Take these 7 environmentally friendly safaris

Tree Hugger reports on seven safaris with an environmental focus.

Kenya: Eco-Resorts' 11-day,10-night tour of Kenya singles out the country's ecotourism hotspots by booking stays at properties owned by residents of the communities you'll pass through

Rwanda: Rwanda Eco-Tours' Inside Nyungwe tour is a six-day trip takes you into Nyungwe Forest National Park, home to more than a dozen different primate species.

South Africa: The Earth Organization's safaris are practically a mini-course in conservation under the direction of Lawrence Anthony, best known for saving the animals in residence at the Baghdad Zoo at the beginning of the Iraq War.

Read the full story: 7 eco safaris around the globe

Photo from Rwanda Tourism

Yellowstone grizzly bear mauling investigation

National Parks Traveler reports on the investigation into the death of the man mauled by a grizzly bear in Yellowstone National Park.

Erwin Frank Evert, a 70-year-old botanist, knowingly entered an area last week that warned people to stay away from a recently radio-collared grizzly bear. Evert was mauled by the bear and investigators are now trying to piece together the events.

“In 33 years or so of trapping in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem we’ve never had this situation before,” an understandably somber Chuck Schwartz, team leader of the state-federal bear study team, said Monday.

According to Chris Servheen, the long-time Grizzly Bear Recovery Coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the field biologists in this incident stayed with the 430-pound grizzly [after it was anesthetized and collared] until it began to stir, then left the area. About the same time, Mr. Evert was heading up the drainage that climbs into the Absaroka Mountains just about 7 miles east of Yellowstone.

“I cannot remember another incident where a grizzly bear that’s been handled has killed a person, recently after being handled," Dr. Servheen said Monday. "And we have captured thousands of grizzly bears and black bears using these same techniques. This is the first time its ever happened.”

The grizzly bear's new radio collar subsequently led wildlife agents to its location on Saturday where they shot and killed it from a helicopter.

Read the full story: Investigation launched into Yellowstone grizzly bear mauling

Photo from USGS

Idaho water adventure company's success

Idaho Statesman reports on the success of the Idaho Canoe and Kayak Club's success.

Its outings have enticed up to 150 Treasure Valley boaters to Idaho waterways since the late 1980s. Floats from May to October typically draw from 40 to 70 boaters.

Stan Kolby and Jo Cassin, the co-owners of Idaho River Sports in Boise, have been an integral part of the club's success.

Although their shop was selling a lot of canoes, Kolby and Cassin found that buyers didn't know where to paddle - or who to paddle with.

"The club did exactly what we wanted it to do," said Kolby, which was to bring together boaters on Idaho's rivers and lakes.

"It totally exploded," Kolby said.

At first canoeists dominated the monthly floats. Then in the mid-1990s, more stable and comfortable recreational kayaks became popular choices.

Read the full story: Explore Idaho by canoe or kayak

Photo from Idaho Canoe and Kayak Club

Deforestation = more malaria; study

Reuters reports that malaria rates rise when the forests are cut down in the Amazon according to a study by U.S. researchers.

The scientists found in their study, published in Emerging Infectious Diseases journal, a 48 percent increase in malaria rates in Brazil after 4 percent of the tree cover was cut down.

"Conservation policy and public health policy are one and the same," Jonathan Patz, the professor who oversaw the work, said in a telephone interview. "How we manage our landscapes and, in this case, tropical rain forest has implications for public health."

Malaria, caused by a parasite transmitted by mosquitoes, kills about 860,000 people a year globally, according to the World Health Organization. Brazil has about 500,000 cases a year of malaria, most carried by Anopheles darling mosquito.

Patz's team has been tracking mosquito populations and how they change as forests are cut down in Brazil and Peru. They took satellite data showing changes in tree cover in one county of Brazil's Amazon region and linked it with health records showing diagnosed cases of malaria.

Read the full story: Cleared forests lead to rise in malaria in Brazil

Photo from Nature's Crusaders / Stephen Ferry / Getty

Rick Steves likes to bike in Europe

Rick Steves, European travel expert, explains why he enjoys bicycling in Europe.

