On other fronts on this same topic.... it always amazes me (and I am guilty of this) that we discuss the topic of "Wilderness" and the land it will "lock up" yet we rarely discuss the impact that CATTLE are having on the West.....all at BOTTOM BASEMENT prices. The "ranchers" are the ones we should be going after...because while the ATV's ARE certainly destructive to some overused areas...the cows are a detriment to REMOTE areas where they go and crap..tromp..and eat the vegetation down to nil. All of this is an area (the West) that doesn't rejuvenate like the land "back East" does.
When doing a hike to Capitol Lake this past Summer, I was really surprised to see cattle at over 12,000 feet where there is extremely delicate vegetation. I mean, I know these folks have agreements in terms of use, but what are they THINKING? I was appalled to see all of the pies and trampled, eaten alpine growth and none of the wildflowers I was accustomed to seeing. The attached photos are the same place believe it or not, the cattle being on the far side of the lake in the center green patch in the latter photo.
As for land use, it is only going to get more embroiled I am afraid, for ever since the industrial revolution, there has been a population explosion of such an enormous scale that if one compares our planet to a single living creature, then humanity's unbridled growth and placement on this living creature very closely resembles a person contracting a rare but swift terminal disease. This has been apparent to me since I was very young, probably around age 6, it is a natural instinct I have had not unlike what an animal feels about it's habitat. It has both a blessing and burden been.
This is the number one problem we face, we have evolved in terms of both socio-economic and technological aspects but actually de-evolved in terms of the "Natural Instinct". We are increasingly more creature comforted, more technologically connected and more abusive of our own bodies. But at the same time, I have never seen a living creature so utterly disconnected from it's habitat than a modern human being.
Human's are surely smart enough to get in trouble on this planet, but I don't think we are quite smart or evolved enough to stay out of it...at least not in time to prevent our eventual demise. So while I was an angry young man in my teens and 20's, passionate about whooping some ignorant a$$, I am now far more contemplative with introspection about my own connection with the natural world and how that relates to others. We are so selfish as a being on this planet that we don't even realize how disconnected we are. We have to constantly refer to humanity when the tough questions arise in terms of global needs as we speak of saving lands for our grandchildren when ultimately it's just the right thing to do, period.
We let the Spotted Owl needlessly take the brunt of an issue to the point that opposition is pissed at a bird when the real problem is that the Owl is merely a symptom of a bigger problem, resulting in wasted intelligence, emotional energy, money and further partisanship.
But I have peacefully come to terms with the notion that at this point in Earth's history, nature will surely spit this bad meal out. But that does not stop me from wanting to be ever mindful of my connection to this world and how to better articulate the idea to others that all the answers to every problem we might ever encounter as a living creature on Earth lie within her prodigious bounds.
So despite what we are likely in store for as a species, we still need to try harder….not for our future generations, but because it's just the right thing to do.
In terms of what the "Natural Instinct" is, it really ought not to take science to tell us what we are doing wrong. For although it was a simple public service announcement on Earth Day in 1971, seeing a tear shed from the stare of "Iron Eyes Cody" really does spell out that once you truly feel the pain of what our race has done, you will be liberated from the plague of not having the "Natural Instinct" and you will inherently, not unlike breathing or eating, know *exactly* what to do…
So continue not to trample or even recreate in, but rather connect with and Wander the West….
