Bomber floating eyewear helps you hold onto your glasses

I've come across some sunglasses which may prevent me from ever losing a pair again.

The Bomber line of sun- and safety-glasses includes models that come with a patented foam lining, which makes the glasses buoyant. The foam also provides a snug fit, helping hold them in place while keeping perspiration (and sunscreen) away from your eyes.

World Champion jet ski racer Tommy "the Bomber" Bonacci designed the floating eyewear when trying to solve the problem of his glasses falling off and sinking. Bonacci discovered the flotation foam also provided that snug fit, which prevents the glasses from blowing off when turning your head on a jet ski, boat, bike or motorcycle. Bonacci soon had people around the world asking him for a pair of these durable and stylish sunglasses.

Lightweight and comfortable, Bomber eyewear is affordable enough to own more than one pair. In fact, I have numerous -- clear safety for the shooting range; floating polarized which I keep in my tacklebox for fishing, and another polarized pair for driving and everyday use.

With prices ranging from $7.95 to $34.95, glasses can be purchased via the Bomber website or at more than 500 dealers nationwide.

-- Kelly Burgess

twitter.com/latimesoutposts

Photo: Bomber "D-Bombs" in matte black. Credit: Bomber eyewear

New eyewear allows for hands-free video recording

Time for a new pair of sunglasses? You might want to check out i-Kam Xtreme eyewear, which allows the wearer to be their own videographer.

That's because each pair features a built-in video recording device, allowing for hands-free recording of your latest outdoor adventure. Be it hunting, fishing, skiing or even a ballgame, outdoor enthusiasts of all types have an easy way to record what they see, and play it back later for future enjoyment.

With no cords or battery packs required, the glasses have a digital camera incorporated into the frame, offering 4GB of built-in memory for up to 3 hours of recording, plus an integral microphone to capture all the sounds to go along with the video. The eyewear  will also accept a Micro SD card for an additional 8 GB of memory. 

The glasses can be hooked directly to a PC or Mac with the supplied USB cable to view video. When using a Micro SD card, it can be inserted into a card reader to watch footage.

Idaho trips' auction raises nearly $17,000 to benefit outdoor education

A recent online auction of extraordinary Idaho trips netted nearly $17,000 for the state's Watchable Wildlife programs, designed to promote education, wildlife viewing and photography, and instill an appreciation for what the state has to offer outdoors.

With more than 100 bidders nationwide, the Idaho Fish and Wildlife Foundation reports that this is the most successful auction since it moved to an online-bidding format five years ago.

Ranging from day trips to overnight excursions, 42 outdoor adventures were on the auction block. Trips included guided fly-fishing, youth-mentored duck hunting, patrolling the Salmon River by jetboat and helping biologists capture and radio-collar elk calves.

The top-three highest-bid items were the Selway Wilderness fishing and trail riding trip, which sold for $950; the wolf pup count in Idaho's Sawtooth National Forest, $900; and the Hells Canyon white sturgeon research trip, which netted $875. Other trips, such as the white-fronted geese survey and the rooster pheasant release, sold for less than $100 each.

Co-sponsored by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, the 20th annual auction offered such a unique variety of outdoor adventures that perhaps other state's might consider hosting such an auction, as a way to provide some much needed revenue to bolster education programs and interest in the outdoors.

-- Kelly Burgess

Photo: Children participate in the songbird banding and raptor trapping trip, one of 42 outdoor opportunities up for auction. Credit: Idaho Fish and Game

To follow this blog on Twitter, please visit @latimesoutposts

Online bidding underway for Idaho trips

Imagine yourself fly-fishing in the serene setting pictured above; or catching and radio-collaring elk calves; or perhaps releasing young trout into a lake accessible only by horseback or other non-motorized means.

These are only a few of the unique experiences up for bid on the Idaho Fish and Wildlife Foundation online auction. Bidding opened this morning and will close at 8 p.m. (Pacific Time) on Sunday, Feb. 28.

Ranging from day trips to overnight excursions, 42 outdoor adventures are on the auction block, from guided fly-fishing or youth-mentored duck hunting to patrolling the Salmon River by jetboat or helping biologists capture and radio-collar elk calves.

Co-sponsored by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, the 20th annual auction benefits Idaho's Watchable Wildlife programs, designed to promote education, wildlife viewing and photography, and instill an appreciation for what the state has to offer outdoors.

Full trip descriptions and step-by-step instructions for bidding are available on the IFWF auction webpage.

Good luck and happy bidding!

-- Kelly Burgess

Photo: Bidders have a chance to win a guided fly-fishing excursion to Idaho's Nature Conservancy Silver Creek Preserve. Credit: Silver Creek Outfitters / Idaho Fish and Game

To follow this blog on Twitter, please visit @latimesoutposts

National parks' invasive weeds? There's an app for that

Hikers, bikers and horseback riders enjoying the Santa Monica Mountains can now assist in mapping invasive weeds, thanks to a new smart-phone application developed to identify the locations of intruding plant species in the park.

The "What's Invasive!" application allows users to snap an image and map the location of encroaching weeds, which will help National Park Service staff identify where plants need to be removed and monitored in the park.

