by mfa-admin | Jul 31, 2017 | Uncategorized
This Spring, my partner and I – along with tens of thousands of Americans – were stunned to watch President Donald Trump sign an Executive Order that could jeopardize one of America’s greatest assets: our national monuments. From Bears Ears to the Statue of Liberty, our national monuments preserve our natural and cultural heritage.
So we decided to take a leap and help defend our national monuments! Over the course of the next few months, we will be visiting threatened national monuments throughout the West.
We want you to come along for the ride. We hope to meet many of the people who worked together to conserve our national heritage along the way. And we hope that you join us in defending our national monuments by making your voices heard here.
A Monumental Road Trip: Basin & Range National Monument!
“The vast, rugged landscape redefines our notions of distance and space and brings into sharp focus the will and resolve of the people who have lived here.”
– Presidential Proclamation establishing the Basin and Range National Monument.
The Basin and Range National Monument, created by President Obama in 2015, protected 704,000 acres and is an ecological and geological powerhouse, offering unparalleled opportunities for solitude. The Monument includes two large valleys surrounded by eight separate mountain ranges, and is home to much wildlife (including many threatened or sensitive species) and unique and endangered plants found only in Nevada.
The monument is also pristine. During the two days we spent in the Monument we saw only two people. We were following a great driving route we discovered on the Friends of Basin and Range website.
Murphy’s Gap
Any pocket of water is life.
Not a plant.
Afternoon storm.
The road from camp.
The Monument has many unique and geologically significant features hidden throughout, including caves, arches, and shallow boulder fields and canyons.
Boulder field.
Deceased but intact bat.
The author looking out of a cave.
Rock Arch.
Basin and Range is also an art gallery displaying the work of both ancient and contemporary artists. It is home to priceless petroglyphs in different pockets of the Monument and more recently; the artist Michael Heizer has been working on an earthwork sculpture, City. The BLM recently accepted a conservation easement for the private land where City is located.
Men in the rocks.
One of the hundreds or thousands of Mt. Irish Petroglyphs.
Basin & Range is a landscape for survivors. We hope it can withstand the current political glare and continue to be a place protected for art and life in the future.
As we travel onto our next national monument, I urge you to please help preserve this incredible wildlife haven for future generations to enjoy. Visit here to take action!
by mfa-admin | Jul 15, 2017 | Uncategorized
This Spring, my partner and I – along with tens of thousands of Americans – were stunned to watch President Donald Trump sign an Executive Order that could jeopardize one of America’s greatest assets: our national monuments. From Bears Ears to the Statue of Liberty, our national monuments preserve our natural and cultural heritage.
So we decided to take a leap and help defend our national monuments! Over the course of the next few months, we will be visiting threatened national monuments throughout the West.
We want you to come along for the ride. We hope to meet many of the people who worked together to conserve our national heritage along the way. And we hope that you join us in defending our national monuments by making your voices heard here.
A Monumental Road Trip: Craters of the Moon National Monument!
Craters of the Moon National Monument preserves an other-worldly landscape in Southern Idaho. The Monument was designated in 1924 by President Coolidge to “preserve the unusual and weird volcanic formations” and significantly expanded by President Clinton in 2000 to include the Great Rift zone and three additional lava fields. Because of its expansion, it was included on the current administration’s review list. Just before we arrived, Secretary Zinke announced he had decided Craters of the Moon would not be reduced or eliminated. It’s a relief to know this special place will continue to be protected!
We were driving in from the east, after stopping in Pocatello to attend a “science pub” night hosted by Idaho Conservation League. The event was focused on the state of public lands in Idaho. It was a perfect stop for us and we learned a ton from Jonathan Oppenheimer, who gave a great overview of the threats facing public lands in Idaho. ICL does a ton of work in Idaho, including supporting Craters of the Moon.
The next morning, we headed to the monument. The stark black lava fields come up abruptly as you arrive. Craters of the Moon has 60 distinct lava fields, covering over 618 square miles, and has the largest basaltic lava field in the contiguous US.
Our first stop was the visitor center to meet Ranger Matt Daniel. We were VIPs (Volunteers in the Park) and were tasked with visitor surveys. Our volunteer work involved posting up at trailheads and asking visitors to provide feedback on the monument’s services and facilities. It was near 100 degrees and standing in an asphalt parking lot for four hours isn’t glamorous, but it was a great opportunity to chat with people about the monument, where they were from and why they were visiting. As always, there’s a crazy number of international visitors who come to appreciate our public lands.
