This is definately worth celebrating! It’s been 50 years since almost half of Dorset received official recognition as a very special landscape. Its designation as the Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1959 placed it safely in a family of nationally important protected landscapes.

To celebrate this 50th anniversary, hundreds of people joined us to discover and share their enthusiasm for the landscape, their Love for the Land. A new 2010 calendar which captures just some of what people said they love about the land during their 50th anniversary year is out now. Please visit Dorset AONB to request a copy if you are interested!

If you love to explore and learn about history firsthand, this is a land steeped in stories and lore to keep a lover of the land and it’s legends, such as myself, fascinated for days on end! The rocks that make up the AONB’s beautiful landscape tell a fascinating story – of life on earth. The story is most easily read along the coast, which forms part of England’s first natural World Heritage Site – the Jurassic Coast. While geology has been shaping this landscape for millions of years, for the last few thousand, people have been making their mark on it too. The stories of Dorset as a working and living landscape are all around you.

Take a few moments to visit A Time and a Place to explore what you can find in the lovely lands of Dorset, such as…
~ Rural industries
~ Parklands and formal gardens
~ Chalk figures
~ Iron Age hill forts
~ Stone circles and round barrows
~ The Jurassic Coast

Spending time outdoors in the natural environment is great for your health and wellbeing. This is one of my favourite things to do, as I love getting close to nature. With rolling downland, secluded woodlands, wide open heaths and a dramatic coastline, the AONB in the Dorset area, is the perfect place to stretch your legs and get some fresh air. My daughter and I absolutely love to ride! We can cycle in style with the West Dorset Pedal, a collection of beautiful routes with artists’ studios and local eateries where you can stop for food and inspiration! Purbeck also provides good on and off road cycling through woodland, heath and downs.

Or if you prefer, you can walk the edge between land and sea on the South West Coast Path National Trail, with 71 miles of glorious views of the Jurassic Coast from Studland to Lyme Regis. Try combining a walk with a ride on the X53 Jurassic Coast bus to help you explore more.

Stick to the high ground on the Wessex Ridgeway, an ancient track taking in hillforts and historic villages like Cerne Abbas along the way. Perhaps we could take in heathland, downland and dramatic coastal scenery on the Purbeck Way, passing Corfe Castle, Chapmans Pool and along to Swanage.

I love to find the hidden gems in any place I am adventuring into. Dorset has a wealth of small, often lesser-known attractions including vibrant festivals, artists and craft workers. The Hidden Dorset website contains a treasure trove of information on the small, the beautiful and the downright quirky.

Dorset’s dramatic landscapes have been an inspiration to artists, writers and musicians for centuries. Perhaps the most famous is Thomas Hardy – you can almost feel, smell, hear the richness of the landscape in his work. Inspiration isn’t a thing of the past though. The Dorset AONB has a really strong community of artists who use images, words, music and dance to express how they feel about the landscape.

Such beauty is definately worth a special mention here at Mother Earthbeats!

I am proud to live in the beautiful State of Oregon. My family and I enjoy our natural surroundings and lovely forests. To walk amongst the great trees brings my heart so much joy! It would be a terrible tragedy to destroy the delicate ecosystem in which we Oregonians have fought so hard to protect. Please read the letter below from Oregon Wild to see the danger our Oregon forests face today…

Dear Teri,

Last fall, we told you about Oregon’s 10 Most Endangered Places. Coming in at #8 on the list were the Tillamook and Clatsop State Forests, threatened by a proposal to ramp up clear-cut logging.

Now, the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) is set to approve this logging increase, and they need to hear from you! Tell them our state forests are vital for the salmon, wildlife, clean water, and recreational opportunities they provide!

Write a letter to ODF today and tell them to protect clean water, salmon, and recreation opportunities in our state forests.

Oregon prides itself on protecting its natural heritage, but what is being done to our state forests should be an embarrassment to every Oregonian. Instead of a legacy of abundant wildlife and clean water, we are leaving our children a heritage of clear cuts, mud slides, and wrecked rivers.

For decades, all forests in Oregon (including the Tillamook, Clatsop, Elliot, and Santiam state forests) were managed primarily for industrial timber production. As a result, most of our old-growth is gone and the species that rely on complex native forests are still vanishing.

Finally, in the 1990s, forest managers began using science to determine how their logging activities would impact things like salmon populations and water quality. Not surprisingly, clear-cutting doesn’t do wildlife and favors and doesn’t keep streams more pristine. Recognizing this, ODF refocused some of their management plans towards restoring more old-growth forest habitat, calling for an even 50/50 split between timber emphasis and forest protection.

