We are in the process of overhauling Roanoke.com, and we’ve been reaching out to readers for feedback on what they’d like to see with the new site. We even have a blog, The Refresh RT blog, to keep readers in the loop.

So, let me pose that question to you all: How can we improve the Outdoors content on Roanoke.com? What are we doing well? What can we do better? What else would you like to see? Are there other outdoors sites we should look at for ideas?

Be blunt and honest. Your input will make a difference.

First, some basic background on what we have now.

–Outdoors stories and columns that appear in The Roanoke Times comprise part of our online Outdoors package. I write nearly all of these.  Read more »

As expected, a seven-person subcommittee in Virginia’s House of Delegates voted this morning to table SB 464, the bill that would have allowed Sunday hunting — with restrictions — in Virginia.

The vote was 4-3.

I just got back from a fun two hours at the Y with my kids. I just popped a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. It’s delicious. And bitter. Which seems appropriate. The bitter part, I mean. Anyway, now is not the time for me to get wordy.

To those who worked hard to try to get fair treatment for the feared, misunderstood minority that are hunters, I say “Prost!”

And that’s all from me tonight.

Roanoke Times staff shooter Sam Dean is hosting an outdoor photography workshop at the paper’s offices on Thursday, Oct. 21. The workshop, from 7:30-9 p.m., is free and open to the public. An RSVP is required and the deadline is today. You can RSVP by phone at 981-3393 or by e-mailing photo@roanoke.com.

Those of you who pay attention to photo credits probably know that Sam is by my side on a lot of outdoors adventures, such as for several of my Fun in the Sun series stories this summer. He is not my personal shooter, and all of our staff shooters do a good job with outdoors content. But it just kind of works out that Sam is out there a bunch. He loves the outdoors as much as I do, and is up for anything. We’ve had some fun days out and about. And we’ve also some pretty epic — i.e. challenging — days out there. He never complains. And he always gets good art.

Those of you have any interest in outdoor photography should try to get to this workshop. Again, it’s free. And I think they may even be serving refreshments.

This past weekend a bunch of volunteers got together for a big bridge-building project at Carvins Cove Natural Reserve, site of some amazing multi-use trails, which I wrote about in my Sunday column in The Roanoke Times. The great volunteer turnout shows what is possible when multiple user groups have ownership of an area. When you restrict trails to specific groups it can be limiting (although that certainly isn’t the case with the Appalachian Trail clubs that do such a great job maintaining that trail).

Hikers, horseback riders and mountain bikers did a lot of the lifting, and plenty of it was pretty heavy. I helped carry two loads of lumber in the half-mile to the site and I’m still sore.

While most of the lumber could be managed by us, four huge beams — 28 feet long, 650 pounds each — would have required at least 20 people each to move. So organizers brought in Jason Rutledge of the Healing Harvest Forest Foundation and his team of Suffolk logging horses, which were featured in March in The Roanoke Times.

Those are some awesome animals, for sure. Unfortunately I couldn’t stick around to watch but fortunately Jason sent me a few pictures taken by HHFF’s Kate Coates, including the one above.

Some other photos of the volunteers are available HERE.