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There's an old saying about "being careful what you wish for...." When communities throughout the West decide that their economy is dependent on recreation their reaction won't be to preserve wild places, wildness or other "non-economic" values. Instead, it will be on promoting policies and schemes to exploit wild lands to make the most recreation dollars. it won't be pretty. It will continue the ruination of wildness and other values most of us hold dear, and that future generations may never know. The "new economy" (really the same old dance, just different partners) is gobbling up the "last best places" just as fast as--and probably more permanently than--any of the old economies.
One doesn't have to read a lot of conservation history to learn that our forebearers in this movement understood that wildlands are doomed if they're forced to "serve the economy." As John Muir warned, "Nothing dollarable is safe." There's a reason the Wilderness Act, for example, prohibits all commercial enterprise, even relatively benign ones. The law made an exception for outfitters and guides ("commercial services") and Wilderness is increasingly suffering for that. It slays me, then, that so many of our conservation colleagues want to promote public lands as economic engines rather than as sources of clean air, clean water, wildlife security, and inspiration for the human soul. Why do these lands have to serve the economy, especially this economy, which is incredibly unsustainable?
I believe that recreation, especially quiet, muscle-powered contemplative recreation, is good for human beings. Nothing better than a walk in the woods. But it's not good for anything else. We displace wildlife, trample soil, crush vegetation, all the while consuming massive amounts of hydrocarbons and other materials to make the "stuff" we use to recreate and to get "out there" in our cars. Without a very strong measure of restraint we six billion humans--and counting--will consume it all, even while engaged in seemingly benign activities like going for a walk in the woods or wending our way down a slickrock canyon. I'm sad to say that I see nothing about restraint in this news release from the Sierra Club (see appended). I only see rah-rah cheers promoting the increasing unsustainable "wreckreation" juggernaut that will, sure as any modern-day economy that came before, destroy what's best about our public lands, while continuing our lifestyles' ravish consumption of planet Earth.
George Nickas
Executive Director
Wilderness Watch
--- begin quoted ---
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 1, 2007
Contact: Kristina Johnson (415) 977-5619
New Report Documents Shift in Economy of the American West Communities
Rely More on Recreation and Less on Mining, Timber and Oil
A new report released by the Sierra Club today shows that the economics
of the West have shifted dramatically over the past few decades.
Mining, timber, and oil--the industries that shaped the old West--no
longer drive the region?s economy. Today, the report finds,
recreational activities like camping, fishing, hunting, skiing,
climbing, and boating support more sustainable jobs and economic growth
than extractive industries.
The report, "The New Economy of the West: From Clearcutting to
Camping," shows that increasingly, western communities depend on public
lands for jobs, economic growth, and vitality.
Some key findings in the report:
- One in twenty Americans rely in some manner on outdoor recreation to make a living
- In 2006, outdoor recreation in the West generated $61 billion and 617,186 new jobs
- Communities that are closest to federally-protected public lands show the strongest economic growth
Despite their importance to the regional and national economy, today,
western public lands face threats from many fronts. Oil and gas
drilling, runaway logging, and global warming all jeopardize the future
of recreation in the West, and the long-term economic benefits that
accompany it.
Oil drilling, for example, fragments wildlife habitat and destroys
hunting opportunities. By and large, the report shows, the oil industry
imports highly-skilled workers from other parts of the country,
employing few local workers. Oil companies also turn to counties to
fund services like road repairs and waste disposal, while doing little
to boost jobs and income locally. Meanwhile, recreation and tourism
provide a long-term, locally-based source of jobs and income. In
Colorado?s Roan Plateau, hunting alone generates nearly $4 million a
year.
"Our public lands are one of our nation?s most valuable economic
assets," said Sierra Club Conservation Organizer Keren Murphy, who
authored the report. "The economy of the West has changed, and so
should the way we manage it."
"Public lands drive the tourist-based economies in our western states.
If we protect special places like Colorado?s Roan Plateau and New
Mexico?s Valle Vidal, they?ll provide a source of income and enjoyment
for generations to come," Murphy said.
"The heart of America?s wild legacy lies in the forests, mountains and
deserts of the West. Unchecked logging, oil drilling and mining no
longer have a place on our last remaining wild lands. We have a choice
to make, between treating our public lands as a giveaway to special
interests, or as a gift to our children and grandchildren."
To view the report, click here, or call Kristina Johnson at (415) 977-5619 to request a copy.
Kristina Johnson
Associate Press Secretary
Sierra Club
Office: (415) 977-5619
Cell: (541) 914-9744
85 Second Street - 2nd Floor
San Francisco, CA 94105-3459
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- Activism 
erlet, RW, and JR Carlson. 2006. Coliform Bacteria in Sierra Nevada Wilderness Lakes and Streams: What Is the Impact of Backpackers, Pack Animals, and Cattle? Wilderness and Environmental Medicine 17:15-20. (Concludes, in part: "...pack animals are most likely the source of coliform pollution.")