(Courtesy Karen Perry) Daggett County Commission Chair Karen Perry and her husband, Boyd, moved to the county after falling in love with the area. Perry and the rest of the commission have submitted proposals to Rep. Rob Bishop and his Public Lands Initiative legislation they hope will generate more tourism in the county.

Manila Karen Perry knows firsthand the power of Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area.

The landscape, people and outdoor lifestyle pulled her family back again and again until they finally bought a trailer and parked it on property near Manila.

Now a county commissioner, Perry and others believe if they can just get people to visit their spot in the rugged and remote northeastern corner of Utah, theyll come back.

The Daggett County commissioners are hoping Congressman Rob Bishops Public Lands Initiative will help them put that tourism and economic development strategy into play.

In trade for designating additional wilderness lands in the High Uintas, county leaders hope to build additional resorts along the reservoir and a ski hill on the horizon.

"Our businesses have not been doing quite so well as they did in the 70s and 80s," Perry said. "We are trying to garner new interests and other activities that will bring more people to our beautiful county."

The idea of another ski area in Daggett County population 1,059 in the 2010 Census may raise eyebrows along the Wasatch Front, but its the kind of bucket list item Utah counties are floating as part of Bishops far-reaching legislative push. Daggett County is one of the first to put its plan on paper.

The Public Lands Initiative, also backed by Utah congressmen Jason Chaffetz and Chris Stewart, has been pitched as a way to "bring resolution to some of the most challenging land disputes in the state of Utah," according to a staff report. Bishop, the report says, is hoping to prove that conservation and economic development can coexist in Utah.

Proposals in Daggett County include designating wilderness, swapping land between federal and state agencies to allow commercial development and securing designation for the Green River under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.

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Daggett County pins economic hopes on wilderness land swap

Sept. 30, 2014, midnight

AN Albury woman who lit a fire that went on to burn about 30 hectares of bush on Nail Can Hill has mental health issues, a court has found.

The womans car quickly became engulfed by flames after she set fire to grass near Nail Can Hill.

AN Albury woman who lit a fire that went on to burn about 30 hectares of bush on Nail Can Hill has mental health issues, a court has found.

When asked why she had lit the blaze, the 56-year-old woman told police: Want to make smoke for symbol of Olympic Games.

It was at 2.41pm on December 29 last year that the woman used a cigarette lighter to set fire to grass and leaves in Rosedale Drive, West Albury.

She parked her car about 150 metres from the end of a bitumen road, where the landscape is native bushland.

The fire spread quickly towards Nail Can Hill, and also engulfed the womans car.

She became frightened and ran from the area, waving down a woman passing by in a car.

My shoe is broken and I just set my car on fire, she told the witness.

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Woman wanted Games symbol

Published: 26/09/2014 17:40 - Updated: 26/09/2014 18:21

Billy Connolly stars as Gordie in What We Did On Our Holiday.

by Margaret Chrystall

THE TV writers of hit BBC comedy Outnumbered wanted a bigger landscape for their debut feature film and all-star cast so came to the Highlands.

And Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin had no problem finding the perfect beach for a crucial scene in What We Did On Our Holiday filmed at Redpoint in Wester Ross.

Andy Hamilton with Emilia Jones who plays Lottie.

Speaking this week, Andy explained: "My wifes family are from Nairn so we know the Highlands pretty well, weve had many holidays up there."

Guy Jenkin (fourth left) on location at Redpoint with Billy Connolly and some of the cast.

Guy added: "It was one of Andys relations in Nairn who actually pointed us in the direction of the beach south of Gairloch. When we came over that hill we really thought Yes this is where we want to film it!. You have a rough picture in your head and that was certainly very close if not better."

Billy Connolly with the young McLeods played by Harriet Turnbull, Bobby Smallbridge and Emilia Jones.

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Writers behind Connolly film talk Highlands

Sept. 24, 2014

Construction workers install stone facing on the sides of a new stairway at the base of Bascom Hill. The stairway leads to a raised pedestrian crosswalk at North Park Street and State Street Mall, also under construction in the foreground.

