Preserving Wilderness and What We Love

“we are the most dangerous of species of life on this planet, and every other species, even the earth itself, has cause to fear our power to exterminate. But we are also the only species which, when it chooses to do so, will go to great effort to save what it might destroy.”

Wallace Stegner This is Dinosaur

I'm writing a future column about wilderness and I am reminded of the Ken Burns film about the National Parks that came out last year.

Thought I would re-post my column about my thoughts on preserving public land and what the Ken Burns film meant to me.

It is not enough to understand the natural world. The point is to defend and preserve it. - Edward Abbey

Three events created the perfect storm in my life this month: I watched Ken Burns' documentary, “The National Parks America's Best Idea,” my family visited and with a swift kick in the butt, I realized there are so many awesome places in my “backyard”, I need to play in them, and I read in a letter to the editor that Cozens Ranch may close permanently.

This perfect storm makes me realize I need to take action; protect these things I care about before they are gone.

Two hours each night and six nights — 12 hours total — I watched the Ken Burns special; I was entranced.

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