This is all so important. Thank you, Susan, for the inside view of a government employee in action. I think we must all have friends or people we know who have been persecuted by this administration. Thank you for the reminder of the steps we can take. Best, Kat
Kat, thanks for reading and commenting. It's great to "hear" your voice here! I think you're right that we all know someone touched by the chaos and cruelty of this administration, and it's time to act in whatever ways we can. Blessings and great appreciation to you from here in the Uncompahgre Valley.
Susan, thank you for sharing your story, photos, and unwavering passion for protecting public lands - it's incredibly inspiring! The loss of these dedicated employees is deeply heart-breaking, and I completely share your anger and frustration over the toll it takes on both the people and the lands they cherish. Thank you for the actionable steps you’ve outlined; I hope they encourage many, many others to rally behind this critical cause.
Deborah, thank you for reading and for your support! If I was that young scientist now, I don't know if I would go back to federal service after being treated this way. It's a huge loss of knowledge, experience, passion and energy. I'm hoping this post gets shared widely to spread the awareness and action!
Thank you, Susan, for delineating the steps we can take to protest the devastation this administration is creating. And it’s everywhere. But the little bit of natural beauty and wildlife that we have left is so important to preserve. It always seems last on the list (sigh).
Phyllis, Thank you for reading and commenting. We in the West are blessed with a lot of beauty and public lands, actually, and we are thus perhaps more aware of the need to care for our nation's invaluable natural treasures. But our public lands and heritage sites are in every state, and in many communities. Their benefits in terms of financial contributions and knowledge and inspiration are beyond calculating, and we can all work to protect them and the people who are their dedicated stewards. Blessings!
Thank you, Susan. I'm a national park volunteer, and it is one of the best things I've ever done. I was very concerned about the program, fearing that if the paid program supervisor had been "fired" the program would end. The position (which legally cannot be filled by a volunteer) is safe, at least right now. I am furious about the possible decimation of our federal lands, and terrified for our parks. I've made my calls multiple times.
Gretchen, Thank you for being an NPS volunteer! (I am too, and most recently, have spent parts of five summers hand-eradicating invasive weeds in Yellowstone, my home landscape.) I agree: volunteering for NPS is great work, and I am glad to hear that the program supervisor still has their job. Thank you for making calls; maybe you would consider writing an op-ed for your local newspaper or a letter to the editor drawing on your experience and expressing your views? That could make a difference too. Blessings.
Thank you for wanting to help, Kathryn! As I mentioned to Gretchen above, you could also consider writing a letter to the editor of your local paper too. Any support is helpful. Blessings to you.
Thank you for what you did then and do now. I grew up near forests, and my parents did campground hosting for the forest service. We've already lost so many of the summer camps that gave kids a chance to learn and experience nature. Some people who don't live near the animals and natural resources don't destroy intentionally, they don't know better. The forest service employees teach and protect--I'm thinking of the fellow who thought a moose was some type of horse and let his toddler pet it. (They are both fine.) We need people with these skills who love their work.
Penny, I love that your parents were campground hosts for the Forest Service. Such a great way to volunteer. And you are right, we need people with the knowledge and passion to show us how to reconnect with nature--to practice our terraphilia. Let's do all we can, as Marisol said in her poem above, to stand up for those employees!
Mercy, where to start, Susan. Some of our most favorite places are the National Parks and our forests. I raised my three kids hiking through the parks. And, they are still hiking through the parks, all three of them. I have a friend now, still in place in one of the Utah parks. She fills out her bulleted form every week, wondering - just wondering.... What a mess we are in.
Susan, Your kids were fortunate to have you to show them a wonderful way to be connected to what matters most: our love of this earth and the web of lives with whom we share the planet. As for your friend working for NPS in Utah, ask her if she has other ideas for how to stand up for her and her fellow employees. And please share her thoughts here.