The second day, we volunteered in the morning and then hopped on a cave tour with Ranger Mauro, a recent transplant from California and a chiropterologist (a bat specialist). There are believed to be 15 different species of bats, some endangered, that use the monument’s over 500 caves.
Along the cave trail you can see stone circles built by the Shoshone-Bannock. These stone circles were built over 2000 years ago. The exact purpose of the circles is unknown, but guesses include navigation, windbreak to protect campsites and ceremonial use. The Shoshone-Bannock legend is that the lava fields were created by a serpent who coiled around a mountain to sleep. During a lightning storm the snake became angry and squeezed the mountain releasing liquid rock and fire. The snake was buried by the falling lava and today you can see its shape in the rock.
While the area looks barren, it’s very alive. It has great wildflower blooms every year and also has some of the last remaining native sagebrush steppe of the Snake River Plains. We even saw a large elk crossing through the lava fields at dusk.
As we travel onto our next national monument, I urge you to please help preserve this and other incredible National Monuments for future generations to enjoy. Visit here to take action!
by mfa-admin | Jul 10, 2017 | Uncategorized
This Spring, my partner and I – along with tens of thousands of Americans – were stunned to watch President Donald Trump sign an Executive Order that could jeopardize one of America’s greatest assets: our national monuments. From Bears Ears to the Statue of Liberty, our national monuments preserve our natural and cultural heritage.
So we decided to take a leap and help defend our national monuments! Over the course of the next few months, we will be visiting threatened national monuments throughout the West.
We want you to come along for the ride. We hope to meet many of the people who worked together to conserve our national heritage along the way. And we hope that you join us in defending our national monuments by making your voices heard here.
A Monumental Road Trip: Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument!
Our trip to the Upper Missouri Rivers Beaks National Monument coincided with a heat wave, and the day we arrived in Fort Benton the thermometer read 98 degrees. On the upside, we were headed to a river!
The city of Fort Benton marks the Western and upriver end of the monument, and is a quiet historic town that seems to embrace both the monument and river that call it home. Fort Benton has three museums, including a great interpretive center for the monument.
The 149-mile stretch of the Missouri River that begins in Fort Benton is designated as wild and scenic, and the monument is home to 375,000 acres of meandering bluffs, cottonwood riparian, grass plains and an incredible variety of wildlife. The river remains much the same as it was back when Lewis and Clark passed through. The monument is largely surrounded by private lands used for grazing, grain and grass.
Similar to Hanford Reach, Upper Missouri River Breaks is another monument best seen from the water. Given that, our first stop was to connect with Nicolle Fugere, owner of Adventure Bound Canoe. She’s been guiding in the area for over a decade, and she’s a supporter of the river and the monument. Her love for the place is clear and compelling.
Adventure Bound Canoe rented us a canoe for a day and we put in at Fort Benton and floated to Loma Bridge. We saw a plethora of animals including coyote, fox, beaver, pelicans, geese, ducks, raptors, song birds, swallows, and huge fish feeding along the riverbank. Floating slow and close to shore we were able to sneak up on deer feeding and napping along the riverbanks.
We took out and camped at Decision Point, just upstream from the infamous Marias River confluence where the Lewis and Clark expedition faced the difficult choice of whether to follow the Marias or Missouri to the Pacific. Further downstream are the white cliffs which are said to be rugged and beautiful with awesome slot canyons to explore and amazing petroglyphs and fossils.
Montanans value and appreciate their public lands and their love for the Breaks seems no different. The “Hold Our Ground” campaign is making sure these voices are heard by the administration, and that public lands in Montana are protected and available for all of us to appreciate and use.
Update: On July 13th the Department of Interior announced that it would recommend no changes to the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument
As we travel onto our next national monument, I urge you to please help preserve this and other incredible National Monuments for future generations to enjoy. Visit here to take action!
by jocelyn | Jul 10, 2017 | Uncategorized
On April 26, 2017, an Executive Order was signed that threatens to carve up – or even abolish – national monuments across the nation. These public lands, waters, and historic sites are not just our shared heritage, but vital to local communities and economies. As part of a 60 day public comment period, more than 2.7 million comments** have been submitted in support of 27 national monuments currently under review for potential elimination or reduction in size by the Department of the Interior. Americans from all walks of life, from sea to shining sea, have spoken up to defend our #MonumentsForAll. Some of these voices are highlighted below.
