Biden restores Bears Ears National Monument size

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wanna destroy something? make it a national park or national monument.

wanna protect something? wilderness area
Sometimes. Our nearest wilderness area is completely over run, former single track trails are now giant braided networks, 100's of cars line the access points, getting a camping permit is a tougher draw than MT bighorn. Day use will soon be permitted.
 
Ben, I agree with a lot of your comments. But I can't agree with this blanket idea that by making a "special place" some labeled protected area that it actually protects it any better than simply ignoring it.

I could go to this wonderfully protected area, a true conservation success story location and experience the majesty of Yosemite like this, ass to nose holding on to 100+ year old a metal cables, with a 1,000 other people.
1633982543993.png

Or I could hunt antelope in WY in a landscape developed in the classical sense, and never see another person.
1633983096675.png

Which special place is still special? Which can you still experience the soul of a place?

I think people are too infatuated with the idea of "protection" without actually looking at what the means and re-evaluating our actions based on the results we've seen.
 
I think people are too infatuated with the idea of "protection" without actually looking at what the means and re-evaluating our actions based on the results we've seen.
Then there’s always the danger of hindsight. Did you do nothing and fail to protect an area, or did doing something create more issues than doing nothing? This is easily a circular argument with examples of each. There is no singularly correct answer IMO.
 
There is no singularly correct answer IMO.
Even hindsight has its varied directions of... opinion. No longer 20/20.
Edit to elaborate on the above: Large National / State scaled attention bearing "corrections" are polarized.

It's no longer a majority, best interest, its... bi-polar. Media has speed of light ability to reach its masses, sides form before the topic has been rationally discussed.

IMO, if R's take Executive next - make Bears Ear the Olive peace branch to start the rehabilitation from our further entrenched psychotic political destruction.

This move was Biden/Harris PR attempt to stop the hemorrhaging within their own party.

@nick87 - apologies: my edit was in progress when you placed the thumbs up.
 
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Ben, I agree with a lot of your comments. But I can't agree with this blanket idea that by making a "special place" some labeled protected area that it actually protects it any better than simply ignoring it.

I could go to this wonderfully protected area, a true conservation success story location and experience the majesty of Yosemite like this, ass to nose holding on to 100+ year old a metal cables, with a 1,000 other people.
View attachment 197396

Or I could hunt antelope in WY in a landscape developed in the classical sense, and never see another person.
View attachment 197397

Which special place is still special? Which can you still experience the soul of a place?

I think people are too infatuated with the idea of "protection" without actually looking at what the means and re-evaluating our actions based on the results we've seen.
I think to @JLS point without the protection half-done could have a hotel on the top of it and there could be a gondola from the top of el capt across the valley... or it could all be underwater with a big damn.
 
Then there’s always the danger of hindsight. Did you do nothing and fail to protect an area, or did doing something create more issues than doing nothing? This is easily a circular argument with examples of each. There is no singularly correct answer IMO.
Sure, no one answer works, and maybe that's the point. Demanding a Monument may not be the best answer, but that's been the rallying cry of 48-52% of the this Country for the last 30 years, and while we've seen example after example of loving places to death, we still march on, feeling like we're "saving" them.
 
I think to @JLS point without the protection half-done could have a hotel on the top of it and there could be a gondola from the top of el capt across the valley...
What's really the difference between that and what we have? I least with a hotel I might get a reservation. I jest, but seriously. With didn't "protect" yosemite from anything. We simply developed it in a way that we "feel" good about while still completely destroying it.
 
Which might actually be the best protection...
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Never underestimate the rapacity of development. There are no untrammeled places left in the lower 48. A long time ago I stopped hating the crowded places and considered them sacrifice zones to keep the hordes away from the great places that were less accessible. That logic failed as more users used more information to 'discover' more places. The fact of too many humans trumps the ideal of hiding natural treasures in plain sight, IMO. @ least here in CO.
 
Dams don't last.
98 years and going... so not very long in geologic time, but they last longer than us, certainly longer than a railing on a mountain.

Plus the more folks the go to NP the fewer that visit my spots ;)
 
98 years and going... so not very long in geologic time, but they last longer than us, certainly longer than a railing on a mountain.

Plus the more folks the go to NP the fewer that visit my spots ;)
The railing on half dome was installed in 1919, 102 years ago amigo.

There are 42 daily backcountry permits for Hetch Hetchy, while 4 million go into Yosemite valley.
 
The railing on half dome was installed in 1919, 102 years ago amigo.

There are 42 daily backcountry permits for Hetch Hetchy, while 4 million go into Yosemite valley.
Exactly, through 4 million into Hetch Hetchy and you'd relieve some pressure on other places ;)

What you should be asking yourself is how can we make Orlando a national park
 

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