Rock Plodder
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mtmagog.bsky.social
Rock Plodder
@mtmagog.bsky.social
Everyday permit science - NPDES & other water quality, streams, wetlands, marine (long ago) - and dealing w contaminated crap people leave behind. Outside is good, wild places better.
Reposted by Rock Plodder
85% of the nation's trails are on public land. According according to a GAO report, only ~25% of these meet agency standards for maintenance and public & environmental safety.

Story co-published w/ @republiclands.bsky.social
The nation’s trails are disappearing - High Country News
Government-issued maps offer a promise for safely exploring our public lands, but they no longer reflect the reality of what’s actually on the ground.
www.hcn.org
January 23, 2026 at 7:47 PM
Reposted by Rock Plodder
The nonprofit seeks records on a Trump-era review of park history displays.
Sierra Club sues Trump administration over national park history purge
The nonprofit seeks records on a Trump-era review of park history displays.
bit.ly
January 15, 2026 at 9:00 PM
A few seconds with a small stream in a Northland New Zealand forest. You can hear a Tui call and the sound of cicadas.
January 8, 2026 at 7:09 PM
Highly recommend a visit to Sanctuary Mt, NZ for a taste of the lush forests that used to cover the North Island. We were lucky to see a Kaka with chicks in a huge Iron-hearted tree.

Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari | Ecological Bird & Wildlife Reserve share.google/GwWPkOUImRNS...
Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari | Ecological Bird & Wildlife Reserve
Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari is New Zealand's largest ecological bird & wildlife reserve
share.google
January 5, 2026 at 8:29 PM
Q7 Announcements:
The #parkchat book club is discussing "Defending Our Wildlife Herratage" by Terry Grosz.  Our meetings are a relaxed, no pressure zoom call the 3rd Tuesday of the month. We would love for you to join us! Contact @ocparkbuilder.bsky.social for details.
#parkchat
December 24, 2025 at 7:06 PM
Q5 It's Christmas morning.
You get up early, before the sunrise. You go through your morning ritual: coffee or tea, some breakfast & then, because you are a dedicated NPS park ranger, you head to work.
Where are you?
What kind of work will you be doing today?
#parkchat
December 24, 2025 at 6:04 PM
A5 The visitor centers are closed, but people are still visiting the parks. I like to think there is a ranger, maybe on snowshoes or skis at places like the sledding hill at Olympic National Park.
(Photos from a visit with my daughters on New Year's Day, 2015) #parkchat
December 24, 2025 at 6:03 PM
Reposted by Rock Plodder
Lee, a Republican, had proposed removing part of a spending bill requiring that national park lands be maintained as federal lands. The Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks shot back, saying the move could “green-light the selling off, transferring and giving away of national parks.”
Mike Lee backs off change that advocates called a ‘green light’ to sell national parks • Idaho Capital Sun
Utah Sen. Mike Lee is no longer proposing a change to federal legislation that drew criticism from conservation groups, his office said.
idahocapitalsun.com
December 21, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Utah Sen. Lee backs off change that advocates called a ‘green light’ to sell national parks | News | stgeorgeutah.com share.google/lNCBKLACuZuj...
stgeorgeutah.com
St George News — Southern Utah's Premier Free Local News
stgeorgeutah.com
December 20, 2025 at 9:40 PM
Reposted by Rock Plodder
This is how much water fell over flooded parts of Western Washington. It doesn’t take into account the rain that fell elsewhere. That’s A LOT of water.
How much water flooded parts of Western Washington? At least 3 Lake Washingtons' worth
www.kuow.org
December 20, 2025 at 1:24 AM
Reposted by Rock Plodder
Most WA foodbanks currently have plenty of food. If you want to help, give them $$, not goods. $$ goes to food items needed but not on hand, to food next month when the state purchased** food goes away, for repairs to delivery vehicle, fridges for fresh food, extension cords, etc.
⬇️ footnote
December 18, 2025 at 4:51 PM
“I think that if there is a place that can galvanize across the geopolitical spectrum, it’s the treasure of our public lands, waters, wildlife and fisheries,”

