The Woods

How to Survive for Three Days in the Wilderness

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How to Survive for Three Days in the Wilderness

The fundamentals of survival boil down to the Rule of Three: You can live three minutes without breathing, three hours when exposed to freezing temperatures, and three days without water. Concerning hunters and fishermen, it’s practical to think of survival in relation to the time it takes search and rescue (SAR) to do its job: With rare exceptions, sportsmen will be found within 72 hours of being reported missing.

The military stresses this same mindset in its survival schools, where the focus has shifted from long-term survival to waiting for rescue. This is due in part to the increased efficiency of SAR, as well as the understanding that skills such as trapping and hunting food waste precious energy. Even navigational skills are deemphasized, because it’s easier for search teams to locate a stationary target. A 72-hour plan elevates the importance of fundamentals like fire building and signaling

As the person who’s lost, injured, or stranded, it’s your job to stay put and stay alive. So calm those panicky voices in your head, stick to the plan detailed here, and you’ll likely be found within 72 hours.

Worries over racism, waterways inspire push to rename fish

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Worries over racism, waterways inspire push to rename fish

Minnesota state Sen. Foung Hawj was never a fan of the “Asian carp” label commonly applied to four imported fish species that are wreaking havoc in the U.S. heartland, infesting numerous rivers and bearing down on the Great Lakes.

But the last straw came when an Asian business delegation arriving at the Minneapolis airport encountered a sign reading “Kill Asian Carp.” It was a well-intentioned plea to prevent spread of the invasive fish. But the message was off-putting to the visitors.

Hawj and fellow Sen. John Hoffman in 2014 won approval of a measure requiring that Minnesota agencies refer to the fish as “invasive carp,” despite backlash from the late radio commentator Rush Limbaugh, who ridiculed it as political correctness.

 

Ford Looking at Charging EVs by Flat Towing Them | The Drive

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Ford Looking at Charging EVs by Flat Towing Them | The Drive

t's no secret that there's still a lack of charging stations for EVs in the United States. Charging infrastructure is seen as a vital hurdle to overcome in the quest for more widespread adoption of what many consider the future of personal transportation. Ford recognizes that and has at least one other idea (besides more public chargers) on how to solve the issue.

In a recently published patent, the Dearborn automaker described a system by which an EV can be towed and charged by a vehicle such as an RV or semi-truck. This would be especially handy in sparse rural areas where people might commute in or travel to with charging stations few and far between.

USGS and Partners Continue Investigating DC Area Bird Mortality Event

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UPDATED Interagency Statement: USGS and Partners Continue Investigating DC Area Bird Mortality Event

In late May, wildlife managers in Washington D.C., Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and Kentucky began receiving reports of sick and dying birds with eye swelling and crusty discharge, as well as neurological signs. More recently, additional reports have been received from Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana. While the majority of affected birds are reported to be fledgling common grackles, blue jays, European starlings and American robins, other species of songbirds have been reported as well. No definitive cause(s) of illness or death have been determined at this time. No human health or domestic livestock and poultry issues have been reported.

The natural resource management agencies in the affected states and the District of Columbia, along with the National Park Service, are continuing to work with diagnostic laboratories to investigate the cause(s) of this event. Those laboratories include the USGS National Wildlife Health Center, the University of Georgia Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, the University of Pennsylvania Wildlife Futures Program and the Indiana Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory.

The following pathogens have not been detected in any birds tested, based on results received to date: Salmonella and Chlamydia (bacterial pathogens); avian influenza virus; West Nile virus and other flaviviruses; Newcastle disease virus and other paramyxoviruses; herpesviruses and poxviruses; and Trichomonas parasites. Transmission electron microscopy and additional diagnostic tests, including microbiology, virology, parasitology and toxicology, are ongoing.

Danger alone!

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Danger alone! ⚠

One of the concerns my therapist brought up with my love of travel and exploring the wilderness is that the risk of me having some kind of accident like falling into a gorge with nobody has else around to call for help and I essentially disappear off the map to not be found potentially for days or decades.

Exploring has its risks, especially when you are alone and doing your own thing. But as they say, freedom is not free. You take calculated risks and you live with the consequences. I don’t rush to edge of something that could be slippery and I try to be mindful of everything I do in the woods as I know there is no help but my own.