Now, they plan to do away with any sense of balance and ramp up clear-cutting on up to 70 percent of State Forest land.

We need to tell them that protecting only 30 percent of our state forests isn’t enough. Write a letter before the January 29th comment deadline here.

With approximately 50% of Oregon’s forests in private hands (and subject to a constant rotation of industrial logging), it is imperative that we protect the small portion of forest land that we all own as Oregonians.

Thanks for standing up for the Tillamook and other state forests.

For wild forests,
Sean Stevens
Communications Associate
Oregon Wild

Salmon survival is at stake in the ODF decision to ramp up clear-cutting. (photo courtesy Wild Salmon Center)

Mitaku ye oyasin (All my relations)… I would like to pass along a very important message, from a sister who walks the Lakota path as I do, concerning our Sacred Earth. Prayers are needed, as well as action from those who know what to do, to help save the land from unnecessary desecration. Please look into your hearts and find the time to send out a message to preserve our lands… Pilama ye for your time in this urgent matter.

“Good Morning,

Carolyn Gray”

EarthWorks takes Action

Rio Tinto and BHP – Billiton have created a subsidiary that is proposing to mine a rich copper vein more than 7,000 feet below sea level east of Superior, Arizona. As a first step, Rio Tinto is currently shopping around a land exchange bill that would end an executive order banning mining from Oak Flat Campground and privitize more that 3,000 acres of public land.

Concerned citizens are worried about the loss of Oak Flat Campground, a very popular recreation area. Birders, climbers, campers, canyoneers, bikers, and hikers enjoy the area throughout the year, all of whom would be greatly harmed if these lands were forever taken from public access. Western Apache people have traditionally used the area for cultural, spiritual, and subsistance. The land exchange would include Apache Leap, a cliff where more than 80 Apache warriors chose to leap to their deaths rather than surrender to the US calvary.

Both the San Carlos Apache Tribe and the White Mountain Apache Tribe has passed unanimous reslutions opposing the mine and land exchange. In addition, the Concerned Citizens and Retired Miners Association in Superior, AZ has been meeting regularly opposing the land exchange and is circulating a petition.

Why is it that we have such a sneaky and conniving President? One would think that our President would have the greater good of the planet, as well as the people in mind when making important and far reaching decisions. To rape and plunder the Earth is a crime beyond belief, and I feel quite strongly about our wild and natural places enough to declare my outrage in hearing about the Bush administrations latest travesty against nature. I firmly believe we have at our disposal the intelligence and scientific data that can give us a solution to our supposed fuel issues, which will keep nature in balance and free from pollution and destruction.

Phew! Here I am again feeling like I am running against the wind, and I am quite distressed at the lack of intelligence and foresight our President and his administration present in their crimes against nature, and the people they are supposed to take care of. Well I will not turn a blind eye, and I do feel it is all of our responsibility to steward this planet with compassion, wisdom and common sense. We can survive without turning the world upside down, and greed just begets greed, no matter how you look at it. These people who think to reshape this planet and harvest all of her resources will be gone soon enough, and what will be left? I do care what our planet becomes, as well as loving all the beautiful wild places that this Earth has for us to enjoy.

I wanted to share a message from a fellow Earth lover, and I did not want to take away from the original content as written by Robert Redford. Please read the following and add your voice in objection if you feel as so many do about this underhanded tactic…

Dear Teri,

No one voted on Election Day to hand over Utah’s Redrock wilderness to oil companies.

But the Bush Administration cynically chose that very day to advance an outrageous plan that will sell off leases for some 300,000 acres of spectacular Utah canyonlands to oil and gas speculators.

While America was voting for Barack Obama and his vision of a clean energy future, Bush and Cheney’s underlings were conspiring to plunder one of the crown jewels of our natural heritage for their fossil fuel cronies.

Please register your own opposition right now.

The auction of Redrock country will take place on December 19. At stake are world-renowned vistas near Canyonlands and Arches National Parks, as well as near Dinosaur National Monument. The highest bidders will earn the right to turn vast tracts of pristine wilderness into industrial wastelands.

It’s bad enough that Bush officials went behind the backs of the American people with this disastrous scheme. But what’s worse, they didn’t even tell their own National Park Service until after the fact.

In my mind, this theft of our heritage goes beyond the cynical — it’s criminal. What will be left to give to our children and their children if we allow this administration, in a parting shot, to destroy our legacy of public lands for short-term gain?

