The one reason or another that prefer a warm bed in a heated cabin and spend a winter night out in the woods. Experience on camping is the best ally for a winter camper. Lacking of experience or wanting to learn new skills, a good book on the subject can make as the whole event a positive one.

One book is “The Winter Camping Handbook” by Stephen Gorma. In the 224 page paperback, Gorman, a Vermonter, elaborates on winter trip planning, food, gear, travel methods, individual and group trips, usually you can find in a “how to” book. There are also lots of checklists such as meals, repair kits, gear to pack and fantastic like the aspect of the book.

You can also find on the how-to winter camping books by old time writer Col. Townsend Whelen, Bradford Angier and Calvin Rutstrum is the little hard getting used to titanium cookware, metal snowshoes and isobutene jet stoves - the wave of the future. “The Winter Camping handbook” does a good job explaining all high tech stuff.

The winter camping season of McHenry County Conservation District will starts on Dec. 1 at Marengo Ridge Conservation Area, 3100 N. Route 23 in Marengo. The campers will can enjoy exploring more than 5 miles of hiking and cross county skiing trails with winter tent that wind through the oak and evergreen woodlands at Marengo Ridge.

Open to all small to large groups. The campground can accommodate up to 160 people with parking for 20 vehicles. Call now for winter camping date, for reservations you can call the McHenry County Conservation District Administrative Office at 815-338-6223. Make sure at least 10 working days in advance of your desired date to obtain the required permit.

The reservations for 2009 campign season will be taken starting on Jan 5. The other campsites of district in the county are closed for the winter season and will reopen on April 1, 2009 with the exception of Thomas Woods. Thomas Woods will reopen May 1. Thomas Woods is the individual tent and RV campground at Marengo Ridge.

Camping trip is part of the Bass Pro Shops effort to give shoppers an early on Black Friday shopping. Kelly and Warren Burchim of Venice Center have campout in the Alexandria Bay, Adirondacks, and Pennsylvania area but never in the parking lot. Warren Burchim said “We’ve camped out in the Adirondacks in October and woke up to four inches of snow in our tent and decided this (camping at Bass Pro Shops parking lot in Auburn) would be interesting”.

George Fiorille, a promotions manager at the Auburn location report to the media that Thanksgiving and getting ready for the Black Friday going out so we’re trying to get people in the good holiday spirit and do shopping. Camping is more about experience and makes people confident. Kelly Burchim said “Warren is the one that found it in the circular so it was his idea, but he didn’t have to do much nudging.”

Not all camper was staying overnight at the Bass Pro Shops. The visitors have a chance to win gift cards, $1,000 shopping spree and $5,000 gas card at the Bass Pro Shops.

Robert Sibley of Lodi said “This is a good store. Very good prices. I’ve been in that place and the best shop”. Mostly people sleeping outside Carousel Center on Thursday night, just waiting for the best deals.

Almost 70 Chester Girl Scouts joined a camping skills program on Oct 2, Thursday at Chubb Park. The event was held to welcome new Scouts and returning to mark more than 75 years of Chester Girl Scouts.

More various camping skill workshops that girls participated arranged by older Girl Scout troops. The workshops included how to prepare camp food, set up a tent, and designing a camp survival pack.

Ethan and Lou of I-95 FM radio’s morning show enjoyed camping in a parking lot part of this week in hope of filling a semi truck with food. The disc jockey began collecting cans for camping in the Berkshire Shopping Center parking lot in Newton Road. Collecting canned food, nonperishable items and cash donationsl.

Lou Milano said during a phone interview from the recreational vehicle in the parking lot “We’re off to a modest start, but we have really high expectations. This community has always been very generous, and we are hoping they come out to help us fill this truck.”

Milano said until Wednesday he will be at the RV at 3 p.m. Collecting food for the Community Center of Danbury, a non-profit organization that provides services for residents throughout the area. Milano said the donations will fill the shelves of CACD’s food banks so it can help needy people in the holiday season.

He said “We’ve gotten a great response from our listeners so far. For some people, it’s easier for them to give cash. We take the money and buy food at one of the local grocery stores.”

Taryn Donnarummo, Director of Marketing and Promotions for the radio station said it did a similar food drive about five or six years ago. She also said important items include canned vegetables, nonperishable foods, canned meats, stuffing, and just about for them to give cash. Buy food at one of the local grocery stores.

The uses RV the disc jockeys was donated by LongView RV Superstores in Windsor Locks. You can contact Dirk Perrefort at dperrefort@newstimes.com or at (203) 731-3358.

Those who are interested to go camping together with the family, friends and barkadas are encouraged to consider bilingual weekend camp outs this winter at Texas Central Coast State Park, the Laredo area and the Lower Rio Grande Valley.

In this year, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department began hosting Texas Outdoor Family workshops in Houston and Austin State Parks areas. You can invite your friends and family to go camping at South Texas State Parks.

Kakanui camping ground that agreement to be reached legalize which has been causing controversy for about 10 years. On December 15, The Environment Court will be hold a pre-hearing conference in Dunedin which will consider a progress report of a resource consent for the camping ground which is established by Allan Jones.

Since 1990’s, the controversy has been running when Mr Jones establish a tavern on his first applied and camping facilities on the 1.23 ha site on Kakanui River South side between Waianakarua and River Rds.

The Waitaki District Council declined the application. Mr. Jones went to and established a campground with associated facilities, that claimed he had existing use rights. But the Council challenged that. In 2005, has notice of issued an abatement closing the camping ground.

The application was for an one bedroom unit A-frame, ablution block and two one bedroom cabins with the other site for caravans and tents including some powered sites. It attracted of 53 submissions and consent was issued but with access to the site of River Rd.

Four of Submitters
1. L. Hildemann
2. R. Hildemann
3. J. Anaru
4. D. Robertson

Those four submitters along with Mr Jones took the council to the Environment Court that the issue was over whether access to the camp should be from River Rds or Waianakarua.

They include an application from the Aukland Company Euroclass Design that wanted to subdivide a site on corner of TY Duncan Rd and State Highway 1 for retail and industrial sites. But the council refused the application, Euroclass modified the subdivision to include two lots and down from nine.

The other three appeals will also be updated:
- one by the Minister of Conservation
- two by Environment Canterbury

It has been proposed by the Council of relate to plan changes or variations.