The Value of Preserving Wild Places
John Fiore, PT
Value is defined
in the Oxford Dictionary as the regard that something is held to deserve;
the importance, worth, or usefulness of something. Often associated with financial
importance, the value of wild places goes way beyond the common conception of
value. Unfortunately for our wild lands, the current political powers place
more importance on monetary value and self-gain than in preserving wild places
for future generations.
Yes, I am a white male living
in Missoula, Montana who grew up with the opportunity to experience and
discover some wild places in the western United States. These places, however,
have no gender, race, age, or political preference and are open to all. The
beauty, wonder, and challenges of those early experiences shaped me as a
person. As an adult, I share these places with my kids and continue to seek out
wild, untrammeled lands for perspective and enjoyment. The thought that two of
our National Monuments (Bears Ears National Monument and Escalante National
Monument) are being downgraded in their degree of protection is outrageous and
tragic. The stage is set for more wild places to be developed for their
potential monetary value which threatens our nation’s heritage, freedom, and
public lands.
My parents regularly took my
six siblings and I on camping trips in the 1960s and 1970s. We ventured to
places near and far, reveling in the rawness of fresh air, clean water, awesome
vistas, and dirt under our finger nails. Every time we left a camping
destination, my father required us to walk around the camp site and pick up any
pieces of garbage or cigarette butts we could find. He urged us to always leave
a camp site in better condition than we found it. It is our responsibility as
stewards of public lands to leave our precious wild places in better condition
for future generations to experience.
In 1982 I had the opportunity to spend a
semester with the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS). Based in Lander,
WY, the NOLS Rocky Mountain Semester Course included five extended trips to
experience and study a variety of ecosystems. In November of 1982 we spend two
weeks backpacking the length of Grand Gulch in Utah. In close proximity to the
controversial Bears Ears and Escalante National Monuments, my trip down Grand
Gulch to the San Juan River was memorable. We were alone in Grand Gulch, saw
hieroglyphics on the canyon walls, and signs of the ancient Anasazi dwellings and
burial sites which dated back some 3,000 years. I have not returned to Grand
Gulch but the memory lives within me and I value the preservation of such
places. On a recent ski outing with a Missoula friend, I discovered he too was
fortunate to experience Grand Gulch on a NOLS semester course twenty years
later. Our shared experiences at a young age have shaped our values and
priorities in life.
For those who have not
travelled in wild places, I hope you do. For those who have not experienced the
rawness, the struggle to stay hydrated, warm, cool, or dry, please do. It is in
the struggle that we experience the simple beauty of life and existence. It is
in the struggle that we learn empathy for others, both human an inanimate.
“The supreme reality of our
time is … the vulnerability of our planet. National parks and reserves are an
integral aspect of intelligent use of natural resources. It is the course of
wisdom to set aside an ample portion of our natural resources as national parks
and reserves, thus ensuring that future generations may know the majesty of the
earth as we know it today.” - John F. Kennedy
As stewards of the land, we must not confuse
our responsibility with over-consumption of her resources. Public lands should
not be about user group debates, but rather about preservation. Tread lightly
and make your protest voice heard.
“Wildness is the preservation
of the World.” –Henry David Thoreau
Photo credit:
2.
bearsearscoalition.org (map)