I hope you’re as angry as I am about this blatant land grab, because we’ve got to stop it — and we have to act fast. The NRDC Action Fund is mobilizing more than one million Americans in an outpouring of protest over the coming days.

Send your own message of opposition immediately. Tell the Bush Administration that you will not allow it to destroy one of the most beautiful places on Earth.

We’ll automatically send copies of your message to your two senators, your representative and to the Obama transition team, which has signaled their opposition to this disastrous attack on our Redrock heritage.

The Bush Administration is racing to complete the auction of our lands before Inauguration Day, which will make sales difficult to reverse.

We must fend off this land grab now — before the oil and gas companies can lay claim to the spoils.

Those spoils include stretches of Desolation Canyon, which has been proposed for national park status. Bush’s own Interior Department describes the canyon as “a place where a visitor can experience true solitude — where the forces of nature continue to shape the colorful, rugged landscape.”

The very idea of oil and gas operations invading these remote sanctuaries — which have remained untouched for millennia — is deeply upsetting. Once the dirty deed is done, our wilderness can never be restored. That’s why I’m asking you to help us sound the alarm and organize now.

Tell the Bush Administration to cancel the Redrock auction. Remind them that we the people are the rightful owners of this majestic wilderness and that we won’t stand for its destruction.

And thank you for joining with me and the NRDC Action Fund to save these beautiful wildlands for all future generations.

Sincerely,

Robert Redford
NRDC Action Fund

P.S. After you send your own message of protest, I’ll let you know of an easy way to spread the word to your friends and family. With only 10 days to mobilize one million Americans, I’m counting on you to rally everyone you know to speak out and save this precious wilderness from destruction.

Whilst searching through the land to find that which I deem worthy of mention, amongst the most beautiful of lands I discovered the Antrim Coast and Glens. The nine famous glens, endowed with evocative names and blessed with a diversity of landscape are also rich in history, in folklore and in the natural beauty that is a world away from the frantic bustle of modern life.

The coastline of County Antrim from Ballycastle to Larne and the world famous Glens of Antrim contain some of the most beautiful and varied scenery in Northern Ireland. The area is dominated by a high undulating plateau cut by deep glens which open north and eastwards to the sea. It is an area of contrasts: gentle bays are separated by blunt headlands; exposed moorland gives way to sheltered valleys; wide open expanses to enclosed farmland.

Entwined amongst the rich history and traditions of the communities within these mysterious glens is the constant sense of a dual landscape; one of breathtaking nautral drama and beauty that opens up as you negotiate the hills and bends, and another more hidden landscape of mists and myths, of legends and folklore and tales of giants, fairies and other wonderful creatures. Let us explore them all.

Glenaan – The glen of the colt’s foot or rush lights, a rugged glen – having the site of the legendary Ossian’s grave, with the Cushendall-Ballymoney mountain road. The Celtic poet Ossian is said to have resisted St Patrick, arguing that Christianity was too strict for the exuberant Gaels.

Glenarm – The glen of the army, with Glenarm village, eleven miles north of Larne, on the famous Causeway Coastal Route. The oldest of the villages, with narrow streets leading to Glenarm Forest with its paths and waterfalls. A gold and Silversmith’s workshop and a pottery in the village are worth a visit. Glenarm Castle, with a striking resemblance to the Tower of London, is the home of the Earl of Antrim.

Glenariff – The arable or fertile glen, the best-known of the nine as the ‘Queen of the Glens’, sweeps majestically towards the village of Waterfoot. A series of waterfalls plunge down through a gorge traversed by rustic bridges. One cascade has the name ‘tears of the mountain’. The park is also a national nature reserve with easy access to a caravan and camp site. There is a wonderful view from the visitor centre down the glen which Thackeray described as a ‘Switzerland in miniature’. Waterfoot is the village at the foot of Glenariff, by lovely Red Bay, so called because of the reddish sand washed by streams from the sandstone. Fishing boats can be hired at the harbour here. There is a series of caves in the Cliffs, which were once inhabited, with the fragmentary ruins of Red Bay Castle above.

Glenballyeamon – Edwardstown glen, at the foot of which is Cushendall – more or less at the centre of the nine glens. Tieveragh Hill is supposed to be the capital of the fairies (living inside it). Above the village soars the table-top mountain of Lurigethan.

