This New England

Given that whale-watching has become a good business out of Provincetown and Boston, you might want to look at this:

The Northeast Fisheries Science Center reports on the large number of North Atlantic right whales that have been seen in the Gulf of Maine in recent weeks. This has led right- whale researchers at the NEFSC to believe they have identified a wintering ground and potentially a breeding ground for this endangered species.

See:

http://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/press_release/2008/SciSpot/SS0818/index.html

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And for the best discussion yet of The New York Times/GateHouse fight over the former's alleged copyright infringements, see Dan Kennedy's piece:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2008/dec/30/new-york-times-gatehouse-lawsuit

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Meanwhile, it's past time for the National Forest Service and New Hamsphire agencies to get tougher about charging rescue fees for people who go hiking in the White Mountains unprepared, especially in the winter, and then have to be saved. (I have climbed those mountains in the winter; it's not something you do whimsically.)

It has just happened again, with Pasquale Digiovangiacomo and Dean Cooper, both 18 and from Cranston, R.I. The state is mulling whether to charge them the public's costs, or at least some of them.

In the winter of 1971, I covered the story of two young guys lost on Mt. Washington for three or four days. Perhaps they had some chemical assistance (this was still culturally the Sixties) but in any event, they were brought down the mountain to the Appalachian Mountain Club's Pinkham Notch camp feeling no pain, and, all in all, in fine shape.

A big story -- even somebody from Time Magazine was there!

It cost the Feds and the state thousands of dollars, way back then.

They often don't plow in much of Providence but the lightness of the snow on New Year's Eve meant it didn't matter much. Without the wind, it would have been a perfect snowstorm as seen through the eyes of a Hollywood fillmaker dreaming of New England.

 Tags  Appalachian Mountain Club Dan Kennedy endangered right whales GateHouse NEFSC

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