Erosion! It's a Beautiful Thing
By Del Albright, Sustainable Motorized Recreation Advocate
When I wrote this, I had just returned from a marvelous visit to southern Utah and several National Parks. I couldn't believe how beautiful erosion could be. Yes, erosion. This area of the United States has been eroded over time to some of the most spectacular scenery I've ever experienced. But think about how we perceive that word today: erosion.
###
It seems we've tweaked words in different
directions these days from how they were originally meant. Today, erosion
supposedly needs mitigation, yet some of our most treasured national parks were
formed by erosion. Death Valley, the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon NP, Zion, Cedar
Breaks, etc., were all caused by wind and water erosion.
Yet ask some of our self-proclaimed "environmentalist" friends, and you'll hear the bad things about erosion. Interesting. What about the beauty of nature's creations, which have been caused many times by pure erosion?
There is another tweaked word:
environmentalist. You won't hear me call the radical protectionists
environmentalists. No sir! The real environmentalists are folks like
those of us in organized recreation groups who fight to preserve our resources
for sustainable public use.
Radical protectionists or anti-access folks are
names that better fit the folks who run around spouting book-learned ecology
and advocating excluding us from our public lands. Stacie, my wife, calls
them "exclusionary elitists." Unfortunately, the anti-access folks
get the media attention they do, but that's life today. And that brings me to
another word that's been misused: access.
Access means passage and freedom of
entry. This does not mean that entry is only for those who recreate by
non-motor means. It should mean access for all. It should mean
sharing our public lands and sharing our trails -- for all users. In my
opinion, it should not mean a mandatory ride on a shuttle bus to see our
public lands, which we've already paid for and hired folks to manage.
As a side note, the reality is we will have to
ride shuttles someday. It's too bad that some of our public land managers
didn't plan far enough ahead to see this coming. Plans could have been made and
public input included so that something besides a cattle car would be
available. Perhaps a reservation system in combination with the inevitable
shuttle ride? Nonetheless, you might as well think of shuttle rides as
part of our right to access some busy areas and parks.
Now, please do not get me wrong about
environmental issues or activists. We need both sides of any issue to make the
best decisions. And the world is full of good people trying to do real good for
our environment. They have my respect. I have a Master's Degree in
Environmental Studies and Planning, so yes, I am concerned and care about what
we do to our planet. However, radical, exclusionary attitudes do not fit in
with public land management.
I am confident of one thing. When you stand on
a wind-swept sandstone formation that breaks off below you hundreds of feet
down, you can't help but behold the beauty of a word like erosion. But words
like erosion, environmentalist, and access have all taken on multiple meanings
these days.
My suggestion to you is to ensure the words
you're speaking are the words your listener is hearing. One never knows.
When making a speech to a group of county supervisors, giving testimony in
front of elected officials (congress, legislators), arguing with a group of
anti-access advocates, or just fighting for access to your trail, choose your
words carefully. And trust me, I still get head shakes when I say,
"Erosion is a beautiful thing."
HELPFUL LINKS:
DEL'S BOOKS (LAND USE, WILDFIRE, DEATH VALLEY, COWBOY POETRY, AND MORE)
WEBSITE (HOME PAGE)
PINTEREST (BOOKS, ARTICLES, AND MORE)
DEL'S ARTICLES (LAND USE, LIFE, WILDFIRE, VOLUNTEERISM, AND MORE)
More land use and volunteerism help here:
- MEETINGS:
- RUN A BETTER MEETING
- NEPA:
- LEARN MORE ABOUT NEPA
- LETTERS:
- WRITE A LETTER
- SPEECHES:
- GIVE A SPEECH
- FACILITATE:
- LEARN TO FACILITATE MEETINGS
- CLUBS:
- WHY JOIN A CLUB
- CONVOYS:
- ORGANIZE A CONVOY
- JOIN:
- JOIN THE RIGHT GROUPS
- TRAINING:
- GET VOLUNTEER TRAINING
- LEAD:
- LEAD VOLUNTEERS
- JOBS:
- CHOOSE THE RIGHT JOB FOR YOU
