Missions

In the Staney and Red Bay areas on Prince of Wales Island, photograph the big old trees before cutting starts: trunks with a pack or person for scale, standing dead snags, and the closed canopy overhead.

In the Little Giant burn on the Okanogan, photograph the standing fire-killed trees before any cutting: big trunks with a pack or person for scale, tall snags, and nearby patches where the canopy is still green.

On the North Rim, photograph how people actually use it right now: cars parked at trailheads with a time on the photo, campsites and fire rings, picnic areas, restrooms and signs, and any closed or damaged stretches of trail.

Get out over the eastern edge of Oculina Bank's northern extension and photograph what is living there now: fish schooling over the bottom, any coral branch pieces that come up, with your date and position in the frame.

Walk the forest edge where the ski trails end and the woods begin at Loon Mountain. Photograph the trailheads and parking, worn footpaths, any fire rings or camp spots, and how many cars and hikers you count, with the date.

Walk into the Fall Creek thinning units on the Middle Fork district that sit in the late-successional reserve blocks and photograph what is standing: trunk size, big snags, downed logs, canopy overhead. Photos of large old trees, standing dead snags and closed canopy inside a unit marked for thinning, with a person or pack for scale.

Walk into the thinning units marked as plantations inside the Late Successional Reserve areas near Tiller and photograph the trees: trunk size, canopy, big old snags and downed logs. Photos of wide old trunks, layered canopy and large snags in a unit called a plantation would show the stand is not a young planted block.

Walk the wooded parts of Richmond National Battlefield Park, like the Cold Harbor and Gaines Mill trails, and photograph the forest floor: young trees and shrubs under four feet, or bare ground instead. Close and wide shots showing either a stripped, open understory with a clear browse line, or thick young growth and saplings.

On the Deschutes National Forest acres being considered for geothermal leasing, walk to the springs, seeps and small creeks you know. Photograph each one dated: water flowing or dry bed, plus any elk or deer tracks at the edge.

Go to where the Rio San Jose runs through Milan, New Mexico, and photograph the channel from a public road bridge or pullout. Show whether there is water flowing or a dry bed. A dated photo of the Rio San Jose channel at Milan showing either running water or a dry streambed settles whether it flows now.

Walk the Sawtooth Lodge grounds and the ground right around it. Photograph the existing cabins and buildings, the parking area and how full it is, and any campsites, fire rings and paths people have worn in. Date every shot.

Walk into the stands marked for cutting in the Swamped project area that are called old growth, and photograph the biggest trees, the standing dead ones, and the canopy overhead. Photos of big old trees, thick bark, large snags and a layered canopy, with something for scale, showing a true old stand slated for cutting.

Walk the upper reaches of Subarctic Creek where the pit and waste piles would go and photograph the open water, looking for live char, pale swept-clean gravel nests, or spent fish. A dated photo of fish, fresh gravel nests, or spent fish in upper Subarctic Creek shows the water slated for fill is alive.

Walk the soft wet ground and mud beside an existing Big Cypress buggy trail and photograph any animal tracks, scat, or nests you find there, close up with something for scale, and get the date on it.

On the Tongass, walk past the end of an existing road into unlogged forest and shoot the biggest standing trees with a pack or person for scale, the tall dead snags, and the canopy looking straight up.

At the Barataria area of Jean Lafitte, photograph the parking lots and boat launches with cars and trailers visible, the trail and boardwalk entrances, and any posted signs about where people may go. Date every shot.

In the Chalk Buttes ponderosa pine stands marked for thinning, photograph what sits under the big trees: crowded small trees, low dead limbs, and brush reaching toward the canopy. A photo showing an unbroken ladder of small trees and low limbs into the canopy, or bare open ground under widely spaced pines.

Go to the Cascade Cottages and photograph the buildings themselves: each cabin front and back, porches, windows, roofs, signs, stonework and chimneys, plus the setting around them. Date every shot.

Walk the older forest in the Little White Salmon country on the Gifford Pinchot and photograph the stand before any thinning: big trunks with a pack or person for scale, standing dead snags, and the closed canopy overhead.

Walk into the Miranda Canyon lands south of Taos and record how people actually get around and use it: any drivable two-track, gates, fire rings, camp spots, foot or horse trails. Photos showing whether vehicles can and do travel into Miranda Canyon, or only foot and horse use with no drivable road.

Walk Forest Road 223 where it runs along Bear Run and photograph how close the road bed actually sits to the water, including any place where bare road drains straight toward the stream. Photos showing the road surface and Bear Run in the same frame, close enough to judge the distance between them.

Walk Old River Trail on the marsh side and photograph the woods between the trail and the salt marsh: tree sizes, canopy, and any houses, driveways, clearings or debris in them. Photos showing either untouched forest to the marsh edge, or buildings, cleared ground or roads inside that same strip of woods.

Drive Forest Road 144 where it runs along the South Fork of the Flambeau River on the Medford-Park Falls district. Photograph the road and the strip of woods between it and the river. A photo from the road showing whether it truly runs between the cutting area and the river, and how wide and solid that road is.

On the Ava, Cassville or Willow Springs district, walk a grazed pasture, hay field or wildlife opening. Photograph how tall the grass stands, bare or muddy patches, cow paths, and any chewed-down creek bank where stock drink.