Actually she is very active. When they marched in the parks their boss told them to wear masks so no one would recognize them. They also were told of they were fired they could stay in their housing and volunteer so many hours a week to cover the housing. I will talk to her on Sunday and get some ideas. She had sent me the five call info which I have been using.
I have two federal government employees that I have known, one being my foster daughter. She is currently on paid leave from the NIH, having worked for CDC (including a period in Liberia at the end of the Ebola epidemic), Medicare and OSHA. She may now be joining the suit for federal employees. My other contact is (was?) employed by the Forest Service. He was a grad student of mine. I'm not sure what his status is at present.
Also one of my daughters worked at Capulin Volcano National Monument for a summer.
The last election was a disaster for sanity and knowledge. The most depressing situation since at least the the Vietnam War and possibly the Civil War. We have no choice but to resist. I would like it to be a peaceful resistance in the tradition of Die Weiße Rose (the White Rose) in Germany, which started too late (1942) and resulted in the leaders being guillotined by the Nazi government. We need to take a lesson from them and start our resistance now! I wish it were otherwise, but it is the current reality. I have called my Senators on several occasions about the abuses of this government and I will continue to do so.
David, I agree with all you say. And your thoughts in those first three paragraphs would make the bones of a letter to the editor of your local paper there, and perhaps to other media outlets. Writing about our experiences and those we know who are affected is a wonderful way to personalize those kinds of protests. I hope you'll consider speaking out that way.
I lived and traveled full-time in an RV for 3 years for one reason—to visit as many National Parks as I could. I spent an entire month in the Big Bend National Park. I too am sadden by what is happening. I witnessed park rangers scrubbing graffiti off the rocks in the Arches National Park, people tauting bison at Yellowstone and a entire family stomping through a depleted glacier in the Rocky Mountain National Park. Oh, a man trying to pet a prairie dog in the Theodore Roosevelt National Park—I'm not kidding. He had to step over a sign that said Do Not Enter.
But as my grandmother always said, "This too shall pass." And I know it will. In the meantime, we just to have to stand strong and weather the storm like a willow tree. And volunteer at a "National Park near you."
That's for sharing your experience. And I loved your pictures - so cute!
What an amazing three years that must have been, Mary! I worked in Yellowstone, so I have seen many episodes of stupidity. But with several million people visiting Yellowstone in a very short period, you're bound to see that kind of thing. What is amazing is that most of those millions of people are awed, inspired and eager to learn. I can't tell you how many people were amazed and thrilled when I explained why I was crouched over an invasive weed in the Mammoth Campground, digging the plant out by hand with my plant knife, and they learned about the elk calves who are born there, and who could be poisoned by the plants I was laboriously digging up. I had visitors write me years afterwards to tell me that their kids had gone to college in biology and gone on to work in parks and forests and wildlife refuges. That is the kind of terraphilia that makes a difference!
And yes, this will pass. But there will be a lot of damage that will take a long time to repair. We can each do what we can to speak up now and as you say, volunteer at a park or forest or wildlife refuge near us to help out. Blessings!
Angry? Yes. Worried? Yes. Giving up? No way. I have both my senators and my Representative on speed dial and I call... EVERY DAY. I say something different each time, depending on the outrage at the top of my list. Who benefits if we cut Park services? What purpose does this serve? I TREASURE all our parks, national, state, and local. Yes, I LIKE having my taxes pay for parks, roads, feeding hungry children, caring for our veterans, preserving world peace, social security for the elderly and the disabled. I'm so weary of mean. But I'm not giving up even when I'm crying.
Bless you, Jude! That is exactly what we all need to do: never give up. And your example of calling your US senators and representative every day is an inspiring one. The thing is that "mean" gets a lot of press, but really never wins in the end. We have to be persistent and keep hope alive and active.