Photo: Jeff Miller

After four months of construction, the State Street Mall and related Bascom Hill staircase projects are nearing an October finish line.

The new staircase, which merges the north and south sidewalks into one grand entryway, awaits completion of stone facing on its retaining wall, installation of handrails and some final landscape work, says Gary Brown, director of campus planning and architecture. He expects this to be finished around October 20.

The staircase is oriented toward the south side of the hill rather than the center because Bascom Hill and State Street do not align perfectly, Brown says. The new stairs are meant to be a transition point between these two distinct features of campus and are centered on State Street looking west toward the hill.

The work on State Street, extending from North Park Street to North Lake Street, will take a bit longer to complete, estimated for the end of October. Workers still need to pour concrete and finish several large planters in this phase of the project.

Meanwhile, the City of Madison is finalizing a sculpture to be placed just east of the intersection of State Street and East Campus Mall. The metal structure will depict a large leaf and include LED lighting.

Some of the final landscaping will continue into November and next spring based on planting cycles, Brown says.

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Bascom Hill staircase to open in October; mall to follow soon

Easy to grow, these sun loving, low maintenance, very pliable trees with willow-like, evergreen leaves are tolerant of neglect. Their growth rate depends partly on the care they receive. Ones that are watered during dry weather can reach 12 feet in height around four years of age.

As landscape trees, they reach their best growth in a deep rich soil. The plant is tolerant of alkaline pH and shallow soils. Neglected trees will grow rather slowly. There are probably well over 500 million olive trees worldwide.

Although the hardiness can vary slightly according to the variety, most mature olive trees are hardy to around 15 degrees Fahrenheit. Young trees sometimes suffer harm when temperatures fall to 24 degrees. Extremely cold temperatures can cause defoliation, but doesnt necessarily kill the tree although the plant is more likely to suffer disease problems than it normally would.

Where Grown Most of the olives produced worldwide are grown in the Mediterranean region. The trees are grown in various regions of the globe, such as South Africa, the northwestern Himalayans, China, Latin America, North America, the Middle East, and North Africa. Olives are an important crop in Australia and are often planted as windbreaks. They also thrive New Zealand.

In the U.S., olive trees are widely grown in California and southern Arizona. Theyre also cultivated in Hawaii, the Maritime Northwest, in the Southeast from North Carolina to Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oregon, and Texas.

Olive Trees for Landscape Use

If olives are being grown for their fruits, the best spot of all would be near the ocean for they are so much more productive (perhaps 20 times) than trees that are planted inland. Tough, extremely challenging conditions actually cause the trees to produce better quality olive oil.

Olive trees have ornamental value. Theyre sometimes used as specimen trees. Generally, it is best to avoid planting fruiting varieties close to walkways, driveways, patios, and other areas where people are likely to walk. The oily fruits can be very messy and create hazards underfoot.

For landscape purposes, the special non-fruiting varieties are very suitable for ornamental use, particularly for topiary and hedges. The non-fruiting types can sometimes bear a few olives if cross pollination is provided.

Be aware that some communities in the Southwest have banned pollen-bearing varieties. The trees are notorious for causing extreme allergies for some people. Varieties that are permitted in such areas include Bonita and Swan Hill.

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Olive Trees for the Landscape

Cannon Hill Park may be a beloved and classic example of an Olmsted Brothers park on Spokanes South Hill, but the pond at its center has quickly become a point of contention for itsneighbors.

This summer, the pond became muddy and opaque, leading local residents to question why. Some of them blamed swales along nearby Lincoln Street, said Park Director LeroyEadie.

A recent report from AHBL, a green infrastructure firm, said this isnt true. Treated stormwater from Lincoln Street accounts for less than 2 percent of the ponds entire volume on an average year. In

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Cannon Hill Park may be a beloved and classic example of an Olmsted Brothers park on Spokanes South Hill, but the pond at its center has quickly become a point of contention for itsneighbors.

This summer, the pond became muddy and opaque, leading local residents to question why. Some of them blamed swales along nearby Lincoln Street, said Park Director LeroyEadie.