He says that he gets closer to the people and culture while also feeling like a local.

Whenever I'm in Amsterdam, much of my experience is framed by my black bike handlebars: the shiny wet cobbles, powering up a bridge to coast down it and halfway to the next bridge, getting pinged by passing bikes and pinging my bell to pass others. Cars, trams, bikers, and pedestrians seem to float by from all directions in silence -- their sounds lost in the white noise of this dreamy city.

Stockholm, Copenhagen, Berlin, Salzburg, Munich, and Bruges are also a delight on two wheels, offering an extensive network of well-marked bike lanes. Some cities have creative programs where hundreds of free or very cheap loaner bikes are locked to racks around town.

Read the full story: Biking in Europe: a cultural bridge

Photo from Rick Steves

BP to use oil filtration machines made by actor Kevin Costner

Mother Nature Network reports that BP will use several of actor Kevin Costner's oil filtration machines in efforts to clean up their continuing oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

After more than 20 years of development and $25 million in personal investment, the actor's oil-separation centrifuges were given the green light by BP last night.

"We were confident the technology would work, but we needed to test it at the extremes. We've done that and are excited by the results," said Doug Suttles, BP's chief operating officer. "We are very pleased with the results and today we have placed a significant order with OTS [Costner's Ocean Therapy Solutions] and will be working with them to rapidly manufacture and deploy 32 of their machines."

Read the full story: Kevin Costner's oil filtration tech gets BP 'excited'

Photo by Susan Walsh / AP

Interstate to trees near St. Louis arch

USA Today reports on the plans to green-up the interstate highway near the St. Louis, Missouri arch.

An environmental group wants to remove Interstate 70 from the downtown area and create a tree-lined boulevard according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

For years, civic leaders, including former Republican Sen. John Danforth, have sought to find a way to connect downtown with the Arch grounds and the river. Right now, the interstate makes it difficult to move freely from downtown. Bridges cross above the interstate, but traffic is heavy and walking can be dangerous.

The National Park Service, which operates the Arch and its grounds, launched the international competition to redesign the grounds.

Read the full story: Big changes in store for area around St. Louis arch

Photo from SLANAC

Nude cyclists protest London bike safety

The Guardian UK reports on London's annual naked bike day event.

Last weekend 1,100 riders rode in the buff to bring awareness to bicycle safety along London's vehicle-filled roads.

"It's a bit of reclaiming the streets," said Sarah Reader, a 23-year-old from London. "I cycle ten miles a day and London's built up such a car culture.

"When I first heard of it I didn't think it was a political thing, but when you think about it, it will make cyclists visible.

"I think it will be incredibly liberating and it's a bit cheeky. We might start off with underwear then ditch it later on," she said.

Read the full story: Cyclists strip off in central London

Photo by Leon Neal / AFP / Getty Images

Gardens and parks in Mumbai

The New York Times In Transit blog reports on escaping the crowds of Mumbai, India to visit some of the green spaces.

Luckily, the ever-popular Marine Drive promenade and the Hanging Gardens are not the only green spots in town. For a short morning stroll, check out the leafy neighborhood of Five Gardens, just a five-minute drive from the teeming Dadar train station.

At sunset, head to Bandra’s seaside promenade, which runs from the 17th-century Bandra Fort up to the fishing village of Khar.

For a real escape, head to the northern suburb of Borivali to Sanjay Gandhi National Park, a 40-square-mile expanse of rugged green hills where leopards still roam.

Read more here: Going green in Mumbai

Photo by Ally Reeves

Cars in NYC bike lanes get stickered

The Daily Green reports on the controversial stickers (right) that some activists are putting on cars parked in bicycle lanes in New York City. Parking in bike lanes is against the law.

The anonymous group - who started putting the stickers on the offending vehicles last week - has already handed out "a couple hundred."

They claim it's a safety issue, yet the car owners could consider it vandalism even though they are breaking the law by parking in a bike lane.

As one commenter wrote: "some bicyclists will just pick their bike up and slam it into the car and continue on their way. This does a lot more damage than a sticker on the window or bumper."