Thank you, Susan, for your devotion to these extraordinary lands, and for giving us actionable steps/things we can do to have a voice. I understand your outrage. I feel it too. Outrage is love rising, and we cannot lose hope. We cannot idly sit back and watch what we hold dear be taken away. I feel for every one of those employees, I feel for Mother Earth as environmental protections are stripped, I feel for the younger generations and for all who are struggling. I’m calling my reps, writing postcards, being as much of a light in the world as I can. Some days are better than others. I cannot give up hope.
"Outrage is love rising," indeed. What a great way to describe it, barbara. And thank you for taking action and being a light in the world. Together, we will resist, heal and uplift each other. Blessings!
Thank you for the resources you have provided, Susan. The job loss for so many folks is unforgivable. It does make one feel helpless, but having the avenues you've given us provide at least some hope.
Jenny, I think that hope lives in action, and any positive steps we can take will keep that flame alive. It helps, I think, to realize that we're in this together, and we're not alone. Thank you for being here and taking action.
I think this is a powerful reminder of the number of people involved in making the parks what they are. I also think it's a good example of picking an area of advocacy. I think it's most effective for people to fight for specific things rather than to express generalized outrage (even though a lot of us feel upset about many, many different things.)
I agree, Christina: We are most effective when we pick our issues and focus on them. Otherwise we get paralyzed and end up doing nothing at all. There is a lot to be outraged about, it's true, but there are also a lot of us to take action. Remembering that helps me stay sane. Or as sane as I can!
Thank you for sharing these pictures and the story of your early involvement in federal land management, Susan. Your call to action makes it clear why we must stand up to the malicious insanity swirling around us and not allow it to crush us. Onward!! Liz
"Malicious insanity" is a great way to describe it, Liz. I would add "greedy" too. We are in a new Gilded Age, with all of the spiritual and moral bankruptcy that implies. But we can and will rise. Hugs to you.
This is all so important. Thank you, Susan, for the inside view of a government employee in action. I think we must all have friends or people we know who have been persecuted by this administration. Thank you for the reminder of the steps we can take. Best, Kat
Kat, thanks for reading and commenting. It's great to "hear" your voice here! I think you're right that we all know someone touched by the chaos and cruelty of this administration, and it's time to act in whatever ways we can. Blessings and great appreciation to you from here in the Uncompahgre Valley.
Susan, thank you for sharing your story, photos, and unwavering passion for protecting public lands - it's incredibly inspiring! The loss of these dedicated employees is deeply heart-breaking, and I completely share your anger and frustration over the toll it takes on both the people and the lands they cherish. Thank you for the actionable steps you’ve outlined; I hope they encourage many, many others to rally behind this critical cause.
Deborah, thank you for reading and for your support! If I was that young scientist now, I don't know if I would go back to federal service after being treated this way. It's a huge loss of knowledge, experience, passion and energy. I'm hoping this post gets shared widely to spread the awareness and action!
Thank you, Susan, for delineating the steps we can take to protest the devastation this administration is creating. And it’s everywhere. But the little bit of natural beauty and wildlife that we have left is so important to preserve. It always seems last on the list (sigh).
Phyllis, Thank you for reading and commenting. We in the West are blessed with a lot of beauty and public lands, actually, and we are thus perhaps more aware of the need to care for our nation's invaluable natural treasures. But our public lands and heritage sites are in every state, and in many communities. Their benefits in terms of financial contributions and knowledge and inspiration are beyond calculating, and we can all work to protect them and the people who are their dedicated stewards. Blessings!
Thank you, Susan. I'm a national park volunteer, and it is one of the best things I've ever done. I was very concerned about the program, fearing that if the paid program supervisor had been "fired" the program would end. The position (which legally cannot be filled by a volunteer) is safe, at least right now. I am furious about the possible decimation of our federal lands, and terrified for our parks. I've made my calls multiple times.