A recent report from AHBL, a green infrastructure firm, said this isnt true. Treated stormwater from Lincoln Street accounts for less than 2 percent of the ponds entire volume on an average year. In 2013, that amounted to 390,000 gallons, said Marlene Feist, the city utilities spokeswoman. A really wet year will bring that total up to about 8percent.

Len Zickler, a landscape architect with AHBL, told the Spokane Park Board last week that treated stormwater was not muddying the pondwater.

Id like to dispel that perception, he told the board. AHBL was involved in landscaping the swales. The citys utilities department paid AHBL about $30,000 for the Cannon Hill pondstudy.

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Study: Stormwater not to blame for Cannon Hill Park ponds cloudiness - Thu, 18 Sep 2014 PST

Nature became art, and art intertwined with nature, during Still Point, a magical landscape and performance experience last Friday and Sunday. The public was invited to witness the unique installation/performance on a serenely beautiful property in West Tisbury during two guided tours. Still Point, an art and nature experiencewas a collaboration between landscape artist and patron of the arts Claudia Miller, whose thoughtfully laid out West Tisbury acreage provided the site, and director/choreographer Wendy Taucher of New York and Marthas Vineyard. The two women have been working on the piece from conception to selection of material and casting to logistics for the past two years.

On Friday afternoon, a group of about 50 people gathered in a large barn and its adjoining veranda. They chatted while waiting not quite sure what to expect for the adventure to begin. Then, after a brief introduction, the audience was split into four groups and shuffled off in four different directions.

The weather was perfect. A warm, bright, Indian summer day. Following an all-but-silent guide, the guests walked along winding paths, first skirting a pumpkin patch, then passing from open field to canopies of trees where the sun created a dappled surface on the path.

There were pleasant surprises, both planned and fortuitous, to be discovered along the way. A beautiful rock sculpture by Dave Brown, a feat of both engineering and aesthetic vision, was on display just off the path. A pond lay behind a scrim of foliage. A formation of geese flew overhead, causing the walkers to look upward. Then, shifting their focus back earthbound, they were greeted by a serene Buddha sculpture sitting unobtrusively on a large rock to the side of the path.

Eastern deities popped up often along the way, perched in trees or on rocks, festooned tastefully with sunflowers and feathers. A copse of starkly white, branchless tree trunks presented itself as an organic sculpture garden.

After a lengthy walk, the visitors arrived at a semi-clearing for the first of four 10-minute performances. A group of six opera singers, both men and women in orange ombrerobes and tunics, surrounded an incongruously placed piano. Strolling through the trees, gazing off contemplatively in different directions, the group filled the woods with otherworldly music. The piece they performed was an arrangement by Ms. Taucher and pianist Dror Baitel, based on J.S. Bachs Goldberg Variations. The singers, like all the other participants, were accomplished professionals recruited from Ms. Tauchers company of New York City singers, actors, and dancers.

While one group of visitors was immersed in this nature and art experience, the others were playing witness to three disparate performances. Then each group moved on to the next prearranged location. Each piece was created specifically for its particular site.

At a clearing surrounded by Tibetan flags and a large Buddha meditating next to a sea-washed driftwood tree, a solo dancer interacted with a row of inverted stumps, her movements and poses emulating, or responding to, the twisting root formations.

From atop a log bench, actor Donovan Dietz gave a powerful dramatic reading of a poem which combined a work by T.S. Eliot with poetry by West Tisbury Poet Laureate Justen Ahren. An excerpt from Eliots Four Quartetsreferred to as The Still Point of the Turning World was the inspiration for Mr. Ahrens contribution.

At another clearing, a quartet of singers stood arranged around and atop a large flat rock. Unaccompanied, they harmonized beautifully on a chanting arrangement of four of Bachs chorales. Chirruping insects filled in the pauses. The piece, intentionally nonverbal, had mystical and spiritual overtones.