"When visitors launch the application on the phone, the information they collect is automatically submitted to the 'What's Invasive!' website," said Lauren Newman, external affairs manager for the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. "NPS will rely on that website to get the information."

The six most common plants being targeted are Harding grass, perennial pepperweed, poison hemlock, Spanish broom, Terracina spurge and yellow starthistle.

Developed by the UCLA Center for Embedded Networked Sensing, the application will soon include other national park locations.

"It's great because the public can see the exact same data that the scientists will use, in real time," added Newman.

--Kelly Burgess

'What's Invasive!' iPhone image courtesy of UCLA Center for Embedded Network Sensing

Angeles Crest Highway drive reveals moonscape in wake of Station fire

*Updated to reflect it was an Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department escort

Scorched earth is a depressing sight, especially when it had been lush with chaparral and old-growth forest.

The extent of the devastation caused by the Station fire, which has burned almost 250 square miles within the Angeles National Forest but finally is close to being contained, will be unfathomable when assessments are made.

Dead animals are said to litter the blackened and barren countryside. Rattlesnakes -- those that had burrowed and somehow survived the inferno -- slither across a moonscape hunted from the sky by raptors.

Campgrounds and important structures have been destroyed and trails are ruined. A once-verdant paradise is lost for who knows how many years to thousands of campers, hikers, bikers, runners, birders and horseback riders.

The Angeles Crest 100-Mile Endurance Run had been scheduled to begin Saturday. Obviously it has been canceled as its route is off-limits.

The scenic Angeles Crest Highway also remains closed, but a video shot by a couple touring the road behind a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Dept. escort is making the rounds on YouTube. It reveals a charred countryside, melted road signs and guard rails that simply lie atop or alongside the pavement, their wooden support beams burned to ashes.

If you're familiar with the highway and forest, click on the video and tag along. It's a surreal odyssey, to be sure.

-- Pete Thomas

Video credit: Courtesy of YouTube

   

State park fees to increase; widespread closures still expected

California State Parks announced it will increase camping fees by $10 to $21 a night, and day-use fees by $2 to $5 to help offset devastating budget cuts. The increases will go into effect Monday.

This will not prevent widespread park closures expected to be announced soon after Labor Day. Unless The Department of Parks and Recreation can rally significant support from partners in the public and private sector, it may be forced to temporarily close 100 or more of the state's 279 parks.

The fee increases are expected to raise, at most, $200,000 by the end of the year. The cut to state parks this budget year is $14.2 million, so park lovers throughout California can expect the gates to close at one or more of their favorite parks, and to pay more to enter parks that remain open.

This is not intended as criticism of California State Parks, which is in a hard place and in dire need of any extra funding it can acquire, simply to function.

If anyone deserves criticism, besides the state and its governor for allowing the budget deficit to skyrocket beyond the stratosphere, it's the millions of parkgoers who for years have cheated the system by parking their vehicles outside park limits and walking in for free.

One estimate places this number at greater than 60%. Perhaps the parks could benefit by requiring visitors to carry proof of payment, as many private fishing lakes do. Of course, that plan could be  perceived as insulting and backfire. But so might the fee hikes backfire, by causing even more people to cheat the system.

Meanwhile, the fate of some parks, for now, seems to rest outside state government. Individual parks that end up on the closure list might be spared only with the help of their surrounding communities and nonprofit corporations.

It's an ugly and unfortunate mess and it'll be interesting to see how it plays out over the next few weeks, and over time. My prediction is that most parks that are closed will not reopen for a long, long time. I hope I'm wrong.

-- Pete Thomas

Photo: Emily Nitikman and Peter Davidson enjoy the view of the Pacific from Topanga Canyon State Park. Credit: Brian Vender Brug / Los Angeles Times

State parks closure list is coming soon, but not eagerly anticipated

California residents probably will learn within a few weeks how many state parks will close.

Because of extensive cuts in funding, 100 or more parks probably will be shut down, and when they might reopen is anyone's guess.

When the dreaded closure list does emerge and the specified parks become off-limits and begin to deteriorate, it'll be a sad day for residents who enjoy hiking, biking, horseback riding, bird-watching and animal viewing. It'll be just as dark a day for a state that presently boasts the nation's most extensive state parks system.

However, some other states are dealing with the same issue, and seeking creative ways to keep parks open. 

In Washington state, drivers who renew their license tabs in September will have the option of donating $5 to state parks. The contributions could generate about $22 million over the next two years and spare dozens of Washington's 125 state parks from being closed.

There was a fairly similar attempt in California. A state parks access pass would have placed a $15 surcharge on vehicle license fees for noncommercial vehicles. The general fund would have realized an estimated savings of about $143 million annually. But that plan failed and now we're in this hard place.

Outposts, barring a minor miracle that will prevent the closures, will share the closure list when it becomes available.

-- Pete Thomas

Photo: A king snake enjoys the view from a branch in Malibu Creek State Park. Credit: Pete Thomas/Los Angeles Times

Note: To follow this blog on Twitter please visit @latimesoutposts

State parks access pass might be key to preventing their closure

Those following the issue of funding for California's state parks will note there is bad news but some good news this week.