Read the full story: A sticker situation - cars in the bike lane get a wake-up call

Photo from The Daily Green

Stay away from Guatemala volcano or risk death

Associated Press reports that tourists hoping to see erupting Guatemalan volcano Pacaya are risking their lives according to officials.

Pacaya National Park was closed even before the May 27 explosion, which killed a reporter who got too close and was hit by a shower of volcanic rock. But visitors are bypassing the usual route up the mountain and going instead to a private farm in the village of Los Pocitos, where locals will take them to the pyroclastic flows for a $1.25 a head.

Even in normal times, travel guidebooks warn of the risks of hiking Pacaya, which has been active since 1966. A month before the most recent eruption, a Venezuelan tourist and her Guatemalan guide were killed by a rock slide.

Read the full story: Tourists warned to stay away from Guatemala volcano

Photo by Rodrigo Abd / AP

Air Canada green flights

Terra Curve reports that Air Canada will offer voluntary carbon offsets to all passengers wishing to make their flights "green."

Powered by a new partnership with Zerofootprint, a leading organization in the global fight against climate change, the bilingual Voluntary Carbon Offset program offers travelers the choice of two new ISO-14064 certified carbon offsets projects – including an Ontario-based landfill gas recovery project and a tire recycling program in Quebec.

Read more here: Choose to fly green with Air Canada

Photo from Global Giants

Panama: Central America's new ecotourism destination

Mother Nature Network reports on the ecotourism possibilities in Panama.

Eco-tourism is becoming a powerhouse industry in Panama, much like it did in neighboring Costa Rica over the past few decades. Costa Rica’s well-developed nature-tourism industry has caused land prices to climb to the point where developing anything other than a multistory resort hotels is not financially possible. Panama’s prices are much lower, making it possible for developers to build resorts within the natural surroundings rather than on top of them.

Read the full story: Destination of the week: Panama City

Photo from Joel Carillet / iStockphoto

United Airlines to demonstrate fuel-saving flights

Associated Press reports on United Airlines fuel-saving flight demonstrations this weekend.

United will fly a normal commercial route with passengers from Frankfurt to Chicago and back on Saturday. However these flights on Boeing 777s will be expected to save 3 percent of the fuel (around 940 gallons) normally used. This will be achieved by not staying at a precise altitude; which burns extra fuel to maintain.

This flight will drift up and down as much as 3,000 feet; [which] also lets them choose the best altitude depending on wind and other conditions, said Joe Burns, a United captain and managing director of technology and flight tests.

He said those small adjustments wouldn't make much difference on a short domestic flight, but they add up on an eight- or 10-hour overseas flight.

Read more here: United Airlines plans fuel-saving flight

Photo by Eric Risberg / AP file

New Mexico launches ecotourism programs

USA Today reports on the new ecotourism projects New Mexico is launching this summer.

Tourism is New Mexico's No. 2 industry, behind oil and gas production, and brings in an estimated $5.7 billion annually. And if ecotourism can be fairly described as nature-based specialty travel or wilderness experiences that enrich and educate, the state thinks it has something to offer.

Visitors are attracted by "that sense of place we have here in New Mexico," said Deputy Tourism Secretary Jennifer Hobson, who oversees the initiative. "They want to go someplace where they can learn something, have a story to tell, meet the local people."

Read the full story: New Mexico embraces ecotourism efforts

Photo from New Mexico Tourism Department via AP

Some Zion NP trails and canyons closed through Fall

National Parks Traveler reports that road work will impact access to some of Zion National Park's hiking trails and canyons.

Trails and canyons along the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway will be closed off during the week when the road work commences on Monday June 7. Closures will continue through to October.

Under the current plan, you won't be able to drive the highway Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. From 4 p.m. to 9 a.m. there will be access, but under traffic control. On weekends and holidays the road should be open round-the-clock, though there could be traffic control at times that could delay you.

Trails affected by the construction are the Canyon Overlook and East Rim. The Canyon Overlook will not be accessible at any time Monday through Friday. Parking is not available Monday through Friday at the East Rim trailhead. The East Rim trail is accessible from the Stave Spring Trailhead, Weeping Rock Trailhead, and the East Mesa Trailhead.