Gretchen, Thank you for being an NPS volunteer! (I am too, and most recently, have spent parts of five summers hand-eradicating invasive weeds in Yellowstone, my home landscape.) I agree: volunteering for NPS is great work, and I am glad to hear that the program supervisor still has their job. Thank you for making calls; maybe you would consider writing an op-ed for your local newspaper or a letter to the editor drawing on your experience and expressing your views? That could make a difference too. Blessings.
Thank you for showing us how we can help!
Thank you for wanting to help, Kathryn! As I mentioned to Gretchen above, you could also consider writing a letter to the editor of your local paper too. Any support is helpful. Blessings to you.
Greed-driven, tragic,
short-sighted, regrettable.
Let’s do all we can.
Yes! And said so poetically. Thank you, Marisol.
Thank you for what you did then and do now. I grew up near forests, and my parents did campground hosting for the forest service. We've already lost so many of the summer camps that gave kids a chance to learn and experience nature. Some people who don't live near the animals and natural resources don't destroy intentionally, they don't know better. The forest service employees teach and protect--I'm thinking of the fellow who thought a moose was some type of horse and let his toddler pet it. (They are both fine.) We need people with these skills who love their work.
Penny, I love that your parents were campground hosts for the Forest Service. Such a great way to volunteer. And you are right, we need people with the knowledge and passion to show us how to reconnect with nature--to practice our terraphilia. Let's do all we can, as Marisol said in her poem above, to stand up for those employees!
Mercy, where to start, Susan. Some of our most favorite places are the National Parks and our forests. I raised my three kids hiking through the parks. And, they are still hiking through the parks, all three of them. I have a friend now, still in place in one of the Utah parks. She fills out her bulleted form every week, wondering - just wondering.... What a mess we are in.
Susan, Your kids were fortunate to have you to show them a wonderful way to be connected to what matters most: our love of this earth and the web of lives with whom we share the planet. As for your friend working for NPS in Utah, ask her if she has other ideas for how to stand up for her and her fellow employees. And please share her thoughts here.
Actually she is very active. When they marched in the parks their boss told them to wear masks so no one would recognize them. They also were told of they were fired they could stay in their housing and volunteer so many hours a week to cover the housing. I will talk to her on Sunday and get some ideas. She had sent me the five call info which I have been using.
I'm so glad to hear that your friend has a boss who is creative and caring. That's wonderful news. Thanks for sharing her ideas when you talk to her.
Great post Susan! Work at the parks is good work.
I have two federal government employees that I have known, one being my foster daughter. She is currently on paid leave from the NIH, having worked for CDC (including a period in Liberia at the end of the Ebola epidemic), Medicare and OSHA. She may now be joining the suit for federal employees. My other contact is (was?) employed by the Forest Service. He was a grad student of mine. I'm not sure what his status is at present.
Also one of my daughters worked at Capulin Volcano National Monument for a summer.
The last election was a disaster for sanity and knowledge. The most depressing situation since at least the the Vietnam War and possibly the Civil War. We have no choice but to resist. I would like it to be a peaceful resistance in the tradition of Die Weiße Rose (the White Rose) in Germany, which started too late (1942) and resulted in the leaders being guillotined by the Nazi government. We need to take a lesson from them and start our resistance now! I wish it were otherwise, but it is the current reality. I have called my Senators on several occasions about the abuses of this government and I will continue to do so.
David, I agree with all you say. And your thoughts in those first three paragraphs would make the bones of a letter to the editor of your local paper there, and perhaps to other media outlets. Writing about our experiences and those we know who are affected is a wonderful way to personalize those kinds of protests. I hope you'll consider speaking out that way.
Powerful personal call to action.
Thank you, Jill. And act we must or else be run over.... Blessings to you for all you do.
I lived and traveled full-time in an RV for 3 years for one reason—to visit as many National Parks as I could. I spent an entire month in the Big Bend National Park. I too am sadden by what is happening. I witnessed park rangers scrubbing graffiti off the rocks in the Arches National Park, people tauting bison at Yellowstone and a entire family stomping through a depleted glacier in the Rocky Mountain National Park. Oh, a man trying to pet a prairie dog in the Theodore Roosevelt National Park—I'm not kidding. He had to step over a sign that said Do Not Enter.