Glencorp – The glen of the slaughtered, close by Glenaan and roughly parallel to the main road from Cushendall to Cushendun. A prominent round hill on the east slope of Glencorp is called Tieveragh. This is famed as the home of multitudes of fairies, said to emerge in a procession on May Eve (30 April). Those who doubt the existence of the little folk will not see them, for they reveal themselves only to believers.

Glencloy – The glen of the hedges, two miles north of Glenarm, with the village of Carnlough at its foot. Lying about 14 miles north of Larne, this glen takes its name from the stone ditches in the upper glen and on Garron mountain. Some of these have been shown to date from the Bronze Age. The main village is Carnlough (population about 1000) stretching along most of the bay. A further 500-600 people live in the upper glen. Archaeological excavations at Bay Farm have uncovered evidence of Neolithic occupation (around 4000 B.C.) and further excavations in the same general area uncovered a Bronze Age settlement dated between 2000 and 1500 B.C.

Glendun – The glen of the brown river, adjacent to Cushendun village; spanned by a viaduct on the main Cushendall-Ballycastle road.

Glenshesk – A pleasant glen lying on the eastern side of Knocklayde mountain opening out to the sea at Ballycastle. It is quite easy to visit and explore this glen and Glentaise in the course of a couple of days. Like Glentaisie, on the other side of Knocklayde, it is also full of historic lore and at its foot lie the ruins of the Franciscan Friary of Bunamargy which was built for the friars by the local chieftain, Rory MacQuillan in 1485. As a result of a few fierce battles it became the property of the MacDonnell Clan who had no qualms about setting fire to the friary when it was occupied by the English forces under the command of Sir William Stanley in 1584. This glen is peppered with standing stones marking the burial places of saintly men and women and of brave clan leaders killed in battle. A castle in Drumenia is called after Goban Saoer who is celebrated in folklore as the icon of all skilled builders and craftsmen. Folklore – You do not have to travel far in County Antrim to encounter Finn MacCool, whether in his legendary giant form or as a Celtic warrior. In the latter guise he is said to have slain his favourite hunting dog Bran in Glenshesk – at a spot now known as Doonfin – during an incident in the pursuit of deer. Hunting features frequently in tales of Finn and his band of fighters, the Fianna, and Finn’s two dogs, Bran and Skolawn, are recorded as being a type of greyhound, but no doubt larger and heavier than today’s refined racing dogs.

Glentaisie – The most northerly of the nine glens and, lying as it does at the foot of Knocklayde mountain, is probably the most sheltered. It is about five miles long and opens out to a fine sandy beach at the beautiful historic town of Ballycastle. named after the Princess Taisie, the daughter of King Dorm of Rathlin Island. According to legend, Taisie, renowned for her great beauty, was bethrothed to Congal, heir to the Kingdom of Ireland. The king of Norway also sought her hand in marriage, and when he arrived to claim his bride her wedding celebrations to Congal were underway. The King of Norway and his army tried to capture Taisie but in the subsequent battle he was killed and his army fled leaderless and empty handed. More recent history deals with the arrival of the MacDonnell Clan from Scotland and even more recent is the fact that the first ever wireless message across a stretch of water was transmitted by Guglielmo Marconi from Ballycastle to Rathlin in 1898.

Surely the lands of Northern Ireland are of great interest to me, and I am of a mind to visit soon. To take part in the festivities and explore the glens, the lands of my ancestors, is a desire I cannot resist. I cannot possibly even properly express the beauty and wonder of such places without a personal visit. Surely these places must be experienced in person to allow our spirits to absorb the magnificence and mystery of the natural creations on this earth. I hope you enjoy a glimpse into this Place of Outstanding Natural Beauty which is just a small part of our Mother Earth.

Further Study and Information

Here is a Guide to the Glens of Antrim. Can you separate truth from myth?

What I find most interesting on this planet is the natural scenery. For some reason I am fascinated with the beauty I find all around me in nature. Perhaps this is why I find it so distressing to see such wanton disrespect for the natural world. When I travel through the forest and river paths I am filled with such wonder and a certain exhilaration. To think of the scope of brilliance and imagination that went into creating this earth is absolutely amazing. The science in nature is abundantly brilliant! I just wish to capture each breathtaking scene to the smallest detail. First with my eyes and my senses, then with my camera to share with others, and to remind myself at a later time of my finest moments traveling along the Earthly paths.

