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VERY VERY IMPORTANT - all PCT users and lovers pay attention

The Department of Interior led by Ryan Zinke is reviewing 22 National Monuments and 5 Marine National Monuments, created or expended between the years 1996 - 2016.  What is at risk? These Monuments may be reduced in size or eliminated all together.  Three of the Monuments encompass stretches of the PCT – Sand to Snow National Monument (includes, among other features, Whitewater River), San Gabriel Mountains National Monument (includes, among other features, Mt. Baden-Powell), and Cascade Siskiyou National Monument (includes, among other features, Pilot Rock near Ashland, Oregon). There is a 60-day public comment period (ending July 10).  It is critical that PCT users make their feelings known.  You can do so by:

1)  enter into your browser (or follow this link)  http://www.regulations.gov

2)  under the ‘What’s Trending’ column on the left side of the screen, you can double click on Review of Certain National Monuments Established Since 1996; Notice of Opportunity for Public Comment

3)  click on “Comment Now”

4)  make your comment

Here is what I wrote:

At the age of 62, I finished walking the Pacific Crest Trail. The Trail passes through three of the Monuments under review:  Cascade Siskiyou, Sand to Snow, and San Gabriel Mountains.  Just this past April I was again walking through the mountains of Southern California from the Mexican border to the San Jacintos, four years after first backpacking in these arid mountains.  What is striking to me is just how aggressively development continues to push, push, push into these fragile desert landscapes.  Horse ranches, greenhouses, homes, even housing developments and the associated roads, utility lines, and commercial establishments have sprung up where they did not exist even 4 years ago. Once development occurs, it is extremely difficult to undo it.  The Sand and Snow and San Gabriel Mountains Monuments offer modest but critical protection from the sprawling reaches of Los Angeles and the Palm Springs/Palm Desert communities.

The landscape is extraordinarily vulnerable.  The desert holds its scars for a very long time.  You can see this impact as you walk near the Whitewater River in the Sand to Snow Monument.  Or, from the top of Mt. Baden-Powell, in the San Bernardino Mountains Monument where the layer of pollution from the L.A. Basin often offers a palpable layer extending far to the southwest.

While not surrounded by massive population centers like the Sand to Snow and San Gabriel Mountains, the Cascade Siskiyou Monument is threatened by the rapidly growing Ashland-Medford communities of the Rogue River Valley.  Homes are pushing their way farther and farther into the mountains around these communities. I believe that the Cascade Siskiyou Monument not only protect iconic features like Pilot Rock, but helps preserve the recreational opportunities for this region of southern Oregon.

I have lived on the North Coast of California just south of Redwood National Park for more than three decades. I think that the creation of Redwood National Park provides an object lesson when insufficient land is protected.  The Park, in deference to local logging companies, initially limited much of the protection to a narrow strip of old growth redwood along Redwood Creek (named the ‘worm’ for its size and shape).  Quickly we learned, as surrounding lands were aggressively logged and Redwood Creek clogged with sediment that we had to preserve the broader eco-system … not just a small patch of trees.  By the time we learned that, the cost of buying back the watershed and its restoration was immense.  

Do not give up these Monuments for short-term employment and temporary gain.  I would love to walk some of these lands with you as I know that you agree with what I have seen and learned.

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Years ago when I walked the AT I met this rather distinguished hiker gentlemen. This gentlemen shared something with me that when I look back now seems so obvious but at the time kindof blew my mind. His trail name, I’ve long since forgot but a well known trail personality none the less. The point I’m trying to make about this guy is he has thousands of trail miles under his belt, this is why I use the word “distinguished.” I respected him. Anyways, what he shared with me was, “take pictures of PEOPLE.” He tells me this as I’m pointing my GoPro camera out over the blue ridge mountains as the sun set. I don’t think he meant to down play the beauty of the landscape before us what so ever but he had a great point. The people are what you remember as you journey through life. A simple photo of a person can bring back so many memories. Take pictures of people. This a photo of my friend Michael. He is a great person.

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Found a little cave to spin some steel wool the other night.

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The last couple years of life have involved a lot of "car stuff" particularly 1980's and 90's area Volkswagens.

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I love totally immersing myself in something, anything. A job, a project, a hobby, a person maybe. Loosing sleep over it, obsessing about what’s next. It becomes a part of you. It could be anything but it doesn’t have to be. You pick.

SconnieSqualor

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Lake Superior south shore

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Lake of the Clouds, porcupine mt. State park Michigan. July 2015

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Ontonagon, MI

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Duluth, MN

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Nature

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Made it to the Mississippi River!

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Big wheel at Ragbrai 2015

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Cool bike frame made from bamboo and hemp

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The good side of the hill

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Rainy morning

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Cell phone charging at tonight's camp, Storm Lake Iowa.