The above picture is a taste of what we’ll lose with the sad news about Escalante-Grand Staircase National Monument and the new Bears Ears National Monument. I don’t typically post a lot of dialogue about politics or religion, but I can’t hold back when it comes to protecting the environment. The environment where I go to heal, and where I go to make photographs to share that might uplift those that can’t get there. Money made from these pictures is not the main issue here. It’s about common sense and respecting the value of nature and the need for wildness on all levels.
After so much hard work by various groups to convince the previous government of the beauty of these national treasures, it’s now unraveling before our eyes. I took a look at the map link I found on the Patagonia twitter feed. It’s hard to tell with the interactive map in the way it shows the shrinking boundaries, but it looks pretty darn close to where this arch was photographed. I can’t imagine being there in the near future and seeing natural gas pavilions or pump-jacks or anything man-made in this area. I can’t imagine being there and hearing truck traffic or the hiss or pressure valves releasing instead of the silence or the wind.
These two places may be beyond most peoples’ radar, if they haven’t visited them. Utah itself is beyond many peoples’ radar, if they haven’t witnessed the beauty and uniqueness of the state. I get it. It can be hard to connect with the importance of an event like this when you don’t have first-hand experiences there. But if anyone has benefitted from being out in nature anywhere, they know how recharged they feel from all the fresh air, from the peace and solitude, from the adventure. Imagine your favorite getaway being taken away, or filled with the sounds of man, instead of the wind and birdsong in your ears.
It may seem hopeless in the moment, ‘I’m just one voice’ you might be thinking, but together, we can make a difference. Just about every environmental organization is suing. Please add your voice and more where you can. Because not just these two parks are at stake. Depending on the outcome of this major event, even more precious wild land could be lost.
Thanks for visiting, for letting me share my concerns of my heart in this situation.
