The Dirt ROAR 
For Sarah Heath Palin, Alaska’s wildly popular first female governor, being in the outdoors is not about rafting the toughest rapid or climbing the steepest pitch. It’s simply a way of life. A runner, hunter, skier, and angler, Palin, who in 2006 also became the youngest Alaska governor at age 42, grew up skiing the Talkeetna Mountains, hunting the Matanuska-Susitna Valley, and salmon-fishing the famed Kenai and Copper rivers. These days Governor Palin still runs and hunts when possible, and during the summer, when the sun barely sets and Alaskans rarely sleep, she dons her Helly Hansens to help husband, Todd, pull in fish for their Bristol Bay commercial fishing operation. "My parents taught me to respect the land and the wildlife. When it comes to hunting, you’re going to hunt what you consume and leave no waste." "You learn in Alaska to respect the elements too. I learned that lesson when I first started commercial fishing with Todd. Bristol Bay fishing struck me as such a dangerous vocation, but he just told me, ‘You have to respect the water.’" "My experiences outside and growing up in a family that was very passionate about the outdoors do affect my decisions today." "I had the opportunity, growing up, to do things like climbing the Chilkoot Trail. I would like to see more families doing these sorts of things. Here in Alaska we don’t have a very healthy population. We’re too high in obesity and cancer and diabetes, and getting outdoors can encourage healthier lifestyles." "It’s obvious, too, that the [Alaska] Department of Natural Resources [DNR] is a focus of my administration. I can recognize that Alaska is known for its natural beauty and its resources. It’s a delicate balance to protect our natural environment while we are developing our resources for the growth of the economy." "DNR is not going to solely be focused on the resource extraction that maybe some people would like. We have to combine resource extraction with putting money in the parks and the trails—putting money into those things that make Alaska what it is." "Our administration has created the Petroleum Integrity System office, and we’ve really ramped up oversight of the development that is going on on the [North] Slope and with the gas line going in. It rankled some in the Republican Party who thought we were trying to shut down business. But I believe our mission is to have appropriate oversight of development so we can prove to people like the federal government that we are going to have responsible and safe development." "I have such an appreciation for what Alaska’s great outdoors does have to offer. Everyone should get to experience it this way too while still growing an economy that is good for Alaska." —As told to Melissa DeVaughn
Comments
I was disappointed to see such a one-sided article on Sarah Palin in Women's Adventure. Palin's track record indicates a lack of regard for the environment and a bitter opposition to liberty for women. Your readers deserve more in depth coverage of this controversial politician. Just because Palin is a woman and loves "outdoor adventures" doesn't mean that she believes in women's rights or preserving our environment. I've been a proud reader and subscriber of Women's Adventure up until now. Being the father of a young girl I was appalled by your recent article on Sarah Palin. She is no friend of the environment or women. Your magazine will no longer be welcome in our household. ~Mark I've been a subscriber since you were "Dandelion", and on Friday (9/5) I received the "Special Travel Issue". It was covered by a reminder that it's time for me to renew my subscription. I planned to do that, until I saw the ROAR on pages 10 and 11. Do you normally tout women without checking them out? On page 14 you suggest www.votesmart.org for getting informed before voting in November--maybe Melissa DeVaughn should have checked it out before roaring about a woman who's described as "having an environmental policy more toxic than George Bush". In the www.votesmart.org information, Sarah Palin has refused to reply to questions on critical issues! Her affiliations clearly point to her right wing, anti-environment stance. I realize this issue was published before Sarah Palin was nominated, and you couldn't have known that your article could impact voters at a critical time in our country's history. I hope all the wonderful green and environmental work you've reported isn't cancelled out by the election of another rightwing "drill, drill, drill" ticket. Whether I renew my subscription will depend on how you repair the damage. There's not much time before the election...perhaps you can use your e-mail contacts for the good of the globe? I hope so. This election is very important to me--I think the fate of the earth is at stake. ~Margy
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'Sarah Palin a friend to the outdoors!? You've got to be kidding. It's clear that she will say whatever she thinks someone wants to hear. Her track record shows that she doesn't believe in global warming, she doesn't care about the degradation of the polar bear habitat, she doesn't care about saving the parks from oil drilling. Does shooting animals from a helicopter really constitute an adventure in the wild. She's also no friend to women. What a disappointment to see her in this magazine.' ~Carla
