Re: Do Things Change?

[ Follow Ups ] [ Death Valley Talk - Archive Set 7 ] [ FAQ ]

Posted by Bigfoot on August 24, 2004 at 01:57:22:

In Reply to: Do Things Change? posted by LeRoy Johnson on August 23, 2004 at 16:09:15:

Howdy,

Well, opinions are like ***holes, everyone has one....so here is another one!!!

As far as National Parks go, and wilderness in general: I believe in responsible multiple use. and I believe the United States should be able to support itself. It is the epitome of hypocrisy for us to consume lumber, steel, oil, and other land resources, logging, mining and drilling overseas, while we lock up our own resources here at home. This puts us at risk to both actual, as well as economic, terrorism. Not to mention the fact that other cultures see the U.S. as "raping" their land for resources, while we have legislated whole industries out of existence here at home. Where has the American mining industry gone? To South America and overseas. Where has the American Timber industry gone? Once again, to South America and overseas. I worked for a large lumber company in Arizona, and we were getting lumber from Russia. Do these countries care about the Clean Air Act? OSHA? The Roadless Initiative? Union Wages?

While it is nice to be able to have pristine, untouched, western wilderness areas, especially for the eastern politicos who will probably do nothing more than legislate the areas to death, and for the relative few "greenies" who want to drive electric cars but can't afford them. Reality is: the mining interests opened up Death Valley to tourism. Mining built Death Valley as a place of mystery and history, and mining promoted Death Valley. U.S. Borax wanted National Park Status for Death Valley in the 1930's, why? To get the tourists in to fill up the Inn and Furnace Creek Ranch. Tourism is easier and more profitable than mining in a place as inhospitable as Death Valley.

Obviously costs of operating the National Park System are spiraling, and funding is not keeping pace. The public expects more and more services while providing less and less of their own. The mind set is that "the Rangers will take care of it", so the trash bag is left on the ground next to the full can. The TP runs out in the bathroom, and everyone complains because no "official" replaces it. The road gets washed out, and rather than fix it, because there is no money, the park service closes it. (The roads used to be maintained by the mining companies at no expense to the government). The brochure says it is "our" park, then the park service closes it and won't let anyone in, even volunteers, I am told. The message is that it is "our" park, but leave the work to the government. All you have to do is pay your fee and drive around and everything will be in place for you. Then when the public demands that the government owns up to it's advertised promise, there isn't enough funding and now there is a "crisis".

Yet head over to Panamint Valley...BLM land, sure, look at what I believe is one of the greatest success stories on public lands I have seen. The Adopt-A-Cabin program. Here you have the BLM providing some material, and VOLUNTEERS taking it from there. These cabins are almost always well maintained, well stocked with food and supplies. The roads are maintained jointly by the BLM and volunteers. Some of these places are nicer than most motel rooms I have been in...a couple are nicer than my house. What is the difference? The public has a sense of ownership. The BLM/Ridgecrest has fostered a sense of co-operation which should be a lesson to Government Agencies everywhere. There is always TP in the outhouses, the trash is taken out, and the dishes are done.

Lesson here? The public needs to take ownership in "their" parks...in this case Death Valley National Park. Bring yer own dang TP and leave a roll. Haul some garbage to the dumpster. What's more, the government, in this case, the Park Service, needs to ALLOW the public some ownership. Quit fostering this "Us and Them" attitude. Rather than a list of rules telling us what we are not allowed to do, make some leeway to allow people to be themselves. Why should someone be afraid to fix a window in a cabin in Butte Valley without express written permission from the Park Superintendant? Or roll some rocks off a road? Or build a desert campfire?

And don't even get me started on the this whole Bush administration/Iraq war business causing layoffs of park personel. Granted, no one wants to see more of our soldiers die, but I would rather have trained personel fighting the war over there, than have innocent civilians dying over here. People volunteer for the military knowing they may go to war and be injured or killed. No one boarded a civilian airliner, or went to work at the Trade Center, thinking they would not be coming home that day.

Follow Ups:


[ Follow Ups ] [ Death Valley Talk - Archive Set 7 ] [ FAQ ]