Canyons affected include Pine Creek, Spry and Keyhole. These canyons will not be accessible at any time Monday through Friday. All hikes and canyons will be available on weekends if no work is occurring. Visitors should check the park website ahead of time to make sure there is no construction affecting the area they wish to visit.

Read the full story: Road work in Zion NP will impact hiking and canyoneering access

Photo from NPS

Bike through Germany to French border

Stars and Stripes reports on a buddy bike trip from Ramstein Air Force Base, Germany to France's border.

Ben Bloker and his friend Nick took a two-day bike trip through Saarland and connected to the Glan-Blies-Weg, "a touring path that runs from Glan-Münchweiler in Germany to Sarreguemines, just across the border in France."

Pre-ride preparation was minimal. We rented a lightweight tent from Ramstein Air Base’s Outdoor Recreation office and split it up for the ride. My buddy, Nick, had a commuting bike that was already tour-ready. My mountain bike required some skinny tires and the installation of a rear rack. We packed our panniers with sleeping bags, camping pad, water and extra clothing.

Read the full story: The basics of bike touring

Photo by Ben Bloker / Stars and Stripes

Trump to build Scottish golf resort despite protests

The Financial Times reports that real estate developer Donald Trump will press on developing his Scottish golf resort near Aberdeen despite environmentalists' protests.

Ecotravel News has been following this story for years. Back in February 2008 we posted a video of protesters, and later followed it up with a post questioning the profitability of the resort.

Trump said that he used $60 million of his own money to help finance the building of the resort.

Work began on planting the coastal dunes at Menie Estate with marram grass in the autumn and Mr Trump said today he was going to name them “The Great Dunes of Scotland”. Environmentalists objected to the scheme because the dunes offer a home for rare birds and plants.

Tripping Up Trump, a protest group, announced it had taken title to part of the land owned by Michael Forbes, a smallholder who has previously rejected offers by the Trump Organisation to buy his and several adjoining properties that lie close to the proposed courses.

Read the full story: Trump vows to press on with Scottish resort

Photo by Murdo Macleod

Pump soap, reduce wasteful plastic shampoo bottles

MSNBC reports that some luxury hotels are getting rid of wasteful and unenvironmental mini-plastic soap and shampoo bottles and replacing them with refillable pumps.

Pat Maher, the green consultant for the American Hotel and Lodging Association, predicts amenities dispensers will be the norm within five years. “Right now, half a million of those little shampoo bottles end up in landfills every day. Hotels that say they’re eco-friendly establishments and doing all those things they do with the greening of their hotels ... will start getting complaints if people stay at their hotels and they don’t have soap dispensers.”

Maher says properties currently testing or installing bathroom amenities dispensers include the Kimpton, Ritz Carlton and Choice Hotels as well as Starwood’s extended-stay Element Hotels.

Read the full story: Hotels dispensing with bathroom clutter

Photo by RSA

Swiss cowbells crafted in traditional way

Stars and Stripes reports on a Swiss craftsman who still creates cowbells in the old traditional way.

Swiss cows usually wear bells when they are grazing in mountain pastures so their farmers can know where they are. Anyone who has visited the Alps can associate the gentle bonging of cowbells with the beige-colored cows grazing on the mountain grass.

Eligius Schelbert is a Glockenschmiede — a bell smith — in the central Swiss town of Muotathal. He makes three kinds of bells, each in 15 sizes, from tiny bells worn by sheep to giant bells usually used for decoration.

Schelbert is following a family tradition that started in 1870. He’s the fourth generation in his family to carry on the bell-making trade. These days he makes most of his bells using steel, which he orders in different degrees of thickness. He cuts down the metal, then hammers the pieces to the required size and welds them together. He follows 26 steps to produce each bell.

When he’s in the mountains, Schelbert says he can recognize the sound of one of his bells.

Read the full story: Swiss craftsman upholds tradition of making bells for bovines

Photo by Christian Perret / Courtesy of Swiss Image

SC to develop bicycle-only community

The State reports that Lexington County, South Carolina is planning to develop a bicycle-only subdivision near Gaston.

