The annual Cherry Blossom Festival has kicked off in Washington D.C. and nearly a million visitors are expected to visit. You can see the official website here. The 2008 peak bloom is expected to last from March 27-April 3.
Reuters reports in the video below that the festival commemorates Japan's 1912 gift to the United States of three thousand cherry trees.
The Pacific Chinook salmon population of Oregon and California is suddenly on the verge of collapse after years of decline. Federal fisheries managers are considering a ban on salmon fishing from Oregon to the Mexican border.
The fishery council is expected to decide which action to take in April during its meeting in Seattle.
"I think the likeliest outcome this year is no one will put a hook in the water," said Humboldt County fisherman Dave Bitts, who was attending the weeklong meeting in Sacramento.
The Sacramento River chinook run is usually one of the most plentiful on the West Coast, providing the bulk of the fish caught by commercial trollers off California and Oregon.
But this year's returns - even with no fishing allowed - are expected to reach less than half the council's goal for spawning a new generation. It marks the third straight year of declines, and the outlook for next year is no better.
John Larson reports on the dire situation in the NBC video below.
A handheld new battery and ultraviolet lamp powered device called the SteriPen will sterilize a glass-sized amount of water for you. The SteriPen will clean 32 ounces of water in 90 seconds. The New York Timessays the device has a liquid crystal display that makes the countdown to sterilization easier.
The wand can clean up a quart of water that is clear - but could harbor stomach-wrecking microorganisms - in 90 seconds. The high-frequency light damages the DNA of bacteria, viruses and protozoa in the water like giardia and cryptosporidium so they can't reproduce and create havoc.
To make the disinfection process easier for users to monitor, one new device on the market, the SteriPen JourneyLCD($129.95) has a liquid-crystal display that shows a countdown during purification (48 seconds for 16 ounces, 90 seconds for 32 ounces) and a smiley face at the end to signal that the job is done.
The device, which weighs a bit less than 5 ounces, including two disposable batteries, will be sold at camping, travel and other stores beginning in April and online at rei.com and other sites, said Edward A. Volkwein, the president of Hydro-Photon, the company in Blue Hill, Me., that makes the unit.
You can read some reviews and blog comments about the device here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here. Most of the comments are enthusiastic about the water cleaning wand. The device does sounds great for outdoor use but it does have some limitations. You should use it only on clear water because it cannot thoroughly clean dirty looking water or water with objects in it.
If the water is tea-colored, has an orange or yellow tinge, or has objects like leaves in it, ultraviolet devices will not work well, as particulates in the water can absorb the light meant to destroy the harmful organisms, he said.
For example, "you wouldn't want to use these devices to disinfect apple cider," he said. "The light wouldn't penetrate."
There is a video demonstration of the device here on the SteriPen website. The Times article says the SteriPen will be out in April. It has a retail price of $129.95.
The 2008 Marmot Never Summer sleeping bag looks like it will always keep you snug and warm even on the coldest winter days. Campist blogs that is has a number of features to help keep you comfy in temperatures as cold as zero degrees fahrenheit.
It's rated as a three-season sleeping bag, but the 2008 Marmot Never Summer sleeping bag can easily take you through all four, thanks to features like the heat pocket and baffle hood, which keep you toasty when temperatures plummet as low as 0ºF. The Never Summer sleeping bag comes with a 600+ fill goose down, packed in a durable and waterproof nylon shell. Ground-level side seams eliminate drafts, and locking zippers keep the sleeping bag closed throughout the night. If that's not enough to keep you warm, a pocket in the footbox to stash a heating pad definitely will! From head to toe, you're covered.
The sleeping bag has a retail price of $269. More expensive than a regular sleeping bag but if you are out camping on a cold night you will appreciate having it with you. More details here from the TravelGearBlog who gave the cozy sleeper a nine out of ten.
Wild Wonders of Europe Photography Project Launches
The Wild Wonders of Europe has launched. It is an online photography project trying to generate interest in Europe's wildlife.
"Most of us Europeans today know more about nature in Africa or North America, than we know about Europe. How many Swedes know anything about nature in Bulgaria? How many Irish know anything about nature in Belarus? Or vice versa! This is all part of a natural heritage that we share. But how are you supposed to care about something that you have never even seen or heard about?" says Staffan Widstrand, photographer and writer from Sweden, Managing Director of Wild Wonders of Europe.
The launch of the website is also the start of the countdown to the Great Quest in which 50 of Europe's leading nature photographers will travel on more than 90 assignments to every country in Europe. The Great Quest begins in May, 2008.
A handheld new battery and ultraviolet lamp powered device called the SteriPen will sterilize a glass-sized amount of water for you. The SteriPen will clean 32 ounces of water in 90 seconds. The New York Times 