The bad news: The Budget Conference Committee on Monday afternoon voted to eliminate $70 million in general fund money earmarked for support of the state parks system for the 2009-10 fiscal year.

The good news: The committee also voted to adopt the State Parks Access Pass and create a dedicated funding source to keep parks open. This still needs to be passed by the Legislature, as part of a budget bill, and approved by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

But it makes sense. The access pass would place a $15 surcharge on vehicle license fees for noncommercial vehicles. That won't go over well with those who do not like outdoor recreation and have no plans to enter any of California's 279 state parks, beaches and reserves.

But it's a bargain for those who frequent these vast wilderness refuges, as they'd be allowed free day-use access to state parks. More important, it would prevent 220 of these parks from closing and deteriorating to a point where it'd become extremely costly to reopen them.

With the surcharge the general fund would realize an estimated savings of about $143 million annually.

Elizabeth Goldstein, president of the California State Parks Foundation, declared in a news release: "At a time when the state desperately needs to generate revenues for many other critical state services, it makes sense to keep state parks open and available for the public. The Committee recognized that closing state parks won't save money, it will cost the state dearly."

Goldstein cited a Cal State Sacramento study that found park users spend an average of $57.63 per visit and, across the state parks system, generate more than $4.2 billion in positive economic effects.

-- Pete Thomas

Photo: The scene within the walls of Sutter's Fort State Historic Park in Sacramento, where the Mexican flag still flies. The park is slated for closure if state parks funding disappeared. Credit: Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times

Californians rallying to prevent closures of state parks--will it help?

These are sad and crazy times for millions who enjoy parks. There is some good news: The National Park Service has announced it is offering three free weekends at more than 100 national parks, the first of which is Father's Day weekend, June 20-21.

But in California there's mostly depressing news, as 220 state parks, reserves and beaches still face closure because of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's plan to eliminate funding to help alleviate a $24.3-billion budget deficit.

Ironically, this is occurring at a time the governor is pressing forward--for the time being, anyway--with the Marine Life Protection Act Initiative, which establishes an extensive network of marine parks along the California coast. The state has private funding for the process of establishing those parks, but it remains unclear where funding will come from thereafter, for enforcement and studies to determine whether the no-fishing parks are helping fisheries recover, as intended.

But that's a separate issue. As for the land parks, Californians are rallying to prevent them from being closed. More than 84,000 letters of opposition to the funding cuts have been sent to legislators and/or the governor, according to Elizabeth Goldstein, president of the California State Parks Foundation. The Legislature probably will deliberate on the issue and make committee-level recommendations next week.

Proposed state parks closure list is not for the faint of heart

This morning, I glimpsed the list of California state parks earmarked for closure if Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger successfully cuts funding, and I became sickened and angry.

There are 220 parks, reserves and beaches on the list. That would leave a mere 59 parks for our continued enjoyment.

Those that will close if the Legislature approves the elimination of funding are wonderful and unique. Their becoming off-limits to help the governor trim the budget deficit seems neither right (the savings don't justify such drastic action) nor fair to millions of citizens who are entitled access to treasured wilderness parcels set aside years ago for their benefit.

(The closures supposedly would be temporary, but given the enormous cost to reopen these parks after their trails are overgrown etc. might make reopening all or even some of them difficult.)

A sampling of destinations on the hit list, with brief commentary:

-- Eastern Sierra's Mono Lake Tufa State Reserve and Bodie State Historical Park: The former boasts one of the planet's most surreal landscapes and features bizarre tufa spires and a lake more than 1 million years old. The latter is a ghost town from the gold-mining era. Visitors journey to the Old West and emerge with a clearer understanding of our past.

-- Malibu Creek State Park: For years one of my favorites. Close to L.A. yet a world removed with its oak-filled valleys, rolling hills and rugged peaks. A haven for hikers, campers, mountain bikers, horseback riders and bird enthusiasts. 

California state parks said to face biggest threat in 150-year history

How would you feel if nearly all of California's state parks were to close and become off-limits? 

Sadly, eliminating funding for the expansive parks system is one of many extreme measures Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger plans to enact to help reduce the state's downward-spiraling budget deficit. Just as sadly, it's one of many examples of citizens being penalized for the state's inability to balance a checkbook.

You might recall the governor as being no fan of the outdoors. He threatened to close 48 parks and 16 state beaches, at meager savings, early in 2008. He supported an ill-fated plan to build a toll road through San Onofre State Beach.

Now, facing a projected $24.3-billion budget shortfall, his back is against the wall and he has again aimed his bazookas at those vast parcels of wilderness that afford such a treasured refuge for millions of citizens seeking to escape the chaos of civilization, if only briefly, to rejuvenate body and mind.

Beginning July 1, the governor plans to cut core funding for 279 parks in half (by $70 million), and during the next fiscal year he intends to cut all funding. If the cuts are approved by the Legislature, more than 200 parks could be forced to close.

Without staffing and human traffic, trails will vanish and homeless encampments and illegal pot farms might take root. (Do not expect enforcement of no-trespassing ordinances.) Fire danger might substantially increase and that could, in turn, lead to lawsuits against the state.