It will have no asphalt. It will have miles of trails and ponds for boating. It will have eco-friendly homes. And residents and their visitors will have to park their cars outside the community and bike — or walk — to their homes.

Developers have spent nearly $1 million to buy 140 acres about 15 miles south of Columbia, according to land records. They also have hired community designer Ozzie Nagler, planner of Harbison and the Three Rivers Greenway.

“It could become an eco-tourism destination,” said Joe Mellett, a Cincinnati-based Internet marketer and one of the developers.

Read the full story:Developers plan to build bicycle-only community

Photo from The State

British Airways crews five-day strike

USA Today reports on the five-day strike of British Airways cabin crews.

Thousands of British Airways cabin crew began a five-day strike Monday, though the airline claimed it will still be able to carry 70% of passengers who have booked flights.

The walkout in the increasingly bitter feud follows the failure of weekend talks between the Unite union and the airline. A key issue is the union's demand that the airline restore employee travel benefits which the airline suspended following an earlier strike.

Read the full story: British Airways cabin crew begin 5-day strike

Photo by Carl De Souza / AFP / Getty Images

Gorgeous gardens around the world

Concierge.com reports on 12 lush and gorgeous gardens worth visiting around the world.

Terra Nostra (picture left) Furnas, São Miguel, Azores, Portugal

others include:

Wörlitz Germany, near Dessau
Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden Cape Town, South Africa
New York Botanic Garden the Bronx, New York City
Saiho-ji Kyoto, Japan
Kennerton Green Mittagong, outside Sydney, Australia
Amber Palace Jaipur, Rajasthan, India

See the slide show: Green retreats

Photo from concierge.com

MIT designs "greener" passenger plane

MSNBC reports on a new passenger plane design by MIT researchers for NASA that will cut fuel consumption and emit less carbon than traditional airplanes by 2050.

The design will feature engines near the tail of the plane; which the researchers say will cause less drag than today's models with engines on the wings.

The 180-passenger D “double bubble” series was designed for domestic flights, meant to replace the Boeing 737 class aircraft, the most popular jetliner in the world right now. The design is called a “double bubble” because it uses two partial cylinders placed side by side. Those two cylinders create a wider structure that looks like two soap bubbles joined together.

Read the full story: Fly the eco-friendly skies

Photo from Discovery.com

Mt St Helens tourism vs conservation

The Seattle Times reports on how to bring tourism back to Mount St. Helens while preserving the natural area surrounding it.

Mount St. Helens in the Cascade mountains of Washington State famously blew its stack on May 18, 1980 and has had more volcanic activity in the last few years.

Fascination with the volcano continues to this day, and the mountain has obligingly let loose with smaller eruptions every few years, maintaining the intrigue. On average, the volcano and the surrounding Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument get about 750,000 visitors a year.

But, try as they might, entrepreneurs in communities surrounding the mountain have never been able to turn the fascination into serious money.

Scientists and conservationists, who regard the volcano as a natural laboratory, want nature left alone. Tourism interests want more roads, campgrounds, hotels, restaurants, more organized activities and — most of all — more access into areas set off for scientific research.

Read the full story: Balancing tourism and science at Mount St. Helens

Photo from USGS

NJ couple eat, drinks and walks around Portland, OR

The Washington Post's "Going our way" section profiles the Sommers' (picture right) walking trip to Portland, Oregon.

"One of America's best walking towns" (Walking magazine). "So green you could serve it as a side dish" (Outside). "Cool, quirky style surprisingly affordable" (Budget Travel). "One of the top 10 cat-friendly cities in America" (CATalyst Council).

Okay, so the accolades are getting a little wacky. But you get the idea. Portland, Ore., is a much-loved city, celebrated for its locally sourced food and wine scene, its vibrant downtown, its walkable neighborhoods and outdoorsy, laid-back vibe. It's an ideal vacation choice for Gladys and Howard Sommers, who like to explore smallish U.S. cities and experience the unique flavor of each.

