for trees.

alpine loop, dre, october 2008

Riding TRAX last night, I met a man who introduced himself as "Tree".

That's a nice name, I told him. Where did it come from?

"Well, my mother named me Forrest but she said I was too much an individual, so I'm Tree."




"Trees, it could be said, represent the bones of our collective body."

John Vaillant, The Golden Spruce

Do you have a story with a tree?

I've had some music running through my head.

I thought I'd share it with you.






I know we've come a long way
We're changing day to day
But tell me, where do the children play?

Final National Parks

Thursday night's segment of Ken Burn's National Parks documentary focused on the years of the Great Depression and World War II. With the country in an extended state of crisis, National Parks struggled to remain in the public's attention. Yet, even during the economic turmoil, President FDR made the preservation of National Parks an important staple to his term. He even created jobs for unemployeed citizens within the parks. Do you think that this era, which managed to be environmentally concious while struggling to regain its economic wealth, could be compared to the current condition of the United States? President Obama has been faced with great pressure to aid a failing economy, yet also recognizes the need for change to protect our planet. There is a growing polutation that recognizes that economy and environment do not have to be separate entities, but could in fact work together. Do you agree?

National Parks Cont.

Last night the 4th segment of Ken Burn's National Parks documentary covered the span of time during the 1920s and 30s. The focus of that time was increase visitation to the parks, proving that they were a worthwhile investment to Congress. With the emergence of the automobile and greater mobility, roads became vital to visitor attraction.

Today we have the opposite problem. Salt Lake's beloved canyons are overflowing with people and cars, many say that they should have reached capacity 20 years ago. With the Wasatch Canyons Master Plan in the process of revision, it has been proposed to shut down the canyons to cars during peak hours and implementing a shuttle system. This would cut down on emissions and clear the roads, making them safer for bikers. Many say this could never happen, that cars in the canyons is how it always has been, yet take a look at Zion National Park, who's interior switch to a shuttle system about ten years ago. Do you think it would be possible to be car-less in the canyons? Is this a good idea or preposterous?