“Our sovereign nations spoke with one voice in support of the Bears Ears National Monument. This comment process makes it clear that all of the American people have joined us in solidarity to continue fighting to protect this living landscape.”
Carleton Bowekaty, Zuni Councilman and Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition Co-Chair
“Papahānaumokuākea is critically important to Native Hawaiian culture—it is our ancestral place, the birthplace of all life. The monument serves as a conservation, climate, and cultural refuge for my granddaughter and future generations.”
Sol Kahoʻohalahala, seventh-generation Hawaiian from the island of Lanai and a member of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Native Hawaiian Cultural Working Group
“One of the main reasons people visit the Taos area is to explore our Río Grande del Norte National Monument. Thanks to the national monument, we have seen our tourism and outdoor recreation sectors flourish. Fly-fishing and sportsmen opportunities in the monument are world-class and my business would not be where it is today without the Río Grande del Norte National Monument.”
Nick Streit, Taos Fly Shop
“Protecting the antiquities in Gold Butte has been a topic of public conversation in the City of Mesquite for well over a decade. Gold Butte is a national treasure that has undergone continuing destruction and the necessity for preservation was critical.”
Susan Holecheck, former mayor and City Council member of the City of Mesquite, Nevada
“As an immigrant I learned the history of America at National Monuments such as the African Burial Ground, Belmont-Paul Women’s Equality and Grand Staircase-Escalante. My husband Frank and I are grateful to Presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton who set these special places aside for our benefit and enjoyment and that of future generations. We encourage President Donald Trump to protect our monuments, not reduce them.”
Audrey Peterman, Next 100 Coalition
“The Trump Administration asked what we think should be done with our national monuments. The millions who answered give a clear directive: Please conserve and properly care for our nation’s natural, cultural, historical, and spiritual treasures.”
Shantha Ready Alonso, Executive Director of Creation Justice Ministries
“The Cascade-Siskiyou National Monuments sits at the biological crossroads of the Siskiyou Mountains, Cascade Mountains and the Great Basin. It is a scientific treasure and the first and only monument proclaimed to protect biological diversity. That is why I have joined more than 200 of my fellow scientists in calling for full protection of the Monument.”
Dr. Jack Williams, Senior Scientist for Trout Unlimited
“The Northeast Canyons Monument will help coastal communities in the long run. The science shows that similar ocean areas have resulted in more abundant fish populations that spillover the boundaries where they can be caught by fishermen. The Monument will also protect vital wintering habitat for Atlantic puffins and it is an important foraging environment for many resident and migrating marine mammals.”
Zack Klyver, Naturalist, Bar Harbor Whale Watch Company
“I am a county commissioner for Butte County, Idaho and a strong supporter of the Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve – an undeniable success story.
“Idahoans love our public lands. Not only are our national forests and recreation lands some of the most important places to hunt and fish in the country, but they support local communities by creating jobs that can never be outsourced. I urge President Trump and Interior Secretary Zinke to listen to the rural counties and communities impacted by this national monument review: leave our public lands alone.”
Rose Bernal, Butte County Commissioner, Idaho
“The Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument is so important to preserving our heritage in New Mexico for future generations. They also provide an economic and social based impact as well. With the purchase of any of our apparel with Organ Mountain Outfitters we donate a week’s worth of lunches to the children in poverty at our local public schools. This economic and social model of business is just one way our National Monuments give back to our communities.”
Chris Lang, owner of Organ Mountain Outfitters
“The establishment of the Antiquities Act that allows U.S. Presidents to designate monument sites was one of the most important domestic policies ever accomplished by the United States Government. Not only has it preserved precious federal land from destructive development and save vast watersheds like at the Grand Canyon-Parashant along the mighty Colorado River, it saves these lands for future generations in perpetuity.”
Jack Ehrhardt, General Building Contractor, Kingman, Arizona
“As the owner and CEO of an outdoor adventure company, I’ve watched this area grow exponentially as more and more visitors come, not only to Joshua Tree National Park, but also the 3 new Mojave Monuments – Mojave Trails, Castle Mountains, and Sand to Snow. In fact, I’ve seen a 20% increase in visitorship to our area year after year for the last 5 years.”
