Here is your outdoor news bulletin for March 25, 2013:
Whitewater U.S. Open Cut Short
A system malfunction at the Duke energy hydroelectric power plant put the kibosh on the second day of this past weekend’s Bank of America Whitewater U.S. Open Slalom and Wildwater races at the Nantahala Outdoor Center. The station was unable to make the water releases Sunday, meaning there was not enough water flowing through the NOC to support the two scheduled races so they were cancelled and winners chosen based on Saturday’s scores. Competitors may have actually breathed a sigh of relief to not have to race in Sunday’s conditions. Let’s hope Duke can fix their issues before the NOC hosts two other high-profile events: the U.S. Freestyle Team Trials in late April and the ICF Freestyle Kayaking World Championships in September.
The Citizen-Times has a full report, including a list of winners.
Diversity in Conservation, (or lack thereof)
The lack of diversity in the outdoors is something this magazine has covered before, and is no secret. In a piece in the Washington Post, Darryl Fears puts the spotlight on lack of diversity in the conservation sector. No one can deny that most conservation groups are made up of rich, white men, even though minorities communities – African American, Latino, Native American – are exposed to a disproportionate amount of the nation’s toxic pollution. The article also explains the long history of discrimination in the conservation and green movement along with what groups like the the African American Environmentalist Association are doing about it.
Virginia Mountain Bike Trail Update
The Richmond Times-Dispatch claims the Virginia Mountain Bike Trail is coming together. BRO reported on Chris Scott’s attempt to build singletrack from one end of the state to the other back in September (worth a look, there’s a video!), and the RTD article does not provide much more info despite its claims. What it does do is provide Scott with a microphone to call to action all those who want to be involved in the project, mainly on the trail maintenance end. WIth 480 miles of trail to keep clear, that is the biggest challenge facing the completion of the trail. That and not having to carry all your camping gear with you up 65,000 feet of total elevation gain, but that’s an issue for another time. Also, reading the quotes I can imaging Scott’s mellow voice and atitude coming through my brain. It makes me chuckle.
