Protecting our monuments includes speaking out
It is not often that young people are afforded an opportunity to fly across the country and experience a completely different world from their own. It is also not often that these same impressionable people are in the position to impact real, lasting change.
But that is exactly what happened when 14 forestry, wildlife and fisheries students (one was my son) from Tennessee traveled to New Mexico to explore the Río Grande del Norte National Monument and other protected areas in the Land of Enchantment. The Río Grande del Norte, and other national monuments across the country, are threatened by an executive order from the Trump administration that could undo protections for these special areas. Now, the public only has a few weeks to save these treasured places by participating in a public comment period.
As we left the Atlanta airport, chasing the sun as we traveled west, I could see the meanderings of our rivers far below. As the sun continued to set, I was struck by the sheer number of lights far below. It made me realize we are truly missing something in the east. Darkness.
As I sat there at 36,000 feet above land, watching a movie with my headphones on, and saw everyone was doing the same, I realize we were detached — detached from each other, detached from the natural world, detached like the habitats we had just flown over. It made me recognize we truly needed the darkness. Darkness pulls us together. Darkness shows where wild things still have a chance.
As I flew across the landscape, I witnessed just how discontinuous our landscape is. I was excited to talk of corridors for wildlife that would allow animals to access the habitat they need. I was excited for my students to see these beautiful areas that provide habitat for the wild things of the West.
As we started our adventures in Northern New Mexico, I soon understood that continuity was as much of a problem there as it was at home. Even though there are vast stretches of land that are unoccupied, that does not mean they are unaltered or suitable habitat for wildlife.
I learned of four generalized habitat types while I was there — riparian, piñon/juniper, ponderosa pine, and spruce fir. All of these habitats are vital to the ecosystem as a whole, and all of them have been heavily fragmented by man’s activities. As we visited these habitats in wilderness areas, national forests, national monuments and other public lands, I learned that the monument designations they held were the only thing protecting them. It was hard for me to believe some politicians are calling to reverse these crucial protections.
This meandering essay, like the rivers we flew over, will now come back to its beginning. I want to emphasize the importance of continuity across the landscape — especially in our national monuments. We need true protection of these wild lands and we need to ensure that the corridors of protected land we have stay intact. The Río Grande Del Norte National Monument is home to a very healthy population of big horn sheep that had been extirpated but were reintroduced in 2007. Without protected areas like the Río Grande del Norte, big horn conservation would be extremely difficult.
I encourage everyone to take part in the current comment period to protect our monuments, and in turn protect these special wild areas. Please visit www.riograndedelnorte.org/ and make your voices heard.