Kelly Crawford, owner of Joshua Tree Excursions
“As a Latina, I was raised with the idea of the ‘Dream Deferred,’ that my parents sacrificed their dreams so my sibling and I could live ours. Our monuments are a testament to the dreams of all Americans, and should be protected for future generations to experience safe spaces where we can dream, create and commune.”
Angela Florez, Valle del Sol
**At the time of posting, regulations.gov shows 1.3 million individual comments; however, this number is not reflective of the full breadth of comments. Dozens of concerned groups have gathered public comments in bundles to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and President Trump as part of the monuments review. A survey of those groups reveals a total of more than 2.5 million public comments in support of America’s national monuments. When uploaded to regulations.gov, however, each bundle displays as a single comment.
by Shevawn Bell | Jul 7, 2017 | Uncategorized
This Spring my partner and I – along with tens of thousands of Americans – were stunned to watch President Donald Trump sign an Executive Order that could jeopardize one of America’s greatest assets: our national monuments. From Bears Ears to the Statue of Liberty, our national monuments preserve our natural and cultural heritage.
As a long-time supporter and lover of our public lands, and after some serious soul-searching, I decided to leave my job at a law firm in Portland, Oregon to see what I could do to help protect these places that we love and in which we play. Having grown up exploring our public lands, it just seemed important to do my part to protect these places for future generations. My partner, Sam, a communications expert in a local non-profit and awesome photographer was all in; willing to use his skills – written and via the camera – to protect these special place and to help tell a story of our American birthright.
So we decided to take a leap and help defend our national monuments! Over the course of the next few months, we will be visiting threatened national monuments throughout the West.
And we want you to come along for the ride. We hope to meet many of the people who worked together to conserve our national heritage along the way. And we hope that you join us in defending our national monuments by making your voices heard at here.
First stop, Hanford Reach in Washington!
Hanford Reach National Monument
On a near 100 degree day we pulled into Richland, WA, heading to Hanford Reach National Monument, our first monument of the trip! Designated in 2000 by President Clinton, Hanford Reach is 195,000 acres along the Columbia River in eastern Washington.
Rattlesnake Mountain
Our first stop was Columbia Kayak Adventures to chat about floating the monument. They do tours which fill quickly and sound amazing. The next Hanford Reach tour wasn’t until July, so we rented a tandem and they shuttled us to just below the monument’s boundary. We spent two hours drifting back to Richland. Leaving the cool Columbia River water was rough, but we jumped in the car and drove to the monument’s western end.
Kayaking in Hanford Reach National Monument
Before today, I equated Hanford Reach solely with its terrifying history of housing the Manhattan Project which developed the world’s first weapons-grade plutonium for the nuclear bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Japan, during World War II.
Hanford Reach is one of the few national monuments managed by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service as a wildlife refuge.
A nuclear reactor – Hanford Reach housed the Manhattan Project which developed the world’s first weapons-grade plutonium for nuclear weapons.
The ecological benefit of the area’s nuclear history is that access to the area surrounding the reactors was severely limited and the lands comprising the monument remained undeveloped. As a result, the area provides excellent intact habitat for plants and wildlife. In fact, Hanford Reach is one of the few national monuments managed by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service as a wildlife refuge. The monument is home to elk, beaver, badgers, and bobcats. It is also a stop-over for migratory birds and wintering habitat for bald eagles, white pelicans, and waterfowl. Additionally, in the 1990s, The Nature Conservancy identified dozens of plants and insects
Columbia River Bank
Dragonfly
Native Grass in Hanford
The 18-mile stretch of the Columbia River within the monument is some of the only free-flowing water of the river and has some the last remaining fall Chinook spawning grounds. Floating the river would be the best way to see the monument. Columbia Riverkeeper, whose mission is to protect and steward the great river offers a kayak tour of the monument and is the best source for Columbia River conservation and advocacy.
Pelicans
The beauty of Hanford Reach National Monument
With just a taste of Hanford Reach, it was clearly a special place that houses secrets both of our past and of the plants and wildlife that call it home today.
Sunset in Hanford
As we travel onto our next national monument, I urge you to please help preserve this incredible wildlife haven for future generations to enjoy. Visit here to take action!
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