As my regular readers know, I am a big advocate for the protection and preservation of public lands. I have completed a series on images from the US National Parks (linked
here) and I am in the midst of a series on the US National Monuments (check out the latest installment
here with links to previous posts). The parks and monuments provide great opportunities for outdoor recreation, connection with nature, education, and historic preservation.
In the last two weeks, major news stories broke on two fronts related to efforts to harm three US National Monuments.
First, news broke that major damage was being done to Organ Pipe National Monument in Arizona in order to build the border wall. The monument is home to a range of important desert ecosystems and locations important to Native American culture and history. As
this article notes: "The agency (building the wall) has consistently failed in its legal obligation to meaningfully consult with tribal stakeholders in southern Arizona." Native American burial sites are in the path of the wall and will likely be destroyed. In addition, major damage is being done to local ecosystems and there is serious concern about migratory animals, like large cats, that do not recognize national borders.
The second piece of bad news is that two national monuments in Utah have been opened up for mineral, oil, and gas exploitation. Bears Ears National Monument, which was set aside, in part, due to its significance to Native American spirituality and history, and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, known for its unique arches and waterfalls, are now open for business according to
this article. Both of the parks were also reduced significantly in size by the current president in 2017 in the largest downsizing of public lands in the history of this country. The main purpose of the downsizing was to allow commercial use of the property.
The US National Parks and Monuments are some of the key elements that uniquely define the United States. They are part of our collective national ethic around land. Given our current time of lawlessness and corruption, it is a good moment to reflect on the words of Aldo Leopold: "We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect."
