In May 2004, after dropping off his youngest to begin higher education in Arizona, he began a solo month long journey through the public lands of the western United States. The only self imposed rules for the trip were that he sleep at least 28 nights on the ground, avoid all radio or televised news, and restrict his cell phone use to one call per week.
What began as a mid-life mental cleansing, soon became a search, a search for the best available campsite, access to a navigable river (canoe on the rack), or even some level of solitude.
What he discovered was a variety of public land uses, ranging from state and national parks, where camping is fee based and confining, to national forests and national monuments where the same is free to the user, wide ranging, and self directed. The stark differences in regulation and use became apparent, and prompted inquiry into how and why public land use decisions are determined. Can a traveler still cross these lands such as was once done on horseback? This image proved worthwhile as he worked his way north on mostly unpaved national forest roads, resurfacing and re-entering only for supplies.
This periodic, but ongoing writing, will attempt to explore land use comparisons between our Wilderness Areas, National Parks, National Recreation Areas, and National Monuments, specifically in relation to the debate concerning conservation and preservation, and solely based on actual experiences on the ground.
For the purposes of discussion:
Conservation is defined here as: the managed use of the resource in a sustainable way by and for human consumption and enjoyment. This should be understood to be based on the utilitarian construct of scientific management acting on behalf of the public interest.
Preservation is defined here as the limited or non-use of a resource, preserved in a natural or unaltered condition, for ecological value, low impact visitation, and scientific observation.
djs (to be continued)