Read the full story: Portland, Ore: A town where you can eat and drink... and walk it all off

Photo from Gladys and Howard Sommers

Guns vs grizzly bears - new federal law allows guns in national parks

The AP via USA Today reports on a new federal law that allows people to carry guns into national parks.

The law was focused on Second Amendment rights to bear arms as opposed to warding off attacking grizzly bears.

Proponents claim that the guns will help protect them against the advent of a bear attack. Park service biologists claim that guns and grizzlies together equal dead grizzlies and that less deadly methods to ward of bears should be used. Other park service workers say that only time will tell about the consequences of the new law.

Grizzlies are the undisputed bosses of the backcountry in [Grand Teton, Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks]. They've killed 10 people in Glacier and five in Yellowstone in the past century. Those parks average one grizzly attack with injuries a year. Grand Teton has had only a handful of attacks, and no deaths, but it's only had substantial numbers of grizzlies for the past decade or so.

Wyoming, Idaho and Montana are home to roughly 1,300 grizzlies. Their numbers have rebounded since the 1970s and, although grizzlies still are listed as a threatened species, it's no longer rare for one lolling roadside to jam up tourist traffic in Grand Teton, Yellowstone or Glacier.

Park rangers in [the three parks] are still telling visitors that a pressurized can of hot-pepper oil — bear spray — is their best defense.

Their reasoning? Studies show that in most cases, putting a cloud of bear spray in a grizzly's face works better than trying to stop a moving 400-pound animal with a perfectly placed bullet.

"You've got to be a really good shot with a gun," said Yellowstone bear biologist Kerry Gunther. "That's the beauty of bear spray. You don't really have to aim it. All you have to do is pull it and pull the trigger."

Read the full story: New law pits guns against grizzlies in national parks

Photo by David Grubbs / AP

Lead poisoning threatens rare wild condor chick

In April National Parks Traveler reported on the first condor chick to hatch in the wild in 100 years.

Now they report that toxic levels of lead is threatening the 50-day-old hatchling. Initially treated with chelation - a calcium EDTA injection that binds with heavy metals to avoid tissue retention - the chick's health continued to decline and biologists evacuated it to a special treatment facility.

Lead poisoning has been an on-going problem for condor populations. Condors are exclusively scavengers, feeding on a wide range of dead mammals. Research has established that the principle source of lead exposure among condors is lead ammunition.

Lead Ammunition has been banned for the taking of big game in a wide region of central and southern California, although that move has been a controversial one for some hunters. Park officials note that shooters who have made the switch to non-lead ammunition have made an invaluable contribution to the health of scavenging wildlife.

Lead levels were also found to be toxic in the condor father and he was also given chelation at the Los Angeles Zoo. Biologists are also trying to trap the mother condor to determine is she also has been exposed to lead.

Read the full story: Bad news for condor chick at Pinnacles National Monument

Photo by Gavin Emmons / National Park Service

Glacier NP 100 years old but glacier free soon?

Associated Press via MSNBC reports that 100-year-old Glacier National Park could be glacier free by 2020.

The forests are drier and disease-ridden, leading to bigger wildfires. Climate change is forcing animals that feed off plants to adapt.

Many experts consider Glacier Park a harbinger of Earth's future, a laboratory where changes in the environment will likely show up first.

The chance to see the glaciers that are now disappearing is what lures many visitors to the remote park.

Read the full story: Age has been unkind to Glacier National Park

Photo by Michael Albans / AP

Global warming concerns Greenland yet nature lures tourists

Frommer's reports on the natural wonders of Greenland and the affects of global warming on this northern island.

Everyone's worried about the shrinking ice cap in Greenland. And yet, locals seem as confident about the future as they are worried about the present.

The 57,000 inhabitants of this huge island go about their business of fishing, mining, and gently handling the tourists.

Aurora borealis (Northern Lights) [can be seen] year-round. You can find mussels on the beach near Oqaatsut, pick berries and mushrooms while hiking, take a kayak out in summer for netting small salmon, and otherwise enjoy the great outdoors. Dog sledding is best here in March and April.

Read the full story: Greenland: living on an ice cap

Photo from USGS