Is greater oil production worth degrading sacred landscapes?/Rebecca Latson file

While packing up camping gear for my spring trip to Moab, Utah, I found myself revisiting the recent changes to the nearby national monuments. In April of 2017, President Trump demanded that all of the national monuments greater than 100,000 acres, created in 1996 or later, be reviewed by the Department of the Interior.

The National Park Service has informed us that Bears Ears (a climber’s heaven) was already decreased by almost 85 percent. Following this, Grand-Staircase Escalante National Monument was decreased by approximately half its original size, from 1.9 million acres to just about 1 million acres. This order from the president has put up to 40 national monuments under review, places that are home to unique wildlife and which enable our connections with nature.

National parks and monuments are facing a great threat due to lack of support from politicians, motivations to be decreased in size to beneft large oil companies, and changes associated with climate change. These elements leave our protected areas vulnerable and in an unsteady state. Following Trump’s revisions, six monuments are set to undergo boundary changes, and four will face management changes. Such changes will lead to the increase of Bureau of Land Management utilization, which can place recreational areas in the heart of oil exploration. For example, I recently witnessed this happening outside of Canyonlands National Park; around Dead Horse Point there are multiple drill sites in view located on B.L.M. lands. Although Trump has only been able to enact two decreases to date, this does not mean the other monuments are permanently safe.

Oil production in the United States is projected to rapidly grow this year and the next five years to come, according to the Energy Information Association. As this is great potential opportunity for United States economy, it allows our newly exposed sacred lands to become an easy option for oil. If the only objective is economic gain, then the intrinsic value of our protected open lands must be considered. Once the land and ecosystems are impacted and degraded by oil extraction and development, they may never recover to their original state.

We must also consider the impact global climate change has on protected lands. Depletion of the ozone layer, acidification of oceans, and desertification are some large contributing factors to climate change. A recent news article from NOAA details that March 2018 average global temperatures were 1.49 degrees Fahrenheit above the average for the century. March had the fifth highest global temperatures recorded since 1880. A warming climate forces wildlife to give in to the impacts of temperature and begin migration to comfortable conditions.

The American Pika is already experiencing these changes. Pika cannot survive in conditions above 75 degrees (F), making it clear why we are seeing the species head to higher elevations. Another species that is experiencing a similar effect is the Hawaiian Honeycreeper, which also prefers high elevations. If temperatures continue to increase, temperature-sensitive species like the pika and honeycreeper will be forced to flee their current homes, placing them at high risk for extinction.

Global temperature increase not only makes for a sad situation for many species, but puts our ecosystems in danger. National parks contain some of the most delicate, visually pleasing, and vital ecosystems. These ecosystems provide many ecological services that are critical for humans and wildlife. Animal and plant contributions are the basis for such ecosystems to survive. It’s also important to remember that larger areas are more well-buffered against change, and decreasing the size of protected lands exposes the ecosystems to vulnerability of climate change. 

The UN Millennium Ecosystem Assessment identifies that ecosystems provide provisioning, regulating, cultural-production, and support services for all life on earth. I urge everyone to go and explore their nearby open-lands. Edward Abbey said in Desert Solitaire, “The extreme clarity of the desert light is equaled by the extreme individuation of desert life forms. Love flowers best in openness and freedom.” We must remember the importance of maintaining and expanding our most spiritual lands.

There are simple ways to fight incoming threats to the land. For example, utilize the parks and monuments to prove their value, treat them with care to extend their life, and refuse to support parties that ignore issues such as environmental degradation. It is critical that we our protect national parks and monuments against threats of political interference, big-oil targeting, and global climate change so that we can continue to enjoy them and the services they provide.  

Amy L. Rutledge currently resides in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, working on her BA in Sustainability Studies. She is an environmental activist, lover of the outdoors, and snowboarder.