Have you ever encountered a jumping cacti? More specifically, the jumping cholla cactus in Arizona? If you have ridden our Rock Art or Bring a Fork routes in Arizona then you have dodged more than a few of these spiky cacti. Today we interview Peter Breslin who holds his Ph.D. in Environmental Life Sciences and focuses his research on evolution, biogeography, and population of cacti. Breslin informs us about these amazing (and not so little) cacti, answers questions about if they really jump, and what do if you get “attacked!”
Do you ever see some bright green, shrubby looking creature on a gravel ride? This organism is likely Letharia Vulpina (and no it does not have magic or poisonous powers like a spell) which is also knows as Wolf Lichen. Bryologist, mycologist, and lichenologist Tim Wheeler works to dedicate his life studies towards nonvascular plants and over the last 20 years now holds 16,000 specimens in his collections (some of which are named after him!) Joining us as Wheeler describes some fascinating tidbits on this creature we commonly call Wolf Lichen.
Tim also suggests looking here for more cool lichen things! https://www.waysofenlichenment.net/
A quick 2-minute video of what to expect on your ride!
A quick 2-minute video of what to expect on your ride!
A quick 2-minute video of what to expect on your ride!
A quick 3-minute video of what to expect on your ride!
In this 2-minute video learn about the jumping (Teddy Bear) cholla and all its prickly tricks from savage backward pointing barbs that are sharp enough to pierce flesh.
Curious about beavers: Where do beavers live? What’s their impact on other wildlife? How do they impact the surrounding property where they live? When should we reintroduce them? Can you relocate a beaver? Are they a protected species in Oregon? How have the laws recently changed about beavers?
Listen to our interview with Maureen Thompson, the Manager of the Beaver Works program at Think Wild in Bend, Oregon.
Go to Beaver Works for news, volunteer events, and updates from ongoing projects – including trail camera highlights with adorable beavers in their natural habitat. You will also find them on Instagram and Facebook.
They may be cute … but are wild burros actually helpful or harmful? Dr. Erick Lundgren who is an ecologist with a lot of research concerning wild burros, horses, and other introduced megafauna discusses the topic of wild burros (which are also called wild donkeys). He addresses perspectives that might encourage you to look at these animals a little differently when you come across them riding in Arizona, California or Nevada.
His research can be found at: https://ejlundgren.github.io/
Travel Oregon recently announced they will fund the nonprofit Dirty Freehub to create 20 to 25 gravel cycling All Access Ride Guides across the state of Oregon. These electronic guides are designed to help adaptive athletes, ebikers or other cyclists such as the 75 year old athlete with aerobic challenges, the person who got busy with life and gained 30 pounds, the person new to cycling, and the families who want to ride together, find great gravel bicycle routes. The routes included in the guides will be shorter in distance, have less elevation gain, not be remote, and use wider roads. Kevin English, Co-Founder and Director of Routes and Technologies, discusses about Dirty Freehub’s new addition to Ride Guides called “All Access.”
Regenerative ranching is the process of restoring degraded soils by using practices based on ecological principles.
A quick 2-minute video of what to expect on your ride!
The juniper tree is an iconic tree across Central and Eastern Oregon and yet, in some places they are being removed. Find out the real scoop about this unique tree from Gena Goodman-Campbell who is the Stewardship Director at ONDA (Oregon Natural Desert Association) where she works to engage volunteers in hands-on restoration projects in Oregon’s high desert habitats. Gena has been a key member for ONDA’s staff since 2007.
Learn more about how you can get involved at https://onda.org/trips/.
Today we meet with Patti Lynch, a former Law Enforcement officer, to talk about Search and Rescue and what that looks like in times of trouble. When should you call Search and Rescue and what happens on their side to deploy a rescue. As a cyclist, what should you carry that will really make a difference when things go south.
Sopori Creek is one of the Sonoran Desert’s treasures, with attributes unique to the area. Find out why in this video featuring expert voices from the Arizona Land and Water Trust and Pima County Office of Sustainability and Conservation. Pima County voters supported bonds to protect Sopori Creek. Find out why this area is so important for residents of the Tucson metro region, as well as the range of animals captured on wildlife cameras.
This brief video explains how North Mountain Bike Trail System was created to spur tourism in Darrington after the Oso Landslide, making the town one of the top destinations for mountain biking in the state.
With the Oso Landslide at the forefront of the community’s memory, Lake Cavanaugh neighbors rally to stop nearby logging after a 2015 landslide blocked the creek and dumped 30 dump-truck loads of dirt on the land below.