www.politico.com/news/magazin...
‘I Didn’t Vote for This’: A Revolt Against DOGE Cuts, Deep in Trump Country
Trump administration policies slashing staffing and funding for public lands are waking a sleeping political giant in Montana. Will either party notice?
www.politico.com
December 15, 2025 at 8:49 PM
Lake Washington sunset tonight.
December 14, 2025 at 1:34 AM
Karma
December 9, 2025 at 8:12 PM
Salmon returning to Alameda Creek in Ca:
YouTube
search.app/9NwZs
Salmon spotted in Bay Area creek, marking return for 1st time in decades after restoration project
Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
search.app
December 8, 2025 at 9:03 PM
NW River Forecast Center - another reason taking dollars & staff away from NOAA & NWS is stupid. This work saves lives.

Northwest River Forecast Center share.google/CexFnW5Itgvb...
Northwest River Forecast Center
share.google
December 7, 2025 at 5:27 PM
Reposted by Rock Plodder
My friend @alexiscoe.bsky.social made my week with this kind LinkedIn post on Tuesday.

As absolutely shitty as my last two months have been, I’ve been very humbled & gratified to get such incredible support from friends, former bosses and co-workers, other historians, and the Bluesky community.
December 5, 2025 at 9:53 PM
Yosemite National Park Land’s Original Owners Rejoice As It’s Finally Handed Back 175 Years Later share.google/mQbV3CYfNZH6...
Yosemite National Park Land’s Original Owners Rejoice As It’s Finally Handed Back 175 Years Later
After long negotiations, the original owners of Henness Ridge, formerly part of Yosemite National Park, are celebrating returning to their homelands.
share.google
December 4, 2025 at 9:09 PM
What America Can Learn from Its Largest Wildfire of the Year
www.newyorker.com/news/the-led...
What America Can Learn from Its Largest Wildfire of the Year
When Dragon Bravo ignited, in Grand Canyon National Park, officials decided to let it burn. Then the fire spread out of control.
www.newyorker.com
December 3, 2025 at 3:37 PM
Reposted by Rock Plodder
Oregon Public Media did a really beautiful mini doc about the first descent of the undammed Klamath River that is worth a watch youtu.be/4FuGuWeAra4?...
First Descent: Kayaking the Klamath River after the largest dam removal in U.S. history
YouTube video by Oregon Public Broadcasting
youtu.be
November 23, 2025 at 3:24 PM
Suggested reading: "Is a River Alive"
by Robert MacFarlane

www.kuow.org/stories/can-...
Can a watershed have legal rights? The Snohomish River debate deepens
The tide is turning in a Snohomish County legal battle over whether a river and its watershed have legal rights that can be defended in court.
www.kuow.org
November 21, 2025 at 5:17 PM
Reposted by Rock Plodder
Spill-response crews planned to start digging up a blueberry farm near Everett on Tuesday to find the cause of a jet-fuel spill that shut down the Pacific Northwest’s primary oil pipeline.
Jet fuel spill shuts down Northwest's main oil pipeline
Spill-response crews planned to start digging up a blueberry farm near Everett on Tuesday to find the cause of a jet-fuel spill that shut down the Pacific Northwest’s primary oil pipeline.
www.kuow.org
November 18, 2025 at 9:06 PM
Reposted by Rock Plodder
An annual art festival in Utah drew more visitors than usual amid the shutdown.
Art led to the creation of this national park. Now it's helping to save it.
An annual art festival in Utah drew more visitors than usual amid the shutdown.
bit.ly
November 14, 2025 at 6:30 PM
“The State of Water: Understanding California’s Most Precious Resource” would make a good Christmas gift.

Bay Area nature writer says his book is being banned from Yosemite share.google/FEOgVUMGV1Uf...
Trump admin to ban book from Yosemite National Park, says author
The Trump administration's censorship directive has reportedly targeted Obi Kaufmann.
share.google
November 14, 2025 at 3:57 AM