Walk out to the ponds, thaw lakes and small tundra creeks near where you are on the reserve. Photograph standing water, its edges, and any birds or caribou using it, with the date on every shot.

Drive Road 18 along Tensleep Creek and find the pull-off camping spots closest to the water. Photograph the fire rings and bare tent ground with the creek in the same frame. Photos showing camp spots and fire rings a stone's throw from the creek, or showing the nearest spots sit well back from the water.

At Ouray National Wildlife Refuge, photograph the refuge water itself: the ponds and wetland pools, where water enters and leaves them, how full they are right now, and any birds or animals using them. Date every shot.

Drive and walk the Roby project area near the Antelope Springs trailhead and along Boles Canyon, Redbird Canyon and Gillette Canyon roads, looking for any hiking-only trail or developed recreation site. A photo of a signed foot trail, campground, picnic area, toilet or fee post inside or right beside the project area.

Walk the dune along Playalinda just north of Parking Lot 8, early morning before wind wipes the sand. Look for tiny mouse tracks, tail drags, and small burrow holes at the dune base and in the vegetation edge. A close photo of small mouse tracks or a burrow opening in that dune, with a wider shot showing where along the dune you stood.

Walk the main trail from the Linville Falls trailhead toward the falls viewpoints on the west side of the river. Photograph every worn side path people have made off the official trail. Photos of beaten-down side paths leaving the main trail, with bare soil or broken plants, or clear photos showing none exist.

In the dry pine and fir stands on the North Fork John Day district, photograph a spot with big old trees still standing: the downed wood and needles on the ground, the small crowded trees underneath, and any huckleberry.

At the Bishop Barn on Emmitsburg Road, walk to the north side and look at the small shed roof on the added granary. Photograph the east and west edges of that metal roof. A clear photo of the shed roof edges showing either bare gaps where metal panels are gone or an unbroken, intact panel run.

Go to the Chattahoochee where SR 120 crosses at Abbotts Bridge. Photograph the parking area and count cars, the put-in and bank fishing spots, and the worn footpaths along the low ground by the water.

Walk East Snow Mobile Road and South Spring Circle above Brian Head and find where the small year-round creek meets each road. Photograph whether water runs across the road surface or through a pipe. A photo at each spot showing water running over bare road with no pipe, or showing a culvert carrying it under the road.

Go to the Glacier Mountain roadless area on the Malheur National Forest and walk or drive in from the boundary, looking for drivable roads, old landings, or fresh tire tracks inside it. A photo of a drivable road, landing, or vehicle tracks clearly inside the area boundary, or open country with no road where one is claimed.

Walk the narrow foot-and-bike trails in the Brandywine Valley Unit and lay a tape measure across the worn tread at several spots, including popular curves and hill bottoms. A photo of a tape across the worn tread showing the path is clearly narrower or wider than two to four feet.

Go to the Sweetwater Lake entrance off County Road 150 and photograph the parking area at the old lodge. Show how many vehicles fit and how many are actually parked or driving in. A wide photo of the whole parking area with vehicles visible, showing whether only about five can fit and whether traffic is light.

In the treatment stands on the south Uncompahgre Plateau, photograph the thickest timber you can reach: dead limbs and small trees carrying up into the tree tops, and crowns touching. Photos showing a continuous run of dead limbs and small trees from the ground up into a closed, touching canopy would undercut the claim that a crown fire is unlikely there.

Walk Sheep Creek in the West Fork district and shoot the water itself: how full the creek is running, the springs and seeps feeding in from the sides, and animal tracks in the mud at the edge. Date every photo.

Drive or walk to Forest Roads 1761 and 1792A in the Blooming Rose area and photograph the stretches marked for closing, showing whether they are grown over and blocked or still open and driveable. A photo of open, cleared, drivable tread with fresh tire tracks would undercut the claim that these roads are overgrown and impassable.

Walk into the marked thinning units in the Calapooia and Wiley Creek parts of the project and photograph the trees: trunk size, big old stumps, snags, and whether the canopy looks like an even-aged planting. Photos of large old trees, wide trunks or big snags mixed into a unit would undercut the claim that it is all young planted forest.

Park at the small administrative lot off Highway 504 and walk the short path, about 250 feet, to the Spirit Lake tunnel outlet. Photograph the little footbridge over the falling stream where South Fork Coldwater Creek meets the tunnel flow. A photo showing the footbridge in place and its condition, or showing no bridge at that crossing, settles it.

Walk a National Recreation Trail on the Mark Twain and photograph the big old oaks right along the trail: whole trees, trunks and crowns, healthy and dead alike. Photos showing full green crowns on the large old oaks beside the trail, or showing them dead and dropping limbs, settle which picture is right.

Walk in past the gate on Road 14620 to the spur Road 14620B and follow it. Photograph the roadbed itself: is it grown in and blocked, or is it a driveable track? Photos along the spur showing either a washed out, brushed in bed or a clear firm track a pickup could drive.

Walk into the standing big-tree forest near Red Bay or in the Staney watershed. Photograph the largest trunks with a person or pack against them, the tall dead snags, and the closed canopy overhead.