Day Hikes in the Santa Monica Mountains: From Los Angeles to Point Mugu, Including the Entire Backbone Trail, first edition

By Robert Stone
480 pages, 174 maps, $21.95.
Included in this new guide are 138 day hikes throughout the Santa Monica Range, with an additional section of 13 hikes that traverse the full length of the 68-mile Backbone Trail in day hike segments. Highlights include fantastic sandstone landscapes, cool retreats along stream-fed canyons, gorges, waterfalls, coastal bluffs, filming locations, historic sites and numerous 360-degree overlooks. Several hikes are found in Los Angeles’ Griffith Park, including a hike up to the famous “HOLLYWOOD” sign. Extensive hiking options are included for the other major centerpiece parks within the Santa Monica Mountains — Topanga State Park, Malibu Creek State Park, and Point Mugu State Park.

Joan Wulff’s New Fly-casting Techniques

By Joan Salvato Wulff
Lyons Press, www.lyonspress.com, 224 pages; $24.95.
In its first edition, “Joan Wulff’s Fly-Casting Techniques” became an instant classic, revolutionizing the art form of fly-casting and changing how an entire generation approached the sport. With improvments and refinements on her original techniques, this is a richly illustrated guide that offers precise terms for every
part of the cast, with sections on line speed, improving accuracy and distance, loop control, and much more.

Wild in Arizona: Photographing Arizona’s Wildflowers, A Guide to When, Where, and How

By Paul Gill and Colleen Miniuk-Sperry
Analemma Press, www.wildinarizona.com, 224 pages, 280 color photographs; soft cover, $24.95; e-book $9.95.
Filled with more than 280 inspirational photographs, this guidebook showcases 60 of the most beautiful places to see wildflowers across Arizona. It features 60 different flower types, provides 17 instructional photography tips, and offers a bloom calendar to help plan your visit. Easy-to-follow maps and directions for each location ensure photographers, writers, hikers, and outdoor enthusiasts see the blooms in the right place at the right time.
Professional outdoor photographers Samantha Chrysanthou and Darwin Wiggett recently proclaimed, “Wild in Arizona is one of the best photography guide books we’ve seen published in a long while.”

Wood Duck Adventures

By F. Eugene Hester
Five Valleys Press, www.FiveValleysPress.com, 44 pages, 38 color photos; hardcover, $19.99.
The wood duck is our most beautiful of all waterfowl, and for fifty years F. Eugene Hester observed and recorded their exciting lives. He and his companions erected wood duck nest boxes and observed nesting activities. By banding the ducks and applying web tags to ducklings, they gained interesting and unexpected insight into the lives of these ducks. Excellent photography enhance the observations. F. Eugene Hester is a freelance writer, photographer, wood duck researcher and former professor at North Carolina State University. He lives in Springfield, Va.
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• On June 30, the Great Northern Pike Live Release Fish Derby will be held on Berge Lake. Prizes range from $500 to $10,000 Entry fee is $100. Information is available at www.lynnlake.ca and by calling 204-356-8017.
• On July 7, the southern Manitoba town of Gimli, cultural capital of the province’s Icelandic community, will hold its annual Kids Fishing Derby in its harbor on Lake Winnipeg. Kids catch whitefish, walleye, perch, and other species. Fishing tackle is awarded to first-, second- and third-place winners. Admission is free and all participants receive a commemorative medal. Information is available at 204-642-7929 or www.gimli.ca.
• On Aug. 4-6, anglers will try to land specially tagged northern pike and smallmouth bass at the Bissett Fishing Derby on Rice Lake in the southeastern Manitoba town of Bissett. Tagged fish can bring prizes ranging from $50 to $1,500. The entry fee is $20 (Canadian). For information, call 204-277-5463.