The rest is here:
Still Point: a landscape and art collaboration

TOWNSEND -- In honor of October bring Massachusetts Archaeology month, the Townsend Historical Society will host "A Village Hooped in Steel: A Walking Tour of Fessenden Hill," on Sunday, Oct. 12, from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Rain date is Oct. 19, same time and place.

The tour will start at the New Hampshire end of Fessenden Hill Road and will explore one of Townsend's forgotten neighborhoods, where cellar holes, the landscape and research into the records illuminate part of the town's past.

Architectural historian Ryan Hayward of The Preservation Collaborative Inc., of Medford, will lead a 90-minute excursion through the northern portion of Fessenden Hill Road. Guests will be in for a treat, enjoying a leisurely, in-depth tour of the remnants of life and work along the road. It offers a rare opportunity to learn about the stories less heard of the people who once called it home and how Townsend State Forest came into being.

All are welcome. The cost is $10, but free for Townsend Historical Society members. For more information, call 978-597-2106, or visit http://www.preservationcollaborative.com.

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Walking tour of Townsend neighborhood Oct. 12

Local | NW Life | Oregon Historical Photo Of The Week

OPB | Sept. 15, 2014 midnight

Motorists pause to take in the view from a parapet just below Crown Point Vista House along the newly opened Columbia River Highway. Gelatin silver print from a photograph by George Weister, ca.1918.

The Oregon Historical Society. George Weister Photographs, Weister 19183, Org Lot60

Every week,Oregon Experience shares a photo highlighting the states diverse, exciting history. All photos are courtesy of The Oregon Historical Society.

Former railroad man Sam Hill pulled Oregon out of the mud in the early 1900s with a road system connecting farm to market and city to countryside. Perhaps his greatest achievement was championing a paved highway that carried motorists between the states high desert and the outskirts of Portland, through the beautiful, rugged Columbia River Gorge.

Inspired by the grand scenic roads of Europe, Hill envisioned a modern boulevard that would be part of this stunning landscape. Hill had to overcome many obstacles before work began on the Columbia River Highway in 1913. The Highway was dedicated in the summer of 1916. Travelers between The Dalles and Troutdale encountered surprising vistas: cascading waterfalls, bridges arching over canyons and rocks jutting overhead.

Anticipating the future of the automobile, Sam Hill was also involved with construction of the Pacific Highway (99), Highway 101 along the coast and a road to Crater Lake.

To learn more about Sam Hill and his legacy, watch a rebroadcast of the Oregon Experience documentary Sam Hill on Monday, September 22 at 9:30 p.m. on OPB TV or view it here onlineanytime.

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Oregon Historical Photo: Sam Hills Columbia River Highway

A CLUB dedicated to exploring Hampshires medieval history through landscape and archaeology has announced its new season of lectures and conferences.

Hampshire Field Club and Archaeology Society will host two conference and AGM sessions in November with lectures and events lined up February.

Four speakers will address the Hampshires medieval landscape in a regional context at the clubs landscape conference and AGM at Peter Symonds College, Winchester on November 8. Highlights include Southampton Universitys David Hinton, who will discuss the impact of religion on Anglo-Saxon Hampshire, and Dr Simon Roffey, of the University of Winchester, who will delve into the history of medieval hospitals including the leper hospital near Morn Hill.

The archaeology conference will tackle conflict and defence, from Neolithic battles to the First World War, on Saturday, November 29 at the colleges Science Lecture Theatre.

Speakers include Tony Wilmott of English Heritage, Winchester Universitys Nick Thorpe and WYG Groups principal archaeologist Martin Brown.

On October 24 Kitty Hauser will travel from Australia to give a talk in memory of field archaeologist and aerial photography pioneer O.G.S. Crawford, discussing his work, politics and photographic records of Nazi Germany.

On February 20 2015, economic historian Dr Jean Morrin will give a lecture on Victoria County History, a publisher founded in 1899, with special reference to Hampshires decision to rewrite the projects archaic records of county parishes and towns. The lecture will take place at Hampshire Record Office from 8pm.

Ticket prices vary. For more information visit fieldclub.hants.org.uk.

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Hampshire Field Club and Archaeology Society announces new season