The federal government re-opened–somewhat comically–minutes after I finished writing my last blog post. I’m happy to see our government operating normally again. Most importantly, our National Parks and other public lands are being staffed again. During the shut down, people damaged some of our natural–collective–treasures, perhaps irreversibly. I still don’t truly understand that. The time for conserving our public lands is now, and there is at least one very tangible thing we can all do.
In an attempt to offset the doom and gloom in my last post, I thought I’d share some good news! One somewhat humorous bright spot from the government shutdown itself came from Point Reyes National Seashore. Elephant seals took over Drakes Beach. Females gave birth to several dozen pups there, meaning they aren’t leaving any time soon.
Back to Bears Ears
Arizona Congressman Ruben Gallego and New Mexico Congresswoman recently introduced the Bears Ears Expansion and Respect for Sovereignty Act (BEARS Act) to Congress. The BEARS Act would re-establish the full 1.9 million-acre Bears Ears National Monument as proposed by the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition in 2015. When President Obama designated Bears Ears National Monument in 2016, the boundaries more closely followed the footprint laid out in other legislation. For more on Bears Ears see previous blog posts here and here.
Support the Public Lands Policy Package
Perhaps the biggest thing that is worth watching right now is the Natural Resources Management Act (S.47) which Lisa Murkowski of Alaska recently introduced into Congress. This bill is good news for several good reasons. First, it has bipartisan support–California’s Dianne Feinstein authored a large part of it. A longtime champion of California’s deserts, Feinstein proposes the expansion of desert National Parks (like Death Valley), the expansion of existing Wilderness areas, and the creation of new ones (good news for my Wilderness Project!).
Second, S.47 would provide for the permanent adoption of the Land & Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). Congress initially funded the LWCF in 1965 with widespread bipartisan support. Since then, the LWCF has provided funds for all sorts of projects from the National Parks to city parks. Its funding expired last year and needs to be renewed, for the benefit of all Americans. Click here to urge your legislator to adopt S.47.
Elephant seals teach us that nature will persevere, regardless of our short-sighted actions. However, there is hope that we’ll be able to find common ground in conserving our public lands for generations to come.