For comprehensive information about sport fishing and hunting opportunities in Manitoba’s “accessible wilderness,” visit www.manitobamonsters.com or call Travel Manitoba at 800-665-0040.
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BY TOM WATSON
It’s often said that you can get statistics to tell you anything you want to know. Survey results published in the Outdoor Foundation’s 2011 Outdoor Recreation Participation Report offer an in-depth look at the level of participation in the outdoors by a cross-segment of the U.S. population.
The survey involved interviews with a nationwide sampling that included responses from more than 15,000 individuals and almost 24,000 households in early 2010. While discouraging in several areas, the survey also indicates promising trends in others. Perhaps the most revealing and noteworthy figures to outdoor writers are those results from the youth (6 years old and above) and young adult segment of the survey base.
The survey polled participants on more than forty different outdoor activities, including: archery, backpacking, birding, camping, canoeing, fishing, hiking, hunting and wildlife viewing. In addition, interviewers sought out influencing factors that affected the degree and frequency of participation across that broad spectrum of activities.
The overall good news/bad news statistic regarding participation in the outdoors by children ages 6-12 is that, for the first time, participation remained flat instead of falling. Plus, adolescent and young adult participation grew by one percent.
The most popular outdoor activities among those age 6 to 17 were: Road biking, mountain biking or BMX (27 percent of American youth); car, backyard or RV camping (23 percent); running, jogging and trail running (23 percent); freshwater, salt water and fly- fishing (20 percent); and hiking (12 percent).
When looking at Americans ages 6 and older trying out new outdoor activities, stand up paddling, traditional/road triathlon and non-traditional/off road triathlon made the top three slots for activities with high percentages of first-time participants. Boardsailing/windsurfing and sea/touring kayaking were fourth and fifth in popularity. Of the hunting and fishing activities listed among the top 42 activities, fly-fishing ranked 19th; bow hunting, 25th; handgun hunting, 27th; shotgun hunting, 35th; and rifle hunting came in at 38th.
The survey notes that, “[t]hough an indicator of growth, the percentage of new participants in an outdoor activity is dependent on an activity’s size and can also indicate activities with a high turnover in participants — activities that draw large number of new participants but also lose existing participants at the same time.”
Equally challenging and useful to outdoor writers may be the statistics summarizing the reasons people throughout all age groups are discouraged or motivated about participating in the outdoors. When comparing the change in response between those age 6-12 and 18-24 who were asked what motivated them and kept them from participating, the shifts and trends are subjectively revealing. And while the age 6-17 group has the highest participation rate, the frequency of their activities remains below standards as set by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
“Outdoor activities are cool,” “My [family] participates” and “Outdoor activities are a good way to get exercise/stay fit.” were the top three motivators in the age 6-12 group. The age 18-24 group responded differently: “Outdoor activities are a good way to get exercise/stay fit,” “Outdoor activities are cool” and “I want to relax/manage stress” were top motivators. These results and others suggest that as we grow older the need to reduce stress and strive for fitness become more important. Lack of time is a large reason why those surveyed aged 6-24 don’t spend more time outdoors.
Influences for participating covered a broad range of topics as well. The two top, equally popular responses for those age 6-12 to “What keeps you from participating in outdoor activities more?” were related to time spent at school and undesirable weather. For those age 13-17, time spent at school and not having the right gear were the most major inhibitors. And for those age 18-24, not having the right gear and a lack of vacation time were the two biggest reasons. The survey also reported that “[a]mong adults who are current outdoor participants, more than 79 percent reported having physical education classes between the ages of 6 and 12. That compares to just 63 percent of non-outdoor participants.” For those in the age 6-24 group, more than half got involved in outdoor activities for the first time because “My friends and/or family participate in outdoor activities.”
Camping, fishing and hiking — three getaway activities — rank among the top activities of children, just behind bicycling and running. These getaway activities are recognized as lead-ins to other outdoor interests. Getting and keeping children actively interested remains a challenge as participation in outdoor activities declines with age.
So what might this all mean and how can we as outdoor writers use these figures to our professional and even ideological advantage? Many of the responses bordered on the obvious or givens such as parental influence, gain of independence and, based on other data from the survey about buying habits, the state of the economy.
An interesting figure revealed by the survey says that of first-timers, 2 percent of those age 6-24 and 3 percent of the age 25 and older saw an article, show or video that made them decide to participate in an outdoor activity for the first time.
Articles conveying passion for a wide variety of outdoor activities beyond the standard hunting and fishing tales may be the encouragement needed to expand those ranks. Many more figures including economic and ethnic factors included in an expansive overview of the Outdoor Foundation study are available at www.outdoorfoundation.org.
—A member since 1988, Tom Watson is from Appleton, Minn. He is a freelance writer and photographer specializing in Alaska, tourism, outdoor destinations and product reviews. Watson is also a guidebook author. Contact him at tom@tomwatsonwrites.com.
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EDITOR’S NOTE: The “Legal Handbook for Freelancers” is available for purchase at www.owaa.org/store/product/legal-handbook.