But as my grandmother always said, "This too shall pass." And I know it will. In the meantime, we just to have to stand strong and weather the storm like a willow tree. And volunteer at a "National Park near you."
That's for sharing your experience. And I loved your pictures - so cute!
What an amazing three years that must have been, Mary! I worked in Yellowstone, so I have seen many episodes of stupidity. But with several million people visiting Yellowstone in a very short period, you're bound to see that kind of thing. What is amazing is that most of those millions of people are awed, inspired and eager to learn. I can't tell you how many people were amazed and thrilled when I explained why I was crouched over an invasive weed in the Mammoth Campground, digging the plant out by hand with my plant knife, and they learned about the elk calves who are born there, and who could be poisoned by the plants I was laboriously digging up. I had visitors write me years afterwards to tell me that their kids had gone to college in biology and gone on to work in parks and forests and wildlife refuges. That is the kind of terraphilia that makes a difference!
And yes, this will pass. But there will be a lot of damage that will take a long time to repair. We can each do what we can to speak up now and as you say, volunteer at a park or forest or wildlife refuge near us to help out. Blessings!
Angry? Yes. Worried? Yes. Giving up? No way. I have both my senators and my Representative on speed dial and I call... EVERY DAY. I say something different each time, depending on the outrage at the top of my list. Who benefits if we cut Park services? What purpose does this serve? I TREASURE all our parks, national, state, and local. Yes, I LIKE having my taxes pay for parks, roads, feeding hungry children, caring for our veterans, preserving world peace, social security for the elderly and the disabled. I'm so weary of mean. But I'm not giving up even when I'm crying.
Bless you, Jude! That is exactly what we all need to do: never give up. And your example of calling your US senators and representative every day is an inspiring one. The thing is that "mean" gets a lot of press, but really never wins in the end. We have to be persistent and keep hope alive and active.
Thank you, Susan, for your devotion to these extraordinary lands, and for giving us actionable steps/things we can do to have a voice. I understand your outrage. I feel it too. Outrage is love rising, and we cannot lose hope. We cannot idly sit back and watch what we hold dear be taken away. I feel for every one of those employees, I feel for Mother Earth as environmental protections are stripped, I feel for the younger generations and for all who are struggling. I’m calling my reps, writing postcards, being as much of a light in the world as I can. Some days are better than others. I cannot give up hope.
"Outrage is love rising," indeed. What a great way to describe it, barbara. And thank you for taking action and being a light in the world. Together, we will resist, heal and uplift each other. Blessings!
Thank you for the resources you have provided, Susan. The job loss for so many folks is unforgivable. It does make one feel helpless, but having the avenues you've given us provide at least some hope.
Jenny, I think that hope lives in action, and any positive steps we can take will keep that flame alive. It helps, I think, to realize that we're in this together, and we're not alone. Thank you for being here and taking action.
I think this is a powerful reminder of the number of people involved in making the parks what they are. I also think it's a good example of picking an area of advocacy. I think it's most effective for people to fight for specific things rather than to express generalized outrage (even though a lot of us feel upset about many, many different things.)
I agree, Christina: We are most effective when we pick our issues and focus on them. Otherwise we get paralyzed and end up doing nothing at all. There is a lot to be outraged about, it's true, but there are also a lot of us to take action. Remembering that helps me stay sane. Or as sane as I can!
Thank you for sharing these pictures and the story of your early involvement in federal land management, Susan. Your call to action makes it clear why we must stand up to the malicious insanity swirling around us and not allow it to crush us. Onward!! Liz
"Malicious insanity" is a great way to describe it, Liz. I would add "greedy" too. We are in a new Gilded Age, with all of the spiritual and moral bankruptcy that implies. But we can and will rise. Hugs to you.