Bodhi Retreats - March 2008!

Join Adventure Out and Bodhi Retreats this spring for a "Re-Awakening" Retreat. 4 Days & 3 Nights in the beautiful Los Altos Hills. Surf Lessons, Rock Climbing, & Wilderness Survival classes along with daily meditation and yoga, organic meals, massage therapy, holistic professionals, and much more. This is a great chance to getaway and treat yourself to an awesome week!

Wilderness Survival Class in Boulder Creek - 2/16/08

It was a beautiful day in February and the redwoods were full of majesty when we gathered for our monthly Wilderness Survival Class in Boulder Creek, CA. The group was ready to go and instructors Cliff Hodges and Shawn Moriarty pushed the limits to fit all of the material into the day. Shelter building, fire-by-friction, water collection and purification, hunting, trapping, natural cordage, and more. Here are some pictures from the day:

Largest Marine Reserve EVER!

The tiny Pacific island nation of Kiribati has created the world's largest marine reserve, spanning 164,200 square miles (roughly the size of California). In contrast, the islands comprising Kiribati itself total only about 313 square miles, or about four times the size of Washington, D.C. The new Phoenix Islands Protected Area is home to sea turtles, over 120 species of coral, 520 species of fish, and contains important sea-bird nesting sites. In creating the reserve, the impoverished nation will be giving up millions of dollars in foregone commercial fishing licenses every year, though Kiribati officials stressed that they hope to make up for some of the lost revenue via increased tourism. Officials have also been trolling for financial assistance from other nations. Russell Mittermeier of Conservation International said, "The creation of this amazing marine protected area by a small island nation represents a commitment of historic proportions." The previous world's largest marine protected area was the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands set aside by President Bush in 2006.

Source: Reuters

Mojo Slingshot - Young People Saving the Environment!

Clif Bar (our favorite nutrition bar company) and Focus The Nation are sponsoring the 2008 Slingshot grant program to encourage young people to get involved and help solve the current environmental crisis. Eligible applicants must be between the ages of 18-25 years of age - application categories are as follows:

-Outdoor fanatics protecting the places we love to play – for this category, project should be inspired by the need to protect our outdoor spaces such as mountains, rivers and oceans.

-Artists inspiring our communities – for this category, ideas should use the arts to increase awareness of or change thinking about global warming solutions.

-Innovators challenging our expectations – for this category, projects should challenge the status quo with new and innovative thinking, and include an action element to bring new thinking into action.

For more info, visit http://www.mojoslingshot.com

Dynamite Surfing - Analyized

Any surfer that is "linked in" to the information age has probably seen this video:



This nifty advertisment for Quicksilver Surf Co. has been viewed over 20 million times in the last year and a half. But the question still remains - is it real? The grainy-ness of the film quality really makes it difficult to tell. In addition, after the dynamite blast, the camera zooms in on the cloud of water vapor turning the screen completely white.

So is it fake or not? You be the judge. Leave your comments.

Brown Pelicans - Conservation Goal Success!

40 Years ago, the Brown Pelican looked as though it would dissappear from planet earth at any moment. The pesticide DDT that, among other things, softened the egg shells of the pelican and killed the chicks, was in widespread use and was being dumped into the oceans of southern california. The pelican has always been used by scientists as an un-official "indicator species", meaning, if the pelican was doing ok, then the coastlines were doing ok. That was not the case in the early 70's. The brown pelican was named a national endangered species in 1970, three years before the Endangered Species Act was enacted due to its spiraling population numbers.

However, since the ban of DDT and lots of hard work by scientists and conservationists, the pelican has made an amazing recovery. On Friday, the Interior Department announced a plan to remove the pelican from the endangered species list. UC Davic ecotoxicologist Daniel Anderson agrees with the de-listing, but still warns that "Just because it's not endangered anymore doesn't mean it's any less important," Anderson said. "Children should always look at the pelican and say, 'There's a special bird.' ".

Source: LA Times