—A member since 1994, Bill Powell is from Columbia, Mo. He is also OWAA’s legal counsel. Contact him at powell@smithlewis.com.
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BY SHELBY GONZALEZ
If walls could talk, how would they describe the history of a park’s CCC cabins?
If a Chinook salmon could pipe up at a fisheries management meeting, what would it add to the conversation?
What does the world look — and smell and sound and taste — like through the eyes of a wolf?
Using a perspective fashioned from research and imagination can freshen a less-than-fascinating story or enrich an already-interesting one. While my examples come from outdoor writing, you could just as easily deploy the technique in other niches.
Imagined perspectives work well as leads because they are intriguing. You can use second- or third-person point of view. For example, here’s the second-person beginning of a story I did years ago for Minnesota Trails Magazine on plant restoration in Tettegouche State Park:
“The year is 1979. You are a plant, one of the many that cling to the top of a rocky headland called Shovel Point. Below you, cliffs of volcanic rhyolite plunge a hundred feet into Lake Superior.
“Life isn’t bad, all things considered. Sure, the icy wind, long winter and thin soil make things tough sometimes, but it’s nothing you aren’t genetically prepared to handle. Most other plants of your type live on the tundra.
“Besides, the view is amazing.
“Unfortunately, that view poses a threat to you and your clifftop companions. Your genes are no match for the camera-wielding hordes that will soon invade your home.
“This year — 1979 — legislation creates a new state park from 9,346 acres of land, including Shovel Point. The new park is called Tettegouche, after the Tettegouche Club, a businessman’s association that had previously owned and protected the land … ”
Now, the tone here is more playful than many publications prefer. Sometimes lightheartedness isn’t appropriate, either because of the publication or the subject. You can still use this technique.
I was captivated by the following passage from “The Beast in the Garden” by David Baron. The book tells the story of the return of mountain lions to the Boulder, Colo., area. (If you haven’t read this impressive, poetic piece of outdoor journalism, do yourself a favor and buy it.)
“As Boulderites trimmed trees and wrapped gifts on the weekend before Christmas in 1987, a pair of unseen eyes watched the city from above. The eys glowed bright amber, but they saw the world in subdued and impoverished color. Through them, the rolling hills of ponderosa pine looked more buttermilk than olive, the sky more robin’s egg than cerulean. The creature was red-green color-blind, its eyes designed for night vision. To the animal, the scene looked grainy and muted, like an antique photograph of the Rockies hand-tinted in pastel shades of blue and yellow … ”
Note the depth of Baron’s research and the precision of his word choices. He goes on to describe the animal’s path — his mention of the animal passing “a knob of weather-worn granite” reinforces my impression that this man did his homework — tracks, scat, claws, view from Eldorado Canyon, and ways of marking its territory. Talk about looking through someone else’s eyes!

How to use imagined perspectives:

1. Choose your subject. Mountain, mouse, fog bank, lake—the subjects you can give voice to are limited only by your imagination (and your assignment).
2. Research its perspective. Depending upon the subject and the article, you may wish to research the subject’s history, sensory capacities, feeding habits or life cycle.
3. Start writing. Remember to use more than just the sense of sight.
—Shelby Gonzalez recently joined the Cook County Visitors Bureau staff as marketing manager. An OWAA member and former rock climbing instructor, her work has been featured in the book “Chicken Soup for the Soul: Runners” and dozens of publications. This article originally appeared on her blog, found at www.shelbygonzalez.com.
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