Describes how ash beds can be used as stratigraphic markers in correlating deposits of late Pleistocene and Holocene age in west-central Montana.

Situated among the North Cascade Mountains of Washington State, in the Glacier Peak Wilderness Area, Miners Ridge contains vast quantities of copper. Kennecott Copper Corporation’s plan to develop an open-pit mine there was, when announced in 1966, the first test of the mining provision of the Wilderness Act passed by Congress in 1964. The battle over the proposed “Open Pit, Big Enough to Be Seen from the Moon,” as activists called it, drew the attention of both local and national conservationists, who vowed to stop the desecration of one of the West’s most scenic places. Kennecott Copper had the full force of the law and mining industry behind it in asserting its extractive rights. Meanwhile the U.S. Forest Service was determined to defend its authority to manage wilderness. An Open Pit Visible from the Moon tells the story of this historic struggle to define the contours of the Wilderness Act—its possibilities and limits. Combining rigorous analysis and deft storytelling, Adam M. Sowards re-creates the contest between Kennecott and its shareholders on one hand and activists on the other, intent on maintaining wilderness as a place immune to the calculus of profit. A host of actors cross these pages—from cabinet secretaries and a Supreme Court justice to local doctors and college students—all contributing to a drama that made Miners Ridge a cause célèbre for the nation’s wilderness movement. As locals testified at public hearings and writers penned profiles in the nation’s magazines and newspapers, the volatile political economy of copper proved equally influential in frustrating Kennecott’s plans. No law or court ruling could keep Kennecott from mining copper, but the pit was never dug. Identifying the contingent factors and forces that converged and coalesced in this case, Sowards’s narrative recalls a critical moment in the struggle over the nation’s wild places, even as it puts the unpredictability of history on full display.

Volume Three: The Northern Highline, Lake McDonald and Sperry Glacier Basin

* Cascades climbing routes -- the guidebooks relied on for more than 25 years * Northwest climbing legend Fred Beckey has summited and explored hundreds of Cascade peaks * Hand-drawn maps and photos with route overlays, as well as approach information Volume II in the classic Cascade Alpine Guide series features expert information on more than 300 climbing and high routes in the Cascades. This volume covers the middle of the Cascade Range, from the foothills east of Puget Sound to Lake Chelan. You'll find geographical, historical, and geological overviews of the majestic mid-Cascade region, plus important tips on safety and backcountry usage. Legendary author/climber Fred Beckey includes technical and grade information for each route to make clear exactly what type of climb you are embarking upon.

This is a publication for volcano preparedness in the Glacier Peak region.

A fantastic book! Timothy Egan describes his journeys in the Pacific Northwest through visits to salmon fisheries, redwood forests and the manicured English gardens of Vancouver. Here is a blend of history, anthropology and politics.