One of my dreams is to visit the homelands of my ancestors… Ireland. I want to visit the green Isle and really see it from the locals point of view. Tourists may visit key attractions, but I am an explorer by heart, and wish to adventure ‘off the beaten path’, so to speak. I believe I would have to actually live there for a few years to see for myself what wonders the lands hold in store for me, and to even come close to satisfying my curiosity. Ireland is a land full of mystery, as well as a rich culture and history. I know for certain that I will attain my dream of visiting the mysterious places of my ancestors in this lifetime, and I am very excited to hold this dream close to my heart.

For now, I will indulge in viewing the stunning countryside through the eyes of a friend, and brilliant photographer, Jordan Clemments. The images in this post are courtesy of Jordan from his website at Irishviews.com.

Here is a great opportunity to share your own experiences of the wild places you love. Perhaps you love to hike, camp, kayak, hunt, fish, explore or capture nature through photos or art. Whatever pleasure nature brings you can be a great story to share with the world.

The “Your Lands, Your Wildlife, Your Story” contest from Defenders of Wildlife is an opportunity for fans of America’s public lands to share their stories. Six great prizes are up for grabs, including $1,000 in gift cards to REI for the best overall story.

Defenders will accept submissions through Nov. 30, 2008 at www.YourLandsYourWildlife.org or by direct mail. Submissions will be accepted in five categories: hunting, fishing, birding, wildlife watching and photography, and backcountry adventure. The contest winners will be announced in January, 2009.

Choose from one of the following categories, and in 500 words or less, tell about…

Birding: The time you got to check that rare bird off your life-list, or the one that you’re still searching for.

Fishing: What made your last fishing trip to our public lands so great: the huge fish you reeled in, the one that got away, or the other wildlife that you saw while you fished?

Hunting: A hunt on public lands that brought you within a few yards of your quarry or just closer to your hunting buddies and nature.

Outdoor Adventure: The wildlife you saw on the last peak you bagged, camping in the backcountry, or along a simple walk through the woods.

Photography/Wildlife Watching: The extraordinary wildlife you captured in a nature photograph or an interesting encounter you had while in a National Forest or on BLM lands.

I’ll just bet there are some really great stories just waiting to be told about people’s adventures in the wilderness. These lands are so very important for Life and the future, and we owe it to our children to leave them a legacy where there are plenty of wild places to visit, explore and enjoy throughout time.

These lands are bursting with wildlife. Unchecked, unsustainable development is threatening U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management lands. Nearly 3,000 wildlife species and 10,000 plant species inhabit these 449 million acres, and they depend on these federal agencies to keep these lands healthy.

We need to present a united stand against radical exploitations upon nature. There are clean alternatives to our energy and fuel needs, and these are the areas that need to be explored and addressed in a responsible manner. Science brings us technologies which can help shape the future in a clean, positive way. Let’s hear your stories today… don’t miss the November 30th deadline to get those stories told!

Visit Your Lands, Your Wildlife, Your Story today to learn more.

In honor of my love for nature and all things natural, I am always curious to find places which represent the natural world in ways meant to benefit all, while providing quality education to help nurture a love of the wonders of nature in children. It is so very important to allow these young minds a chance to explore their natural environments, while encouraging them to learn how they too can become responsible and good stewards.

I would like to take this moment to direct those who feel as I do to a wonderful place which opened to the public on March 11th, 2008. Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center really impressed me with their history, as well as their current mission. Originally developed more than 60 years ago, through the vision of H.J Lutcher Stark, a prominent philanthropist who resided in Orange, Texas. Inspired by the mystical retreat represented in the book Lost Horizon, Stark sought to create his own haven of indescribable beauty where time would stand still. His vision became a reality in 1937 when he began creating Shangri-La Botanical Gardens within significant acreage owned by him along Adams Bayou in his hometown of Orange, Texas. Shangri La Gardens and Nature Center represents a place of enlightenment, peace and beauty.

Nestled within 252 acres in the heart of Orange, Texas, Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center is the first project in Texas and the 50th project in the world to earn the U.S. Green Building Council’s Platinum certification for LEED®-NC, which verifies the design and construction of Shangri La reached the highest green building and performance measures.

As one of the most earth-friendly projects in the world, Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center offers a glimpse of how people can live in harmony with nature. The combination of gardens and nature at Shangri La presents a serene oasis for retreat and renewal, as well as the opportunity to explore, discover and learn. I strongly encourage you to visit the Shangri La website to learn more about the wondrous history, the tragic events which caused this beautiful place to close down for 50 years, and the current mission of this magical place of nature. You will discover an ancient Pond Cyprus tree which is at least 1,200 years old, situated within Shangri La. Don’t miss this! I will be taking my daughter on a visit real soon, you can be most certain.