $570,000 will also be allocated to hunting heritage programs in 49 states.


Jeff
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

Wyoming Results of 2012 Forest Health Survey Announced

The U.S. Forest Service and Wyoming State Forestry Division have announced the results of the annual aerial forest health survey for Wyoming. Both the mountain pine beetle and spruce beetle epidemics have declined across Wyoming in 2012. Statewide the number of new acres affected by the mountain pine beetle has declined from 719,000 in 2011 to 180,000 acres in 2012. The total footprint of the outbreak in Wyoming is now 3.4 million acres since 1996. In 2011, the total acreage for the epidemic was 3.3 million acres.

“Our actions today and in years to come will shape the forest of the future. Active forest management on both public and private lands can lead to healthier trees on the landscape and create the diversity necessary to reduce future large-scale insect epidemics.” said Bill Crapser, Wyoming State Forester.

Mountain Pine Beetle:

In south central Wyoming, including the Medicine-Bow National Forest, the aerial survey indicated a decline of mountain pine beetle activity from 378,000 in 2011 to 49,000 acres in 2012 largely due to fewer trees available for beetle infestation.

In western Wyoming, including the Shoshone, Wasatch-Cache and Bridger-Teton national forests, mountain pine beetle activity has declined from 280,000 in 2011 to 83,000 acres in 2012 in lodgepole and 5-needle pines largely due to fewer trees available for beetle infestation.

In north central Wyoming, including the Bighorn National Forest, large areas of forest remain unaffected by mountain pine beetle. In 2012, only 440 acres of mountain pine beetle activity was detected.

Northeast Wyoming, including the Black Hills National Forest, mountain pine beetle activity continues with aerial photograph interpretation detecting 730 acres additional acreage from 2011’s survey.

Spruce Beetle:

Spruce beetle activity has declined from 76,000 in 2011 to 32,000 acres in 2012 statewide. Since 1996, 558,000 acres have been affected by spruce beetle statewide leaving many areas of large dead standing spruce in the high country.

In south central Wyoming, the spruce beetle epidemic is declining leaving large areas of dead standing large spruce in the Sierra Madre, Snowy Range, and Medicine Bow Mountains in Albany and Carbon counties.

In northwestern Wyoming’s Absaroka Mountains in and adjacent to the Shoshone National Forest, spruce beetle continues to kill spruce and many areas have few surviving mature spruce remaining.

The 2012 aerial survey results for Wyoming can be found at www.fs.usda.gov/r2.




Jeff
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com